At The Dietrich

By
Hildy Morgan

I just couldn’t think what to write about this week. We have the same movies for one more week (DaVinci Code and Over the Hedge) so there isn’t really that much to say about them. They’re both really good movies and deserve to be seen. Hedge gets replaced on June 9 by Cars which looks to be a hoot! Pure fun – I’ll write at length about it next week. So I sat in my chair thinking what in the world am I going to say? It had been a lovely weekend - -a bit too hot for my taste on Monday, but otherwise pretty much perfect. And then I realized what was on my mind – what had been on my mind all along - - the fact that it was Memorial Day weekend, and that there was much to be remembered about all those who fight our wars, justified or not, and who make sacrifices that last forever, even when they’re lucky enough to live.

I had the great honor of meeting Max Cleland this past weekend. What an exuberant man! What a man of courage and fun and laughter. He sits in a wheelchair, missing both legs and his right arm. I asked my husband how tall this man had been before Vietnam – he said over six feet. Surely this wasn’t the way he had thought his life would turn out. Surely when he was a young man and went off to war he must have had dreams about when he came home, and those dreams must have included taking a walk, playing ball with his kids, doing all the things that regular guys do with their lives. But a grenade ended those dreams, and so he went into a life of public service, always looking to help other vets like him - - the ones who were lucky enough to survive.

My own husband was just a kid when, also in Vietnam, he tripped a land mine wire. He’s one of the lucky ones. He only lost one of his badly injured legs. He has so much shrapnel in his body that even without prosthetic leg he can set off security alarms at airports. His back gives him trouble and his foot – all the time, every day. He came home from Vietnam at a time when the nation was angry and confused and often blamed the soldiers themselves for the foreign debacle. He was never spat upon, but many he knew were. He felt like a stranger in his own country. Takes time for those scars to go away. But now, he’s an “old Marine,” full of memories. In his dreams sometimes, he runs. But only in his dreams.

So many thoughts of my father on this holiday. He was part of “The Greatest Generation” and by God, he was a good ‘un. He worked on a farm and was thirty years old so he didn’t have to serve. When he saw Hitler burning books he said to my mother - - “Mom - -that man is a nut and we have to get rid of him. A man who would burn books would do anything!” My father, terrified of water, joined the Navy. Wanted to fight Hitler but ended up in the Pacific theater. Shot down three Kamikazes headed dead at the ship. Helped rescue the survivors of the Indianapolis. Said war was rotten, we had to stop settling arguments that way. Believed we never should have dropped the atomic bombs on Japan, although it meant he came home sooner. From the time he came home until the day he died he would jump when the telephone rang – it was the same tone as the general quarters alarm that meant the kamikazes were on their way. When he was dying and his mind wandered back to other days and different times, he was aboard ship again with his buddies, fighting the enemy and longing for home. Even as his life slipped away, he couldn’t shake the war – it had left its mark on his soul and changed him forever.

So, for all the men who gave their lives, God bless you. And for our dear ones who come home irrevocably changed, but consider themselves to be the “lucky ones”, God bless you, too. You have given beyond what the rest of us can ever understand. And what a shame that politicians never give them a thought when they so blithely take us into wars they don’t fight. My father, a man of unquestionable courage, believed wars were primitive and needed to be stopped. Oh, Pop - - I sure wish you ruled the world. What a better place it would be.

See you at the Dietrich.

Live at The Dietrich

By
Erica Rogler

Rand Whipple is coming back to the Dietrich! We are all excited to have him back to teach Digital Arts Camp for children ages 8 -12 and a new class “Move Over Mr. Spielberg: Digital Film Making Camp” for adults and students age 12 and up. This year his Digital Arts Camp will be phenomenal! Besides doing hands-on projects in claymation, robotics and specials effects. Rand Whipple has added a few new activities to this camp. Students will create digital comics. Sounds cool, right? Well it is, campers create their own comics where they are the stars. They can be their own action heroes. Creating digital comics also gives participants an introduction into videography. Students will learn the best way to frame a shot for a video/movie. Once the video is shot using digital cameras then the comic is filtered and colorized using a computer to give the comic that comic book look. I just can’t wait to see the final products this summer. Students will also have the chance to write and record their own ‘radio dramas’ and sound or music clips.

Another feature of the class is that after campers have created their claymation movies, digital comic books, radio dramas and more, they will learn how to podcast their creations. Now I had to ask Rand about podcasting since I had never heard, so I’m guessing you probably have the same question. Podcasting involves uploading the digital movies etc. to a website, in this case it would be the Box of Light Theatre website. From there, anyone with an iPod or computer can download the files to an iPod or computer to enjoy. So after the class is over, students can get online and listen, watch and showoff their creations whenever they like. Digital Arts Camp will be held the week of June 26 to June 30 from 2:00 - 4:30 pm. Admission is $50, all materials are provided. Call the Dietrich at 996-1500 to register.

During the same week, Rand Whipple will also teach “Move Over Mr. Spielberg: Digital Film Making Camp” at night from 7:00 - 9:30 pm. This camp will focus on acting and film creation. Participants in “Move Over Mr. Spielberg” will learn how to create their own digital films using a digital camera and personal computer. Using everything from clay actors to human ones, the class will shoot, edit, score and output several short films in the course of the week. Participants will learn about blue screening, morphing and other special effects. Using Garageband software, each filmmaking team will also create an originally soundtrack.

Also, the films completed in “Move Over Mr. Spielberg” will be entered into the Endless Mountains Digital Film Festival, which will show at the Sayre and Towanda theaters in August. Admission to the film making camp is $50. Call the theater at 996-1500 to register. The class is filling quickly.
Both classes sound absolutely fun!

More than the Movies at the Dietrich Theater

2006: A Space Odyssey: Theater & Visual Arts Camp

Theater and visual arts combine to make an awesome space adventure! Learn all about outer space, aliens, planets, and intergalactic travel while creating stories, live theater, arts, crafts and so much more! For ages 5 -12.

Monday - Friday, June 19 - 23 from 10:00 am - noon.

Cost: $50, all materials provided.

Instructor: Michaela Moore & Amy Colley

All About Drawing Camp, ages 8 -12.

Using the artwork in award winning children's books as examples, students will learn about basic concepts of drawing including Line, Shape, Texture, Value, Color and Space.

Monday - Friday, July 10 - 14 from 10:00 - 11:30 am.

Cost: $50 all materials provided.

Instructors: Amy & Steve Colley

Decorative Painting, ages 13 and up

Learn decorative painting techniques while creating decorative pieces for your home or to give as gifts. Each project will be completed within one to two classes. All levels of experience welcome.

Wednesdays from noon - 3:00 pm through August 31.

Cost: $15 per class plus the cost of the painting surface. Preregistration required.

Instructor: Eileen Balboa

Digital Arts Camp, ages 8 -12

Claymation, Robotics, and Special Effects.

Monday - Friday, June 26 - June 30 from 2:00 - 4:30 pm.

Cost: $50, all materials provided.

Instructor: Rand Whipple, Box of Light Theatre

Everhart Explorations

Students will learn about dinosaurs, birds, and Africa and art over those weeks.

Mondays, July 10, 17, 24, 31. Ages 5 - 8: 10:00 - 11:00 am. Ages 9 - 12: 11:30 am - 12:30 pm.

Admission is free.

Instructor: Everhart Museum Staff

Fantasy, Fairy Tales & Beasts: Theater & Visual Arts Camp

This camp is all about ancient gods, wonderful tales and fantastical beasts. Children enrolled will learn about all sorts of cultures and myths and use that knowledge to create wonderful dramatic and visual works of art! For ages 5 -12.

Monday - Friday, August 7 - 11 from 10:00 am - noon.

Cost: $50, all materials provided.

Instructor: Amy Colley & Michaela Moore

Intergenerational Quilting, for all ages

"Seascape Quilt" - This project is designed to challenge students to construct variations of the classic sailboat pattern and explore fabrics that create special effects.

Wednesdays, June 14 - July 26 from 6:00 - 7:30 pm.

Cost: $6 per lesson, all materials provided.

Instructors: Ingrid Rogler and Peggy Lane

Introduction to Acting Camp, ages 6 -11

A fun and creative introduction to all that acting is!

Monday - Friday, July 31 - August 4 from 2:00 - 3:30 pm.

Admission is $50, all materials provided.

Instructor: Michaela Moore, All About Theatre.

Move Over Mr. Spieberg: Digital Film Making Workshop

Learn how to create your own digital films using a digital camera and a computer. Using everything from clay actors to human ones, the class will shoot, edit, score and output several short films in the course of the week. For ages 13 to adult.

Monday - Friday, June 26 - June 30 from 7:00 - 9:00 pm.

Cost: $50, all materials provided.

Instructor: Rand Whipple, Box of Light Theatre

Open Studio for Painting, Drawing & Pottery

Students of all ages and levels of experience will have the opportunity to work at their own pace and medium of their choice with instructor Steve Colley. A model will be provided for an additional fee if the group chooses.

Tuesdays from 7:00 - 8:30 pm, Series 3 - June 6, 13, 20, 27. Series 4 - July 11, 18, 25, August 1. Series 5 - August 8, 15, 22, 29.

Cost: $45 for each series of four classes.

Instructor: Steve Colley, B.F.A., M.F.A.

Pottery & Sculpture, ages 13 to adult

This class is designed for students of all levels of experience. Students will work on pottery wheels and learn hand building and sculpture techniques.

Mondays from 7:00 - 8:30 pm. Series 3 - June 5, 12, 19, 26. Series 4 - July 10, 17, 24, 31. Series 5 - August 7, 14, 21, 28.

Cost: $45 for each series of four classes.

Instructor: Steve Colley, B.F.A., M.F.A.

Preschool Art - Summer

Preschool students will be introduced to a famous artist each week as they explore a variety of materials such as clay, tempera, watercolors, collage, etc.

Thursdays, July 6, 13, 20, 27 from 10:30 - 11:15 am.

Cost: $25 for each series of 4 classes.

Instructor: Amy Colley, M.F.A.

Quilting for Kids, ages 6 and up

"Sail Away" - Our easy Just for Kids sailboat pattern will ensure a smooth sailing experience for young quilters.

Wednesdays, June 14 - July 26 from 3:30 - 5:00 pm.

Cost: $6 per lesson, all materials provided.

Instructors: Ingrid Rogler, Gloria Eastwood, Terri Keller, Mary Louise Dodge

Writers' Group

Come and read your work or listen and be inspired. Learn the craft of writing as you write. All genres and levels of writing are welcome.

Thursdays from 7:00 - 8:30 pm. Meeting are ongoing.

Admission is free.

group format - no instructor

Yoga for You

Accomodations will be made for beginners, experienced practitioners, and those with special needs. Call 570-996-1500 to confirm dates. Please bring yoga mat or beach towel.

Mondays, Wednesdays & Saturdays, 10:00 am - 11:00 am, Call 570-996-1500 for class dates.

Cost: $10 per lesson. Children are free.

Instructors: Melissa Russo & Mary Frances Giordano: Certified Hatha Yoga Instructors