If we got to pick the era we wished to live in, the forties would have been my choice. Of course, we don’t get to do that. I was born in the forties but came to adulthood in the fifties and early sixties. But my memories of the forties, the memories of a small girl loved and kept secure by her parents, those memories match up with Wonderful Life in so many, many ways.

I know there were terrible societal flaws in the forties and fifties. I know that back then African Americans served in the great world war with honor and courage and came home to a country that refused to allow them to sit next to a white man at a lunch counter. I know that women who were attacked had to defend themselves in the court of public opinion where she was often found to have “provoked” the attack. And I know that children had almost no protection from wicked adults, and that their nightmares were often never ending.

But I wasn’t raised by bigots or violent or mean people. I was raised by a brilliant mother and a gentle father and they made it plain every day of their lives that they loved my little sister and me more than anything on this earth – more than they loved themselves. So when my father got back from a two and a half year stint in WW2 he worked two jobs to keep his family fed. And my mother, always cognizant that a “good wife” look as good as she could when her young husband came home from a hard day’s work, would go upstairs at five o’clock, brush her hair, put on a little lipstick, pinch her cheeks hard (since rouge was only brought out for very special occasions) and put on her clean housedress. Then she would wash the one she had worn all day, hang it up and run lightly down the stairs just in time to greet my father at the front door with a hug and a welcoming kiss. That’s what I saw every day when I was small. Every day. And it was such a good thing.

It was a good thing because although my mother never said we were poor, we always knew there weren’t a lot of extras. We saw that my mother’s kitchen was tiny but the meals she cooked were grand. We knew that our living room was small but all the cousins and aunts and uncles fit in there quite nicely for parties and celebrations. We knew that my mother grocery shopped just once a week but that there was always enough at the table to feed a guest, should one happen by. And so we grew up knowing that it wasn’t about the things we owned, it was about the people, about the love, about the kindness.

It didn’t matter that we didn’t have granite countertops (my mother would not have known what they were) or ceilings so high that they dwarf the rooms’ occupants, or a “family room” (that was wherever we all were) or any of the things young people today need in their “dream house.” My parents didn’t live in their “dream house,” but rather in a house of dreams, where they dreamt of a college education for their daughters, where they would someday play with grandchildren who would do great things in the world. They dreamed that someday there would be just that little bit extra so my mother could maybe have three dresses, or four.

And that’s what It’s A Wonderful Life is all about. A time when material possessions were not the most important thing. When a child could play Auld Lang Syne on the piano and the adults singing along were full of the joy of the holidays and reveled in the comforts of their families. I know that scene so well, because almost sixty years ago I was that little girl at the piano, and those folks singing were my family and that film takes me back to be with them for those brief and shining moments. And I weep that they are no longer with me, and I am filled with joy that they once were.

God bless us one and all.
See you at the Dietrich.

We had two full showings for the Christmas movie Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas. So many families came in to enjoy it. We would like to thank the Jim Henson Legacy Foundation for allowing us to show this holiday favorite once again.

During Saturday’s Holiday Workshop over 240 people came out to decorate cookies, make ornaments, and receive a balloon creation from Silly Sally. She made balloon poodles, hats, butterfly wings, swords, flowers, and so much more as she entertained the children while making them. To add to the celebration, Bill Frye strolled through the theater with his guitar singing Christmas tunes. Thank you, Angelo Ventresca Associates, for sponsoring the event once again.

Then last Tuesday night it was time for the Dietrich Theater Radio Players live show. Over forty people enjoyed this evening of old time radio. The radio players performed the favorite "You Can’t Take It with You" which originally aired on October 2, 1939. Most of the cast members played two to three characters in the play. Bob Kulow and Ed Battestin were in charge of sound effects, which included doors closing, explosions, phones ringing and more. It takes a great deal of focus, timing and collaboration for these shows to come together; and like usual, they did a spectacular job. The radio players have been meeting at the Dietrich for six years now. While some of the members have been there from the start, they are always looking for new members. No experience is required and I hear they have lots of fun at rehearsals. If you are interested, join them in the spring as they prepare for their next radio play production. Admission is free.

For middle school and high school student who are interested in taking part in a theatrical production, the Dietrich’s After School Players program will be starting up again in January. Under the direction of Carl Canedy and Patti Dunning of First Act Children’s Theatre, students will learn all about the theatre arts as they prepare to perform the play "The Haunted Dietrich". Students will also provide input for the show and learn choreography. No experience is required.

After School Players will be held on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 3:30 - 5:30 pm starting on January 5 through March 6. Call 570-996-1500 to sign up.

The Dietrich’s Holiday Camp is quickly approaching, and there are still a few spaces available for your young artists to take part. Children ages five to twelve will be able to let their creativity blossom as they learn about different artists and make pottery, sculptures, paintings and drawings. The camp will be held from 10 - 11:30 am on December 28, 29, and 30. Admission is $35 and all materials are provided. Call the theater at 570-996-1500 to register.

Movie Times: (570)836-1022

	Stop by the Dietrich to pick up movie gift bags and poppers. They make great Christmas gifts for children, teens, and adults. For more information, call the theater at 570-996-1507. Holiday Camp, for ages 5 to 12 At the Dietrich Theater in downtown Tunkhannock Pottery - Monday, December 28 from 10 - 11:30 am. Painting - Tuesday, December 29 from 10 - 11:30 am. Drawing - Wednesday, December 30 from 10 - 11:30 am. Instructor: Steve Colley Cost: $35. Young artists will create pottery, drawings, and paintings and learn about famous artists. Call 570-996-1500 to register.
www.DietrichTheater.com Thursday, December 17, 2009
At The Dietrich by Hildy Morgan I am writing this column on the best day. The totally absolutely without a doubt best day. Because this is the day we show “It’s A Wonderful Life” once in the afternoon and once at night. In fact, I have just come upstairs after seating a full theater for the matinee. Everyone is so happy and I believe it’s because for the next two and a half hours they will be taken out of this world, out of whatever pain or sorrow they may be carrying, and they will be surrounded by lives lived differently but better in so many ways. If we got to pick the era we wished to live in, the forties would have been my choice. Of course, we don’t get to do that. I was born in the forties but came to adulthood in the fifties and early sixties. But my memories of the forties, the memories of a small girl loved and kept secure by her parents, those memories match up with Wonderful Life in so many, many ways. I know there were terrible societal flaws in the forties and fifties. I know that back then African Americans served in the great world war with honor and courage and came home to a country that refused to allow them to sit next to a white man at a lunch counter. I know that women who were attacked had to defend themselves in the court of public opinion where she was often found to have “provoked” the attack. And I know that children had almost no protection from wicked adults, and that their nightmares were often never ending. But I wasn’t raised by bigots or violent or mean people. I was raised by a brilliant mother and a gentle father and they made it plain every day of their lives that they loved my little sister and me more than anything on this earth – more than they loved themselves. So when my father got back from a two and a half year stint in WW2 he worked two jobs to keep his family fed. And my mother, always cognizant that a “good wife” look as good as she could when her young husband came home from a hard day’s work, would go upstairs at five o’clock, brush her hair, put on a little lipstick, pinch her cheeks hard (since rouge was only brought out for very special occasions) and put on her clean housedress. Then she would wash the one she had worn all day, hang it up and run lightly down the stairs just in time to greet my father at the front door with a hug and a welcoming kiss. That’s what I saw every day when I was small. Every day. And it was such a good thing. It was a good thing because although my mother never said we were poor, we always knew there weren’t a lot of extras. We saw that my mother’s kitchen was tiny but the meals she cooked were grand. We knew that our living room was small but all the cousins and aunts and uncles fit in there quite nicely for parties and celebrations. We knew that my mother grocery shopped just once a week but that there was always enough at the table to feed a guest, should one happen by. And so we grew up knowing that it wasn’t about the things we owned, it was about the people, about the love, about the kindness. It didn’t matter that we didn’t have granite countertops (my mother would not have known what they were) or ceilings so high that they dwarf the rooms’ occupants, or a “family room” (that was wherever we all were) or any of the things young people today need in their “dream house.” My parents didn’t live in their “dream house,” but rather in a house of dreams, where they dreamt of a college education for their daughters, where they would someday play with grandchildren who would do great things in the world. They dreamed that someday there would be just that little bit extra so my mother could maybe have three dresses, or four. And that’s what It’s A Wonderful Life is all about. A time when material possessions were not the most important thing. When a child could play Auld Lang Syne on the piano and the adults singing along were full of the joy of the holidays and reveled in the comforts of their families. I know that scene so well, because almost sixty years ago I was that little girl at the piano, and those folks singing were my family and that film takes me back to be with them for those brief and shining moments. And I weep that they are no longer with me, and I am filled with joy that they once were. God bless us one and all. See you at the Dietrich.	Now Showing www.dietrichtheater.com/movie or (570)836-1022 for times The Princess and the Frog December 11, 2009 - January 7, 2010 Pirate Radio December 11, 2009 - December 17, 2009 NEW MOON- Twilight November 20, 2009 - December 18, 2009 2012 November 13, 2009 - December 17, 2009 Coming Soon www.dietrichtheater.com/preview or (570)836-1022 for times OLD DOGS December 18, 2009 - December 24, 2009 Everybody's Fine December 18, 2009 - December 22, 2009 Alvin and the CHIPMUNKS December 23, 2009 - January 12, 2010 Events www.dietrichtheater.com/event or (570)996-1500 to reserve Theatre Fun! January 23, 2010 Tango - Movie & Lesson January 31, 2010 The Grapes of Wrath Audition Notice March 10, 2010 - March 14, 2010 Wyoming County Reads - The Grapes of Wrath February 3, 2010 - March 3, 2010 Pennsylvania Hands February 7, 2010 Celebrate Go Red Month February 11, 2010 Reptiles & Amphibians of Northeast PA February 20, 2010 The Haunted Dietrich March 6, 2010 The Grapes of Wrath March 10, 2010 - March 14, 2010 Determined Spirit: The Story of Amelia Earhart March 21, 2010 The Pennswoods Guitar Quartet Concert April 25, 2010 Classes www.dietrichtheater.com/class or (570)996-1500 to enroll Holiday Camp, ages 5 to 12 December 28, 2009 - December 30, 2009 After School Players March 6, 2010 Exploring Painting March 11, 2010 - April 2, 2010 Exploring Sculpture January 14, 2010 - February 5, 2010 Exploring Shapes February 11, 2010 - March 5, 2010 If You Build It! March 2, 2010 - March 30, 2010 Let's Pretend February 2, 2010 - February 23, 2010 Little People & Nature March 9, 2010 - March 31, 2010 Mixed Media, ages 5 - 12 January 14, 2010 - April 2, 2010 Quilting for Kids, ages 6 and up January 13, 2010 - January 27, 2010 Intergenerational Quilting, ages 13 and up January 13, 2010 - March 31, 2010 Open Studio for Painting, Drawing & Pottery - Days January 11, 2010 - March 29, 2010 Open Studio: Painting, Drawing, & Pottery - Nights January 12, 2010 - March 30, 2010 Beginning Bead Crochet March 16, 2010 - March 30, 2010 Beginning Crochet March 2, 2010 - March 16, 2010 Creat a Felted Hat March 17, 2010 - March 31, 2010 Decorative Painting, for ages 16 and up January 20, 2010 - March 31, 2010 Introduction to Knitting January 12, 2010 - January 26, 2010 Introduction to Stained Glass March 29, 2010 Jewelry Making - Cutting & Stamping Metal January 18, 2010 Jewelry Making: Fun with Findings January 25, 2010 Jewelry Making: Introduction to Glass Fusing March 22, 2010 - April 5, 2010 Make an Easy Knitted Hat February 4, 2010 - February 18, 2010 Pottery & Sculpture January 11, 2010 - March 29, 2010 Introduction to Spanish April 12, 2010 - May 17, 2010 Conversational Spanish May 24, 2010 - July 5, 2010 Writers' Group December 17, 2009 - February 25, 2010 Yoga for You January 6, 2010 - February 24, 2010	Live at The Dietrich by Erica Rogler Last weekend was absolutely fun and festive during Tunkhannock’s Christmas in Our Hometown. From the Christmas tree lighting, to the strolling carolers, to the live display windows, to the ice sculpting demonstration, to the large crowds in the streets, you could definitely feel the Christmas spirit in Tunkhannock for the event. We at the Dietrich were especially excited to see the young and young at heart gasp in delight as they entered the theater’s Earnshaw gallery. I am still amazed by how beautiful the Christmas display is. It truly takes your breath away. We had two full showings for the Christmas movie Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas. So many families came in to enjoy it. We would like to thank the Jim Henson Legacy Foundation for allowing us to show this holiday favorite once again. During Saturday’s Holiday Workshop over 240 people came out to decorate cookies, make ornaments, and receive a balloon creation from Silly Sally. She made balloon poodles, hats, butterfly wings, swords, flowers, and so much more as she entertained the children while making them. To add to the celebration, Bill Frye strolled through the theater with his guitar singing Christmas tunes. Thank you, Angelo Ventresca Associates, for sponsoring the event once again. Then last Tuesday night it was time for the Dietrich Theater Radio Players live show. Over forty people enjoyed this evening of old time radio. The radio players performed the favorite "You Can’t Take It with You" which originally aired on October 2, 1939. Most of the cast members played two to three characters in the play. Bob Kulow and Ed Battestin were in charge of sound effects, which included doors closing, explosions, phones ringing and more. It takes a great deal of focus, timing and collaboration for these shows to come together; and like usual, they did a spectacular job. The radio players have been meeting at the Dietrich for six years now. While some of the members have been there from the start, they are always looking for new members. No experience is required and I hear they have lots of fun at rehearsals. If you are interested, join them in the spring as they prepare for their next radio play production. Admission is free. For middle school and high school student who are interested in taking part in a theatrical production, the Dietrich’s After School Players program will be starting up again in January. Under the direction of Carl Canedy and Patti Dunning of First Act Children’s Theatre, students will learn all about the theatre arts as they prepare to perform the play "The Haunted Dietrich". Students will also provide input for the show and learn choreography. No experience is required. After School Players will be held on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 3:30 - 5:30 pm starting on January 5 through March 6. Call 570-996-1500 to sign up. The Dietrich’s Holiday Camp is quickly approaching, and there are still a few spaces available for your young artists to take part. Children ages five to twelve will be able to let their creativity blossom as they learn about different artists and make pottery, sculptures, paintings and drawings. The camp will be held from 10 - 11:30 am on December 28, 29, and 30. Admission is $35 and all materials are provided. Call the theater at 570-996-1500 to register.
Movie Times: (570)836-1022 General Information: (570)996-1500