At The Dietrich by
Hildy Morgan So. Today was the day. I took off from work and Jennie and I set about to make elderberry jelly. It is apparently so rare today that we had to go to the internet for the recipe since Sure-Jell no longer includes it on its list of fruit jellies. (Harumph is all I have to say to that!) Why, you may ask, did we decide to spend something like ten hours making twenty-four eight ounce jars of jelly? Well, a lot of the hours were picking the fruit, then stripping those itsy-bitsy berries off the stems and then boiling them up and juicing them. It took about five hours just to get to the juice phase. And today it took another five to actually make the jelly since you make elderberry jelly three cups of juice (which makes five eight ounce glasses) at a time. There are dire warnings about trying to double up on the batches so I didn’t, but I have to say that doesn’t make too much sense to me. Maybe it has something to do with the pectin.
My bones ache, my feet ache, my shoulders ache. I am so weary I’m not even sure this column will make sense. But whoa! What a great time! I put music from the 50’s and 60’s on the telly and Jennie and I got to work. It took two of us to accomplish what Mamma did all by herself. I loved it so when she would make jellies and canned tomatoes and peaches. The house smelled of the sweet syrups or the spicy tomatoes and the jars, all lined up at the end seemed mystical to me. She knew we thought it a great lark, so the day before she made the jelly she’d make a loaf of her home-made bread and have it all ready for when the jelly was complete. And after it had cooled, we’d get a big piece of bread slathered with butter and warm elderberry jelly. I so wanted her to be with us in the kitchen today. I wanted to tell her that those memories she made for her two little girls are so powerful that we had to reenact what she did.
And you know what? We actually did it! The house has the warm, sugary smell of mid-August. The jars are lines up in their ruby rows, and although we didn’t have homemade bread, I toasted some solidly whole wheat, put on some butter and then piled on some of the jelly and I was back in Mamma’s kitchen, the one we grew up in, and she was standing there looking quite pleased with herself. Oh, Mamma. I hope you could see us today. You would have loved it. You would have been telling us exactly what to do (so we wouldn’t have forgotten the pectin on the one batch and had to do it all over again) but that would have been okay. Because we made the jelly as homage, because you were such a grand mother, because we miss you, because we are grateful that you made us jelly and bread and loved us so. How could anyone ask for more?
Okay - - opening night of festival we are showing Beginners, a poignant and deeply moving story of a dying man (Christopher Plummer) who tells his son that he is gay. The son then has to look back at his life and assess his parents’ marriage, his attitude toward life and his relationship with his father and the world. It’s a superb film and, I believe, one that will please our festival crowd because the acting, the storyline and the thought-provoking nature of the subject is just what most festival folks love. And then, as our second film, we will be showing Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris. I think I don’t have to describe this film, thought to be his best sine Annie Hall, except to say Woody Allen. What else is there to say? You know you’ll laugh and shake your head and just have fun! So don’t forget to call 996-1500 for reservations!
So that’s opening night. I’ll give you a rundown on the rest of the films next week – they’re all goodies, I promise!
Oh, and before I go, we have a few of the Bridal Bliss videos left if anyone would still like to purchase them. They are almost (I say almost because nothing beats “live”) as charming as the show was! Call 996 – 1500 to purchase. | Now Showing www.dietrichtheater.com/movie
or (570)836-1022 for times SPY KIDS in 2D
August 19, 2011 -August 25, 2011THE HELP
August 19, 2011 -August 25, 2011The Rise of the Planet of the Apes
August 5, 2011 -August 25, 2011Crazy, Stupid, Love
August 19, 2011 -August 25, 2011The SMURFS
July 29, 2011 -August 25, 2011
Coming Soon www.dietrichtheater.com/preview
or (570)836-1022 for times
Events www.dietrichtheater.com/event
or (570)996-1500 to reserve Life on the Susquehanna River Exhibit
August 1, 2011 - September 30, 2011
Gathering of Singers and Songwriters 10
August 24, 2011
Classes www.dietrichtheater.com/class
or (570)996-1500 to enroll Open Studio: Painting, Drawing & Pottery
April 12, 2011 - August 23, 2011
Decorative Painting
April 13, 2011 - August 31, 2011
Pottery & Sculpture
April 4, 2011 - September 12, 2011
Writers' Group
April 14, 2011 - August 25, 2011
Yoga for You
April 13, 2011 - August 31, 2011
| Live at The Dietrich by
Erica Rogler On Wednesday, August 24, seven of our area’s finest folk musicians will be taking the Dietrich stage for our tenth annual Gathering of Singers and Songwriters. Join us at 7:30 p.m. for a fantastic evening of acoustic music, plus good fun and stories from the evening’s featured artists. Musical guests include George Wesley, Kate Jordan, KJ Wagner, Tom Flannery, Lorne Clark, Jay Smar and Donna Hill. According to Lorne Clarke, concert organizer and emcee, "For over a decade, Tunkhannock's Dietrich Theater has cultivated and nurtured one of the most vibrant, original arts scenes in America! This year's Gathering of Singers & Songwriters celebrates the spirit of this great community!" It is bound to be a wonderful night so come out and join us for this celebration! Admission is free. Tickets are available by calling 570-996-1500 or at the door while they last.
Speaking of music, in September, the Dietrich will be hosting one of the Pennsylvania Humanities Council’s Commonwealth Speakers, Kenneth Womack, for a free presentation called “The End: Authorship, Nostalgia and the Beatles”. On September 14th at 7:00 p.m., Beatles scholar Kenneth Womack will bring the story of the Beatles vividly to life. He will trace the group’s creative arc from their days in Liverpool to the mean streets of Hamburg, through Abbey Road, to the twilight of their career. In an effort to communicate the power of the band’s remarkable achievement, Womack and his audience will investigate the origins of the group’s compositions, as well as the songwriting and recording practices that brought them to fruition. I think this presentation will appeal to both young and mature audiences. Please call the theater at 570-996-1500 for reservations to this free event.
Another free event that is just around the corner is the Dietrich Children’s Theatre production of “Lon Po Po: A Red Riding Hood Story from China”. In this play, a mother from the Chinese countryside travels overnight to visit her three small children’s sick grandmother, or “po po”. She cautions her children not to open the door to anyone, as there might be a wolf, or “lon” lurking about. But when there is a knock on the door late at night, is it their po po – or is it really an evil lon po po instead? To find out, join us for free performances at the Dietrich on Friday, September 9 at 10:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., and Saturday, September 10 at 11:00 a.m. Jennifer Jenkins has done a beautiful job of adapting this folktale for the stage. Her plays are so interactive, and I think it’s great that children can learn about different cultures through live theatre. This play has been sponsored by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council.
For those of you who are excited about the Dietrich’s upcoming Fall Film Festival, the entire slate of sixteen movies and their show times are now available on our website, www.dietrichtheater.com. For opening night this year, we will be celebrating the festival Oktoberfest style. So gather up your friends and join us for food, film, beer, wine, and good fun. Nimble Hill Brewing Company will be offering samples of their new beer that will be released in 2012, plus we will have other microbrews available. Food will be provided by Epicurean Delight, Seasons Restaurant, Twigs Restaurant & Café and the Fireplace Restaurant, and wine will be supplied by Nimble Hill Vineyard and Winery. We will be showing the acclaimed films “Beginners” and “Midnight in Paris” that evening. Plus Epicurean Delight will once again “wow” us with an incredible dessert spread. Tickets to opening night are $35 each and can be reserved by calling 570-996-1500. You can’t beat that price for a full evening of food, film and fun! |
