Which got me to thinking. What would I say to kids about to graduate from high school? I mean, if any of them asked. You know. A commencement address. And I got to thinking that we all should do a commencement address for the new generation. I mean, why not? Unless we’ve lived our lives in a bubble, we could tell them a lot. Not that they’d care, mind you, but still. I think everyone should sit down this weekend and tell the youngsters what they think is most important in life. And if you feel like it, send me a copy. I’d love to see it.

Okay, the first thing I’d tell some kids is don’t let high school define you. If you were really, really smart, that doesn’t make you the smartest kid in the world. In college, as in life, you’re going to meet folks sooo much smarter than you are. Not to say you don’t deserve tremendous credit for a job well done. Just know that your good work so far may not protect you from the pitfalls ahead. And smart needs a healthy dose of self-awareness. And humility.

Secondly, I’d tell the other kids, don’t let high school define you. If you weren’t a good student, if you had attitude, if you couldn’t get it together to do your work on time, if you were like a train speeding down the track heading in the wrong direction, think of this. You haven’t even lived two decades. You have lots of time to turn it around. Einstein sucked at school. Big deal. Get the best job you can, save up and go to community college. Get a degree. With a bit of hard work and a good tutor you can probably get a 4.0. Finish up in a four year school. Go out and conquer the world. Because you know what, kid? If you had a life as chaotic as your school failures indicate but you still graduated, you probably have one heck of a will to succeed. You can do it. And you might even get to wave at the class valedictorian as you climb that ladder of success. Life’s short but tricky. You can do it.

Thirdly, don’t let high school limit your dreams. Because here’s a fact: coupons have an expiration date, dreams don’t. Buildings can only be so tall, dreams can travel further than the stars. Dreams are the stuff a good life is made of. You can love and be loved, just as you dream. You can work hard and maybe get a cozy little house with a dog, two kids and the man or woman of those dreams. Or you can dream of a different road – you know, the one less travelled. And it’s okay. Because it’s your dream.

Fourthly, I would say, go to as many movies as you can. They are America’s great art form. They take us out of ourselves and carry us to the far reaches of the twinkling universe. They make us laugh and cry. They inspire and infuriate. They give us a couple of hours to live another life, a different life, a life where problems are solved in less than two hours. Of course, that’s not real life. But that’s the point, isn’t it? It gives us a breather, a chance to recoup. And we all need that sometimes.

And finally, don’t pay too much attention to anything we old farts say. We have helped to mess up this world in a million trillion ways. You can do better than we did. I know you can! In fact, the world is counting on it.

See you at the Dietrich.

This month we are looking forward to Open Mic on Friday, June 28th with featured guest David Hage. Come out and experience the guitar stylings and vocal talents of this local performer who is no stranger to Open Mic at the Dietrich. We also encourage all other musicians, poets, storytellers, playwrights and comedians to share their talents that evening. Open Mic begins at 7:00 p.m., and admission is free. Doors open for seating and Open Mic sign-ups at 6:30 p.m. Reserve your slot early. Call the Dietrich at 570-996-1500 for details.

In addition to hosting Open Mic in June, the Dietrich will also present a variety of events to commemorate the Civil War sesquicentennial. On Wednesday, June 19th at 7:00 p.m., historian and actor Ed McMullen will be back at the Dietrich for a presentation on the Overview of the Civil War 150 Years Later. If you have never seen one of Ed’s talks, I encourage you to come. He has such a great way of bringing history alive. Admission is free. Tickets can be reserved by calling 570-996-1500, or they will be available at the door while they last.

We will also be presenting the Civil War drama "The Bridegroom of Blowing Rock" by Catherine Trieshmann at Tunkhannock’s Lazybrook Park on Friday, June 21 and Saturday, June 22 at 7:00 p.m. Please bring a blanket or lawn chair and join us for live theatre directed by Jennifer Jenkins in scenic Lazybrook Park. Admission is free.

Then on Sunday, June 23 (rain date – June 30) at 4 p.m., join us for a Civil Walking Tour of Gravel Hill Cemetery. You are invited to take a step back in time as we look at Wyoming County’s involvement in the Civil War through this tour of Gravel Hill Cemetery, which is located off of Susquehanna Avenue in Tunkhannock. We will meet at the corner of the cemetery nearest Franklin Avenue. This tour will be led by Bob Baker, past Griffin Camp # 8 Commander of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.

The following Sunday, June 30, the Dietrich will present a program with Thomas Jolin on the Civil War Era Music. According to Jolin, "The trauma of the Civil War produced a tremendous amount of music as the nation mourned and sough relief from the death of over 600,000 Americans." These songs provide a picture of solders’ lives, domestic scenes, minstrel traditions, the fight to end slavery and what it was really like to live during that time. Thomas Jolin will perform songs on his hammered dulcimer, button accordion, harmonica and banjo including Lincoln and Liberty, Battle Cry of Freedom, No More Auction Block and more. Admission is free and audience participation is encouraged. This program has been sponsored by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council. Tickets are available by calling us at 570-996-1500 or at the door while they last.

During the months of June and July, the Dietrich will also feature the exhibit Civil War Remembered: Our Service, Our History. View local treasures and memorabilia from the Civil War era on loan from local collectors, the Wyoming County Historical Society and Scranton’s GAR Civil War Museum.

Movie Times: (570)836-1022

	Upcoming Events Overview of the Civil War 150 Years Later At the Dietrich Theater in downtown Tunkhannock Wednesday, June 19 at 7:00 p.m. Presented by: Ed McMullen Admission: Free A Civil War sesquicentennial event to put on your calendar! Anyone who has any interest in the Civil War or American history will want to hear this fascinating presentation by Ed McMullen, historian and actor. No one is better at bringing history alive than Ed. Don’t miss this special presentation. Call the Dietrich at 570-996-1500 for details. The Bridegroom of Blowing Rock – Live Theatre At Tunkhannock’s Lazybrook Park Friday, June 21 & Saturday, June 22 at 7:00 p.m. Directed by: Jennifer Jenkins Admission: Free Sponsored by: the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts & the Dietrich Theater Please bring your own lawn chair or blanket. During the last days of the Civil War, a lost soldier and a young blind woman fall in love. Though one is Confederate and one Union, they discover their similarities are far more important than their differences. The woman’s widowed mother, with one soldier son killed in front of her and another son still missing, is unable to let go of her bitterness and hatred. As a nation begins the task of healing, the burning need for vengeance may reap unimaginably tragic consequences. This play will be presented outside in Lazybrook Park as part of Tunkhannock’s sesquicentennial celebration of the Civil War. Call the Dietrich at 570-996-1500 for more information. Walking Tour of the Gravel Hill Cemetery Off Susquehanna Avenue in Tunkhannock Sunday, June 23 at 4 p.m. (Rain date: June 30) Admission: free Take a step back in time as we look at Wyoming County’s involvement in the American Civil War through a ‘Walking Tour of the Gravel Hill Cemetery,’ off Susquehanna Avenue, in Tunkhannock. Assemble at the corner of the cemetery nearest Franklin Avenue at 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 23. (Rain date: June 30.) Led by Bob Baker, past Griffin Camp #8 Commander of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. For details, please call the Dietrich at 570-996-1500. Open Mic Night At the Dietrich Theater in downtown Tunkhannock Friday, June 28th on 4th Friday in Tunkhannock; Open Mic at 7:00 p.m. Feature at 8:15 p.m. Feature: David Hage Guest Emcee: Brian Fanelli Admission: Free Join local poet Brian Fanelli as he hosts the first Open Mic Night of the summer. Come prepared to get on stage or to be entertained. Musicians, poets, storytellers, comedians, playwrights and other performers are invited to share their talents. Then stick around and enjoy the guitar stylings and vocal talents of David Hage. Doors open for seating an Open Mic sign-ups at 6:30 p.m. Reserve your slot early. Seating is limited. Call the Dietrich at 570-996-1500 for details. Everhart Museum Bus Trip At the Dietrich Theater in downtown Tunkhannock Saturday, June 29. Depart from Dietrich at 9:30 a.m. Return at 2:00 p.m. For all ages Admission: $10 Sponsored in part by: the Overlook Estate Foundation Take a child-friendly tour of the Everhart Museum, explore their feature Blood of Life: Vampires in Art & Nature exhibit and then take part in an educational workshop. Following the workshop, you will be able to enjoy a box lunch in Nay Aug Park and visit the Nay Aug gorge and tree house. Box lunch is included. Registration is required. Call the Dietrich at 570-996-1500 to register. Civil War Era Music At the Dietrich Theater in downtown Tunkhannock Sunday, June 30 at 3:00 p.m. Presented by: Thomas Jolin Admission: Free Sponsored by: Pennsylvania Humanities Council The trauma of the Civil War produced a tremendous amount of music as the nation mourned and sought relief from the death of over 600,000 Americans. Songs about soldiers’ lives, domestic scenes, minstrel traditions, and the fight to end slavery give us insight into what it was really like to live during that time. Performing on hammered dulcimer, button accordion, harmonica and banjo, Thomas Jolin shares Lincoln and Liberty, Battle Cry of Freedom, No More Auction Block and more. He also discusses the origins of the songs and instruments. Audience participation is encouraged. Tickets are available by calling the Dietrich at 570-996-1500 or visiting the Dietrich ticket booth.
www.DietrichTheater.com Monday, June 10, 2013
At The Dietrich by Hildy Morgan So my sister read me a delightful column in the Scranton Times the other day by Chris Kelly. It was the graduation speech he would give if anyone ever asked him to give one. You should pull it up on line if you don’t have the paper, because it is very funny and has a few nuggets of wisdom, too. Which got me to thinking. What would I say to kids about to graduate from high school? I mean, if any of them asked. You know. A commencement address. And I got to thinking that we all should do a commencement address for the new generation. I mean, why not? Unless we’ve lived our lives in a bubble, we could tell them a lot. Not that they’d care, mind you, but still. I think everyone should sit down this weekend and tell the youngsters what they think is most important in life. And if you feel like it, send me a copy. I’d love to see it. Okay, the first thing I’d tell some kids is don’t let high school define you. If you were really, really smart, that doesn’t make you the smartest kid in the world. In college, as in life, you’re going to meet folks sooo much smarter than you are. Not to say you don’t deserve tremendous credit for a job well done. Just know that your good work so far may not protect you from the pitfalls ahead. And smart needs a healthy dose of self-awareness. And humility. Secondly, I’d tell the other kids, don’t let high school define you. If you weren’t a good student, if you had attitude, if you couldn’t get it together to do your work on time, if you were like a train speeding down the track heading in the wrong direction, think of this. You haven’t even lived two decades. You have lots of time to turn it around. Einstein sucked at school. Big deal. Get the best job you can, save up and go to community college. Get a degree. With a bit of hard work and a good tutor you can probably get a 4.0. Finish up in a four year school. Go out and conquer the world. Because you know what, kid? If you had a life as chaotic as your school failures indicate but you still graduated, you probably have one heck of a will to succeed. You can do it. And you might even get to wave at the class valedictorian as you climb that ladder of success. Life’s short but tricky. You can do it. Thirdly, don’t let high school limit your dreams. Because here’s a fact: coupons have an expiration date, dreams don’t. Buildings can only be so tall, dreams can travel further than the stars. Dreams are the stuff a good life is made of. You can love and be loved, just as you dream. You can work hard and maybe get a cozy little house with a dog, two kids and the man or woman of those dreams. Or you can dream of a different road – you know, the one less travelled. And it’s okay. Because it’s your dream. Fourthly, I would say, go to as many movies as you can. They are America’s great art form. They take us out of ourselves and carry us to the far reaches of the twinkling universe. They make us laugh and cry. They inspire and infuriate. They give us a couple of hours to live another life, a different life, a life where problems are solved in less than two hours. Of course, that’s not real life. But that’s the point, isn’t it? It gives us a breather, a chance to recoup. And we all need that sometimes. And finally, don’t pay too much attention to anything we old farts say. We have helped to mess up this world in a million trillion ways. You can do better than we did. I know you can! In fact, the world is counting on it. See you at the Dietrich.	Now Showing www.dietrichtheater.com/movie or (570)836-1022 for times EPIC in 3D May 24, 2013 - June 12, 2013 FAST & FURIOUS 6 May 27, 2013 - June 13, 2013 The INTERNSHIP June 7, 2013 - June 13, 2013 AFTER EARTH May 31, 2013 - June 11, 2013 Coming Soon www.dietrichtheater.com/preview or (570)836-1022 for times MAN OF STEEL June 14, 2013 - June 14, 2013 This is THE END June 12, 2013 - June 20, 2013 Events www.dietrichtheater.com/event or (570)996-1500 to reserve Overview of the Civil War 150 Years Later June 19, 2013 The Bridegroom of Blowing Rock June 21, 2013 - June 22, 2013 Open Mic Night - June 28 June 28, 2013 Everhart Museum Bus Trip June 29, 2013 Civil War Era Music June 30, 2013 A Day at the River July 20, 2013 First Annual Volunteer Spirit Trail Walk July 20, 2013 Open Mic Night - July 26 July 26, 2013 Gathering of Singers & Songwriters 12 August 21, 2013 Open Mic - August 23 August 23, 2013 Classes www.dietrichtheater.com/class or (570)996-1500 to enroll Nia April 9, 2013 - August 27, 2013 Writers' Group March 28, 2013 - August 29, 2013 Acting Camp for Kids - Camp 1 July 8, 2013 - July 12, 2013 Acting Camp for Kids - Camp 2 July 22, 2013 - July 26, 2013 All About Pottery & Sculpture Camp July 22, 2013 - July 26, 2013 Art Explorers Camp July 29, 2013 - August 2, 2013 Dance, Dance, Dance August 5, 2013 - August 6, 2013 Despicable You? Theatre & Visual Arts Camp July 22, 2013 - July 26, 2013 Digital Arts Camp June 24, 2013 - June 28, 2013 Jammin' in a Jugband ages 6 -12 July 15, 2013 - July 19, 2013 Kid TV June 24, 2013 - June 28, 2013 Monsters Art School - ages 5 - 12 July 8, 2013 - July 12, 2013 Monsters Art School for Preschoolers June 24, 2013 - June 28, 2013 Quilting for Kids - Summer June 12, 2013 - July 31, 2013 Trash to Treasures Camp July 15, 2013 - July 19, 2013 Your Epic Journey: Theatre & Visual Arts Camp July 29, 2013 - August 2, 2013 Jammin' in a Jugband - for ages 13 to adult July 15, 2013 - July 19, 2013 Open Studio & Portfolio Prep April 2, 2013 - August 27, 2013 Quilting for Everyone - Summer June 12, 2013 - July 31, 2013 Decorative Painting April 10, 2013 - August 28, 2013 Design a Painted Silk Scarf June 11, 2013 Jewelry Making: Kumihimo Beading July 10, 2013 - August 7, 2013 Jewelry Making: Multi-Strand Bracelet August 22, 2013 Jewelry Making: Right Angle Weave June 26, 2013 Kundalini Yoga at the River July 20, 2013 Photography for Beginners May 6, 2013 - June 10, 2013 Recycled Glass Artwork April 1, 2013 - August 26, 2013 Revitalizing Writers' Workshop May 8, 2013 - June 26, 2013 Simply Yoga April 3, 2013 - August 7, 2013 Introduction to Yoga August 14, 2013 - August 28, 2013	Live at The Dietrich by Erica Rogler Live at the Dietrich for June 5, 2013 We were delighted with the turnout of performers at our recent Open Mic Night at the Dietrich Theater. Community members regaled us with poetry, music, stand-up comedy and more! And then Nygel Metcalfe took the stage for an amazing spoken word performance. This month we are looking forward to Open Mic on Friday, June 28th with featured guest David Hage. Come out and experience the guitar stylings and vocal talents of this local performer who is no stranger to Open Mic at the Dietrich. We also encourage all other musicians, poets, storytellers, playwrights and comedians to share their talents that evening. Open Mic begins at 7:00 p.m., and admission is free. Doors open for seating and Open Mic sign-ups at 6:30 p.m. Reserve your slot early. Call the Dietrich at 570-996-1500 for details. In addition to hosting Open Mic in June, the Dietrich will also present a variety of events to commemorate the Civil War sesquicentennial. On Wednesday, June 19th at 7:00 p.m., historian and actor Ed McMullen will be back at the Dietrich for a presentation on the Overview of the Civil War 150 Years Later. If you have never seen one of Ed’s talks, I encourage you to come. He has such a great way of bringing history alive. Admission is free. Tickets can be reserved by calling 570-996-1500, or they will be available at the door while they last. We will also be presenting the Civil War drama "The Bridegroom of Blowing Rock" by Catherine Trieshmann at Tunkhannock’s Lazybrook Park on Friday, June 21 and Saturday, June 22 at 7:00 p.m. Please bring a blanket or lawn chair and join us for live theatre directed by Jennifer Jenkins in scenic Lazybrook Park. Admission is free. Then on Sunday, June 23 (rain date – June 30) at 4 p.m., join us for a Civil Walking Tour of Gravel Hill Cemetery. You are invited to take a step back in time as we look at Wyoming County’s involvement in the Civil War through this tour of Gravel Hill Cemetery, which is located off of Susquehanna Avenue in Tunkhannock. We will meet at the corner of the cemetery nearest Franklin Avenue. This tour will be led by Bob Baker, past Griffin Camp # 8 Commander of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. The following Sunday, June 30, the Dietrich will present a program with Thomas Jolin on the Civil War Era Music. According to Jolin, "The trauma of the Civil War produced a tremendous amount of music as the nation mourned and sough relief from the death of over 600,000 Americans." These songs provide a picture of solders’ lives, domestic scenes, minstrel traditions, the fight to end slavery and what it was really like to live during that time. Thomas Jolin will perform songs on his hammered dulcimer, button accordion, harmonica and banjo including Lincoln and Liberty, Battle Cry of Freedom, No More Auction Block and more. Admission is free and audience participation is encouraged. This program has been sponsored by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council. Tickets are available by calling us at 570-996-1500 or at the door while they last. During the months of June and July, the Dietrich will also feature the exhibit Civil War Remembered: Our Service, Our History. View local treasures and memorabilia from the Civil War era on loan from local collectors, the Wyoming County Historical Society and Scranton’s GAR Civil War Museum.
Movie Times: (570)836-1022 General Information: (570)996-1500