"The play's the thing."

I remember 11th grade English Literature with Mr. Tassone. We studied Hamlet among other great literary works and plays. He was one of my all time favorite teachers who cultivated my appreciation for live theater.

My friend Christa Avampato took a sabbatical of sorts last year in California. She wrote the play, "Sing After Storms" which I have blogged about in previous posts.

Christa announced in her blog yesterday that the rough cut of "Sing After Storms" was available on You Tube.



Last evening after dinner, my husband and I sat down to watch it.

Even though I had read the script and knew the back story of the play, I was spellbound by the performances.

We weren't even aware that the sun had set and our living room was almost dark except for the light from our computer. We paused it to turn on the lights and then finished watching the performance.

I can only imagine how incredible the show is live in the theater.

I am hoping that Christa will find a way to bring her production to Boston and/or have more performances in New York on a weekend when I don't have plans.

But for now, you can enjoy Christa's creation brought to life by a fabulous cast and crew on You Tube.

Today in Christa's blog she wrote,

I tried for a long time to keep my steady paycheck while also progressing on my writing and other creative projects. With a plan B always at the ready, I could only get so far. To really progress, I needed to let go of the comfy ledge I was teetering on for a long time. The path to progress was straight through the eye of discomfort, and though it wasn’t easy I’m glad I didn’t flinch."

Me too, Christa! Me too. Thank you for having the courage to let go and allow your gifts to flow. Thank you for being an inspiration to us all.

Play-ing On The Beach A Midsummer Night's Dream - Rave Review

My love for Shakespeare first sparked in 11th grade English with Mr. Tassone was rekindled yesterday at Carson Beach with the Brown Box Theatre Project production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.


A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of Shakespeare's most popular comedies. Children and adults alike will delight in fairy plots, dramatic duels and romance gone awry. Hermia and Lysander are determined to marry, despite her father's command that she marry Demetrius. Will the couple succeed in their elopement? Will the fair Helena capture the attention of Demetrius? What does the fairy queen Titania have to do with all of this and why is there a donkey on stage anyway? Discover the answers to all of this and more...Brown Box Theatre Project presents a magical interpretation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream as its Third Annual Free Shakespeare! Bring your beach chair or blanket and journey with us into the forest and explore the mysticism of happiness as the lovers and mechanicals of Athens stumble into the kingdom of feuding fairies and mischievous sprites.

Kyler Taustin, a graduate of Emerson College in Boston, founded Brown Box Theatre Project in 2010 with the goal of bringing the performing arts to communities and audiences that usually lack access to live theatre. This year’s performances at Boston Children’s Museum are just one stop in Brown Box’s Shakespeare at the Beach tour, a program that brings free Shakespeare productions directly into communities and schools.



What a delightful way to wind down summer with the characters from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream using a set with that enhances the action of the play and uses the expansiveness of the beach to set the stage for this wonderful whimsical theatrical experience. The actors' voices carry on the wind. It is live theatre at its best! The actors' convey the heart of Shakespeare through their words and embodiment of their characters. You need not be a scholarly student of Shakespeare to experience the delight and lyrics of Shakespeare communicated by the Brown Box Theatre Project troupe.



So it may not be midsummer but you definitely want to catch a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream. In the Massachusetts area there are two performances today at 2 at Marine Park and at 7 pm at Still Harbor. Tomorrow you can catch a performance in Newburyport at Waterfront Park at 2 pm. The troupe then moves on down the East Coast to Maryland and Delaware. For more information about the Brown Box Theatre and performances visit their website. The Brown Box Theatre Project makes Shakespeare accessible to all!