Coriolanus was so excellent at OSF.  Danforth was right on top of the language, the moment, and the poignancy.  I loved the richness of Michael Elich's voice, and my heart softens so quickly with Richard Elmore.  He's so easy to trust.  I liked the "Voice of the People" characters being dangerous rebels.  Nice set.  Yeah!  Great use of audience as the Senate, the People.  I was moved and it was SO CLEAR.  Love that.  Man, I could have throttled that woman who let her cell phone go off --TWICE.  And the kid behind me with that cellophane wrapper... God, spare them from my wrath, because the time was precious to me, I was jealous for complete focus and stillness from the audience, nothing less.

     I thrilled at the end as I rose to my feet.  I was very proud of him, my old classmate from U of I, but I was also overwhelmed with a feeling of pride for the piece, for the event of WELL DONE Shakespeare in a theatre, and a rarely done one, at that.

     It was comforting and true to walk with Danforth in Lithia afterward, sitting by the river and connecting with what's true.  Our lives look a little different perhaps in theatre status, but we know we are richly blessed.  Our little 93 person town hosts stories that are brimming with heart, and the local farmers love it.  I'm grateful for the reminder.

     Dave and I were down there for our 15th anniversary.  The breakfast at Jacksonville Inn was worth the cost of the room!  Oh my... "almond encrusted french toast croissants with maple butter!"  Must savor slowly, and the only vocalizations are groans!

     Our Town was a bit of a fluke.  We weren't planning to see it, but there were some seats and Ray and Danforth weren't free 'til the next day.  Oh,... that last act.  Thank you Thornton Wilder.  All those actors, so diligently still in the graveyard, and all in gray.  Heartbreaking.  When Emily goes back.  I can't help but cry.  Like the woman at the wedding, it gets me every time.  The importance of love and family and seeing as much as we can in this life.  I was struck with the true complacency of the dead.  Before I hadn't really believed they were content, but the play came clear to me in the end with this rendition under the stars.  It was worth the ticket price for that last act.  It made up for the lack of relevance from the play I saw earlier that day, and instilled hope again in the festival, theatre, and humankind.