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Ten Reasons Why Everyone Produces Anne of Green Gables

November 24, 2016 By dhcbaldwin 5 Comments

A little red haired girl smiling at the camera

Ten Reasons Why Everyone Produces Anne of Green Gables

Let’s talk about the ten reasons why everyone produces Anne of Green Gables. Facebook groups are beginning to chat about suggestions of good plays and musicals to produce. I am even a member of a chat group which talks real details such as how to make Pinochio’s nose grow in Shrek or how to transform the Beast in Beauty and the Beast.  Yes, that’s what we theater teachers discuss a lot.

I can’t help but notice the teachers who work in conservatory school districts in small town America.  Let’s face it–you can’t produce Chicago in those towns or even The Laramie Project. Theater is hard enough to sell to a community without it being any more contraversial than an innocuous theme such as bullies.  I understand the need for something conservative.

Classics such as Tom Sawyer, Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, the Disney franchise will go over well in a conservative community.  I’ve directed all of the aforementioned.  My favorite to direct?  Anne of Green Gables, the play adaptation by Sylvia Ashby.

Ten Reasons Why Everyone Produces Anne of Green Gables

Ten Reasons Why Everyone Produces Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Green Gables is a perfect play for your company.  Not only have I directed it, I’ve produced it as well. In fact, many schools and companies produce the play. As you can tell, I know its ins and outs.

There are certain shows that are guaranteed winners for a company.  Anne of Green Gables ranks up there with The Diary of Anne Frank, The Miracle Worker, Alice in Wonderland, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever  just to name a few.

Ten Reasons Why Everyone Produces Anne of Green Gables

Ten Reasons Why Everyone Produces Anne of Green Gables

There are many reasons to include it in your season, but suffice to say you will make happy a lot of your potential audience members and your regulars.  In particular, I recommend Sylvia Ashby‘s adaptation. It is published by Concord Theatricals.com Ashby understands the challenges most schools and community theaters face as far as budget, casting and theatrical space.

The strengths:

1. The cast  is comprised of both males and females, BUT two of main characters are females.  Hallelujah

2. There are roles for adults and children of many ages. Nine females and seven males. If you need to pad the cast a little, it’s easy to do with more children in the school scenes.

3. The costumes can be as easy or complicated as your costume budget allows. Simple long skirts, long sleeved high neck blouses and lace  for the women work well.  Males can wear long pants, boots, a button down shirt with no collar and a cap or hat. You can add bloomers for the girls (which is easy to do and just darling) and knickers for the boys (which again is just so cute), but that’s up to you and your budget. If you want some more advice about the critical steps in costume design, check out: Critical Steps in Producing a Play or Musical: Costumes

4. There are a couple of costume issues–Anne’s hair turns green at one point, but that’s not too difficult to accomplish. We’ve used wigs. She also falls into the stream, so you can get her wet or just imply it by spraying her arms with water and maybe her hair.

5. There are several scenes with many characters on stage at once which means more time for everyone to have fun. I’m all about keeping everyone busy–so the more I can get my cast on stage, the better!

6. It’s a good length, about 120 minutes. This is not too difficult for middle school students to accomplish as well as high school.

7. The set can be as elaborate are you require (I’ve seen it produced on a revolving stage.) or simple. I have directed it with the house up center and the other various locales down stage of it. If you need extra advice about set design, check out: Critical Steps in Producing a Play or Musical: Set Design

Ten Reasons Why Everyone Produces Anne of Green Gables

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. There is a need for a boat.  One time a father went crazy on me and built an entire boat (yes, you read that right), but really, that’s not needed. You could do the scene with a bench on a small platform on casters.

9. In a school setting I directed it with two  Marillas and three Annes (one for each age we see as she grows up).  This plan was terrific for a number of obvious reasons.  It gave more females the opportunity to perform leads and lessened the number of lines they had to memorize.

10. The themes of family and friendship which radiate throughout the plot.  It is suitable for all audiences. If for no other reason, you should produce this play because an entire family will attend it.  It’s a huge crowd pleaser!

There are no cons against producing the play, in my opinion.

Direct a Classic!

girl reading

As we know, we are bombarded with everything which distracts us more than enriches us– the internet is the biggest culprir and all it holds.  I think the more we can get our students and the community in general to see classic books adapted into plays and musicals  the better. If you produce an adaptation of a classic novel such as Sense and Sensibility, you will be in like flint with your community.

If you think you can be a little less conservative, I always first suggest To Kill a Mockingbird or The Giver. If you are a community theater, find out which books the students study and produce play adaptation of those books.  For instance in according to Edu.com, most high school students read these books. 

In my opinion, we are losing the love of the written word. We are becoming habitual internet users.  I’m just as much at fault with this one as anyone else, except I’ve found an answer to my problem.

File:National Theatre at Home logo.jpg

I’m a member of the National Theater at Home streaming service.  It has done wonders for my imagination. Whenever I view one of their productions,  it feels like a vitamin has been injected into my brain.  The classics are the best vitamins, I’ve found.

The next time you are looking for a play that will become a guaranteed winner for your  audience, select Anne of Green Gables.  You’ll be glad you did!

What is a play or musical which sells out every time you produce it?  I’d love to hear about it.  Email me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com and let’s chat!

Woman behind DramaMommaSpeaks

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Filed Under: community theatre, drama education, Producing plays and musicals, youth theatre Tagged With: Alice in Wonderland, Anne of Green Gables, Diary of Anne Frank, Family, friendship, growing up, guaranteed winner, National Theater At Home, school, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, The Gier, theater, theatre, to kill a mockingbird

Ten Years Later: A Chat with Beatrice 

October 25, 2016 By dhcbaldwin 2 Comments

Bumbling.ing Bea Ten Years Later

img_0464-4Bumbling Bea can be purchased through Amazon:

To purchase a copy of Bumbling  Bea, go to Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Bumbling-Bea-Deborah-Baldwin/product-reviews/1500390356/ref=cm_cr_dp_synop?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=recent#R1O9MYUNK49KNA

 Beatrice Ten Years Later

I thought it might be fun and interesting to interview Beatrice ten years after the story ended.  So, I posed the idea to her and she happily agreed.

Imagine I travel to New York and the two of us meet at a local coffee shop (because everyone knows that’s where I’d meet her, right?).  Beatrice likes rainy, cool days, just as I do and she loves fall.  We have that in common.  Today was both.

Here is what I think she might look like:

beatrice-adult

(She’s cute, yes?)

Beatrice:  Hey, Deb.   (She gives me a quick, big hug and takes the pumpkin spice latte I ordered for her.) Pumpkin spice latte! If I ever meet the person who thought up pumpkin spice lattes, they get a big hug from me. (She places a maple leaf colored like fall in my hand ever so carefully.) I brought you a beautiful leaf I found on the ground.  Isn’t it fabulous?

Me:  Thanks, Beatrice.  What a gorgeous shade of orange it is.  I love the color orange.

Beatrice:  I know, me too!

Me:  I remember that about you.  Thanks for meeting me today.  (We sit in a corner booth.) Wow, ten years have passed by since we last saw each other.

Beatrice:  I know.  I’m twenty-five years old now.  Oh my gosh, that sounds so old!

Me:  Well, considering I’m sixty years young, you are doing just fine.

Beatrice:  (She laughs.) Ten years ago, I never thought I’d turn out this way.

Me:  What way?  You look great to me–all trendy clothes and hair. I thought you’d be a “positive, contributing member of society” and you are.

Beatrice:  (She leans forward and snickers.) Considering how I used to dress when you first met me, I’ve come a long way. I can’t believe how dorky I was!  The only thing I kept from middle school was my “I Heart Sarcasm” shirt  which Mom sewed into a tee shirt quilt along with all my  other show shirts.  I was so involved in college shows that I could have made three quilts!

Me:  Really?  Did you major in theatre in college?

Beatrice:  Yes, I did.  But I didn’t perform after my first year there. I’m not a performer.   I took an art class with a professor friend of my mom’s and found I wanted to combine theatre with art.  Voila, set design!

Me:  Are you working in theatre now?

Beatrice:  I am!  After high school, I attended Mary Baldwin College and received my BFA in theatre there.  I designed several sets for the department’s black box theatre and won an award for outstanding design.  Then I went to graduate school at NYU/Tisch.  I’ve been out of school and working about a year now.

Me:  Wow!  That’s an impressive resume.

Beatrice:  I guess so.  I don’t think about it much.  I’m too busy designing and getting my foot in the door.

Me: How so?

Beatrice: When I was in grad. school, I apprenticed for several professional designers on Broadway. Then I designed several shows for regional theatres.  I’m slowly building a resume. My goal is to design for Broadway by my thirties. In the mean time, I love it!  If you’d told me ten years ago I would become a set designer, I’d laughed.

Me:  I bet so.  How’s your family?

 edmund-adult

(Here is Edmund, all grown up.  Isn’t he handsome? And so smart!)

Beatrice:  My brother, Edmund, is in his second year of college  at University of Florida  studying zoology. Remember Bernie his ferret?

Me: Yes.

Beatrice: Well, we had Bernie number 3 and 4 before Edmund finally figured out he wanted to study animals and care for them since he’d done such a lousy job with his Bernies.

Me: Oh gosh.  What happened to his interest in flags?

Beatrice:  He still loves them.  He collects flags from all over the world.  You should see his apartment! The walls are covered with them.  I feel so sorry for his roommate.

Me:  And your parents?  People have asked about them.  Did they end up staying together?

Beatrice:  Uhm, no.  They didn’t.  But that’s okay.  It seems Dad wasn’t being completely honest with himself.  He came out about two years later, met a nice guy and they married last summer.

Beatrice's father.jpg

(This is Dad and Fred during a recent trip to Italy. Don’t they seem happy?)

We are all happy for them.  Mom wasn’t as fast to date. It took her longer.  She didn’t want to date while she was raising us.  She said she had enough responsibility just getting us grown.  But, I’m happy to report that  she is now dating a wonderful guy we all like a lot.

beatrices-mother

(A great, recent photo of Mom.)

Me:  Are your parents friendly with each other?

Beatrice:  Oh yes.  They were always very civil with each other. And more than anything, they respected each other.  Dad was the really unhappy one.  He was afraid of his feelings and didn’t want to admit them for a long time.  You’d think someone in the arts wouldn’t worry about other people’s perceptions, because when you are in the arts, you explore social issues  all the time.  But he worried anyway.

Me:  I’m sorry to hear that he worried.

Beatrice:  It was hard for all of us for a while, but not because of his lifestyle choice, but because he was so unhappy. I guess  when Dad was a kid, his parents ridiculed different lifestyle choices.  Plus, Dad’s parents thought his profession was silly and unnecessary.  It was Grandma Percy, Mom’s mom,  who helped him through his fears.

Me:  Really?  Your Grandma?

Beatrice:  Yes, my  eighty year old, awesome grandma was in the background observing us all the time.  She sees everything, but keeps it to herself.  She’s the one who urged dad to admit his homosexuality.

beatrices-grandma-percy

(Grandma Percy prior to her death last year.)

 It wasn’t a really big deal, because Mom and Grandma Percy handled it carefully and respectfully with us. Edmund and I were fine with it.  We want our parents to be happy. period.  And Mom and Dad are the best of friends.

Me:  I’d be surprised if you had a problem with your dad’s lifestyle choice.  I thought you were a pretty cool, open minded girl.

 

Beatrice:  When you first met me, I was such a brat and a little bit of a bully to Michiko. Thankfully, Michiko helped me see what I was doing when I caught her imitating me after the  fateful play performance. Since then, Bumbling Bea took a hike and doesn’t show up much anymore. And my parents’ open mindedness rubbed off on me.   When you are raised around parents who are artists, you see the world with different eyes.

Me:  Whatever happened to Michiko?  Do you have any news about her?

Beatrice's Michiko.jpg

(Michiko trying out modeling.  She didn’t enjoy it as much as she thought she would.)

Beatrice:  Yes! I didn’t hear much from her for several years.  Just a few emails back and forth, you know?  But guess what?  She’s moving to the US next month and going to share my apartment  with me in New York while I’m traveling for set design jobs.

Me:  So, you’ll be back together just like the old days?

Beatrice:  Kind of.  Hopefully, we won’t end up locked in our bathroom together. (She laughs.)

Me:  (laughing)  Those are great memories, though.

Beatrice:  You bet. When Michiko and I decided to room together, I teased her about having guys over.  She always has crushes on fellas, but I am sworn to secrecy in telling anyone. She laughed  about guys coming over and said that if she couldn’t have Peter, then she didn’t want anyone.

Me:  Peter!  I forgot about him.  What happened to him?

beatrices-peter

(Peter, now the cool guy.)

Beatrice:  We remained friends through high school and continue to see each other from time to time when I get home to my parents.  Peter is a middle school counselor  and still lives in Virginia. Apparently, kids love him and he’s hugely popular with all the staff.

Me:  I’m not surprised.  He had a winning personality. Did he and Jerri become a pair in high school?

Beatrice:  Yup.  All four years, if you  can imagine.  And Jerri was even home coming queen our senior year!  Jerri had a level head and other high school kids looked to her for advice.  Consequently, in her junior year, she created a youth friendship program between high schools pairing kids of the same interests with each other, sort of like a meet up group.  It was amazing.  Now, she works in student affairs in a college in the mid-west.

Me:  Wow!

Beatrice's Jerri.jpg

( A candid shot of Jerri.)

Beatrice:  I am lucky to know Jerri.  She helped me a lot when Dad came out.  So did Peter.  I’m still waiting to repay the favor to them, but they say they love my creativity and that’s enough for them.  They just want front row seats to the first show I design for Broadway.

Me:  Me too! So what will Michiko do in New York? Is she involved in theatre as well?  Does she have job prospects?

Beatrice:  Surprising even to me, Michiko did not continue her studies in Theatre when she attended college. She found it wasn’t as mesmerizing to her once she moved away from her parents. She said that one day she discovered that she loved world cultures.  I guess she was dating a guy from India at the time.  They broke up shortly afterward, but her love of cultures continued.

Me:  I’m surprised too!

Beatrice:   Michiko loves to travel.   She is applying for jobs in the travel industry.  She wants to become  a professional tour guide taking groups on international trips.  With her intense interest in history and her love of anything multi-cultural, becoming a professional tour guide would be a good fit.  I think she’s right.

Me:  Isn’t it amazing what can happen in ten years of one’s life?

Beatrice:  It is.  I mean look at you.  You’re a published writer now. And award winning, too! What’s your next book going to be about?

Me:  Well…..I can’t tell you much yet.  It’s still germinating in my brain.  Plus, we have moved to a different state and become first time grandparents all at the same time. (I pull out my cell phone to show Beatrice a photo.) Here’s a photo of our granddaughter.

 Abby and Grammy.jpg

(Grammy and Granddaughter)

Beatrice:  (laughing)  This photo is you all over!

Me:  Yeah, well, orneriness doesn’t die easily…..

(Beatrice’s cell phone dings a text.  She reads it.)

Beatrice:  (She sighs, smiling.) It’s Michiko. She arrives next week and is all ready having a hissy fit over the apartment. Apparently, when she visited our apartment to see if she wanted to live there, she noticed that the heat wasn’t working too well. I hadn’t even noticed.   In typical fashion, she notified  our super and demanded we get a better furnace system in the building.  Now, the guy is mad at her and threatens to make her life miserable once she moves in.

Me:  Oh gosh! You ready for life with Michiko again?

Beatrice:  (She stands and hugs me, ever so warmly.) I am ready.  I have been ready since she moved back to Japan when we were kids.  Some people never leave our life no matter what.  Michiko is that kind of friend to me.

Me:  I agree.  So, I’ll see you again in ten years?

Beatrice:  No, let’s make it two years.  I think readers might like to hear what happens to us next.

Me:  It’s a date!
Information on this website may be copied for personal use only. No part of this website may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the author. Requests to the author and publisher for permission should be addressed to the email: dhcbaldwin@gmail.com

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Filed Under: Bumbling Bea, Indie books, Indie Publishing Tagged With: divorce, Family, friendship, friendships, gay issues, grandmamoments, growing up, high school, life style choices, parenting, zoology student

Notable Quote from Bumbling Bea

September 7, 2016 By dhcbaldwin Leave a Comment

Bumbling Bea

bb-chapter-2

 

“Yeah, a lot of life isn’t fair,” my dippy brother mimicked.” I didn’t get too upset when Bernie got run over by that car on the same day my camping game website crashed. Remember?”

Edmund had built a camping game website and was so obsessed with it that he didn’t notice “Bernie’s Prison Break” as we now called it.

I corrected him, “Well, life’s fair for you, bro’. Mom got you a new Bernie.  Besides, it’s your fault Bernie #1 escaped  from his cage.”

….Then I chewed and chewed the spongey tofu in the casserole. Horrible.

Purchase Bumbling Bea at:  https://www.amazon.com/Bumbling-Bea-Deborah-Baldwin/dp/1500390356/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473287714&sr=8-1&keywords=Bumbling+Bea

Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com  or Bumblingbea.com

 

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Filed Under: Bumbling Bea, middle grades, Uncategorized Tagged With: 'tweens, Family, growing up, middle grade books, middle grade girls, parenting

Home School Graduation Speech

June 1, 2016 By dhcbaldwin 1 Comment

Special Occasion Speech

Hi Everyone,

My school, Apex Homeschool Enrichment Program, asked me to present the graduation speech this year. Since this was my last year of teaching these great students; it made the speech even more touching to say to them. I thought you might be interested in reading it.  🙂

A Speech for a Group of People

Members of the graduating class of 2016, Apex students, teachers, parents and friends:

Thank you for asking me to make the graduation speech today.  I must admit, although I teach public speaking, this is only the second time I have been asked to make a speech of this type–the first occasion was two years ago here at Apex.  I guess that you are gluttons for punishment…..

First, I would like to show you my high school graduation photo.

CCI03242015

Recently, I found this photo and marveled at how much time has passed since 1974.  I’m very aware of time.  I have to be in teaching and directing plays.  But even I find it incredulous.  Wasn’t that yesterday? And I see that my clothes in the photo are now considered “vintage”.  Sigh….

So, a graduation speech—Hmmm.  What intelligent thought can I say today?  I like this one and it’s not mine.  I’m not proud.

The Comedian Andy Samberg said, “You are graduating from high school. That means that this is the first day of the last day of your life. No, that’s wrong. This is the last day of the first day of school. Nope, that’s worse. This is a day.”

Or….

Novelist Chang-Rae Lee stated, “I don’t believe complete assimilation is possible, at least not for anyone who has an active, open mind. Every step, every entry into the flows of existence can be seen as a beginning, a commencement of a brand new way of seeing oneself in the world. This is the case for everyone.”

I agree with Andy Samberg that “This is a day.” AND at the same time I agree with Chang-Rae Lee. To me, graduation is merely another step in your life’s development. They are all important steps and usually no one even thinks about them, because we have completely assimilated some “graduations”. Let’s see if you agree:

“Life” Commencements

How about-

  • The day you are born
  • The day you learn to crawl
  • The day you learn to walk
  • The day you learn to feed yourself
  • You say “Mama” and Dada” for the first time
  • Recite the alphabet in the correct order
  • Tie your shoe
  • Spell your name and write it
  • Ride your bike
  • Have all your materials for class, including a Ticonderoga pencil (ahem…)
  • Use the kitchen garbage disposal without chewing up Mom’s silverware in it
  • Make your own hot meal (not a TV dinner or Mac n Cheese)
  • Research some topic on the internet without being distracted by cute cat videos?
  • Wash your own clothes
  • Dry your own clothes
  • Iron your own clothes? (I understand some people don’t even own an iron)
  • Light a candle (that was a biggie for me—I was scared to death of the flame for some reason)
  • Agreeably baby sit your siblings or neighbor kids
  • Be employed in a job
  • Open a personal bank account
  • Monetarily provide for yourself
  • Pay a bill
  • Always wear clean underwear
  • Fix a flat tire
  • Fill the car with gasoline
  • Drive the family car
  • Drive fast in the family car
  • Learn to drive carefully in the family car and smile when your father reminds you that “There’s a stop sign ahead so you need to brake soon.”

Then there are other “commencements” in your life, real life ones, that we forget about, but are just as important!

Real Life Commencements

You have also graduated when you can:

  • Apologize
  • Accept a compliment
  • Accept criticism
  • Swallow your pride, and admit fault when you’ve made a mistake
  • Display patience in busy traffic
  • Display patience in a chaotic situation
  • Pretty much, just display PATIENCE
  • Introduce your grandparents or a newcomer to your friends
  • Stand up for someone when others are bullying him
  • Make a promise and stick to it
  • Keep a secret
  • Hand write a thank you note (NOT an email, thank you very much….)
  • Show respect to others
  • Offer to help someone in need
  • Volunteer for a service organization
  • Register to vote and Vote!
  • Propose to your future wife (or husband—it does happen. Just ask me—I   proposed first to Mr. Baldwin)
  • Tell someone you love them and mean it

And finally and maybe the most important:

  • Accept yourself for who you are

Carol Burnett suggested that, “We don’t stop going to school when we graduate.”

Isn’t she correct about that? Ask your elders. Take the time to ask them what they have learned about themselves since they graduated from high school.

We keep learning and growing, sometimes fearfully and sometimes excitedly. But we persist, regenerating ourselves in life, shifting and adjusting, and hopefully acting upon what we learn in a positive manner. That’s what matters most. We don’t need any more people who think life is against them when it is themselves they are fighting with, not their brother.

Whether we are aware of it or not, we persevere through absorbing, studying and sometimes cramming life’s “graduations” with a hope to excel many, many times.

As you leave today think about what Andy Shue, actor and entrepreneur considers important at graduation, “Life is the most exciting opportunity we have. But we have one shot. You graduate from school, and that’s it. You’re going out of that nest. And you have to find that courage that’s deep, deep, deep in there. Every step of the way.”

Be courageous Class of 2016 and good luck!

 

 

 

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Filed Under: drama education, Uncategorized Tagged With: Andy Samberg, Apex Home School Enrichment Program, Carol Burnett, Chang-Rae Lee, Family, graduation 2016, graduation speech, graduation steps

Teacher Testimonial on My Book Talk–Terrific! 

March 22, 2016 By dhcbaldwin Leave a Comment

Deborah Baldwin, author

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“My middle school Novel Writing Workshop enjoyed a presentation by Deborah Baldwin, author of Bumbling Bea. The students had read the book and had many questions for the author. One boy asked, “How did you know how to write such ‘with it’ dialogue?” Baldwin’s answer delighted the students! “Since I am a teacher, I just listen to you guys and then I know how a middle schooler talks!” The students were interested in how long it took her to write the book, how she decided on the title, the conflicts, and how she got it published. Baldwin’s lively presentation, her ability to connect with middle schoolers, and her invaluable tips for the class of would-be authors made for an unforgettable visit with a REAL author!”

Marilyn McQueen, Writing Instructor

If you’d like for me to present a book talk on Bumbling Bea for you, here is what you receive:

  • an hour long presentation with a short power point
  • humorous and entertaining
  • teaching on Kabuki theatre
  • dramatic reading from my book
  • question/answer time
  • it can be tailored for your needs

Recently, I adapted Bumbling Bea into a play version for middle school students.  If you would like for me to present on play writing and how to adapt a book, this is a possibility as well.

Interested?  Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com

 

 

 

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Filed Under: Book Talks, Bumbling Bea, drama education, middle grades, Uncategorized Tagged With: 'tweens, Bumbling Bea, drama education, Family, middle grade book talks, middle grade books, middle grades, Middle school

A Writer’s Journey: A Really, Really Long One But Worth It

August 7, 2014 By dhcbaldwin 1 Comment

kabuki actor

People have asked me when and how the story of Bumbling Bea was conceived. To me, it feels like a really, really long story, but maybe it isn’t in the grand scheme of things. Here goes:

My grandparents, of whom I never knew, were missionaries in Japan in the 1930’s and 1940’s. My mother was born in Osaka, Japan and lived there until she was eighteen years old. Two years before the bombing of Pear Harbor, my grandfather was told it was not safe for Americans to stay in the country and urged to leave, so he did. My mother had all ready moved to the U.S. to go to college. She never returned to the country until my father and I visited with her when I was sixteen years old. It was an amazing trip and one that I still remember quite vividly.

One of the most memorable experiences of the trip was our attendance of a Kabuki play in Tokyo at the Royal Kabuki Theater. If you aren’t familiar with Kabuki Theater, my best description would be to compare it to an old melodrama mixed with a fairy tale and told in a grandiose way. The costumes are extravagant, the make up looks mask like, the sound effects are produced live and the actors use choreographed movement and facial expressions that are exaggerated.

depositphotos_4681233-Kabuki-Actor[1]

But here’s the real kicker: All of the roles are portrayed by men. What?

As a young woman, I was fascinated by this aspect. No women portray roles in the show? But the men aren’t considered dressing in drag? It’s part of the art form?

This is the primary impetus for writing Bumbling Bea. Initially, the book was titled Two for the Kabuki because it is a story about two girls–an American girl and a Japanese one. The title changed a year ago after attending a writing conference and talking with an agent who suggested I focus upon Bea’s impetuous nature.

I wanted to write a book for middle grade students because I have a special love for them. AND I thought that the fact that Kabuki Theater is only performed by men was an interesting idea that probably most students would not know. So, the original idea sat in my brain for twenty-seven years (no, honestly) until I finally gave in to my fears and worry and took a stab at writing the story.

But let’s rewind to the beginning of Bea’s journey.

When our oldest daughter was an infant, I enrolled in a beginning writing class with the Children’s Literature Institute. I had always been a writer, writing my first story when I was four years old (it was about a pig). I have a minor in English and I am licensed to teach Language Arts. But write a book? Other than my illogical fear of sharks, writing a book absolutely freaked me out! I had no idea how to go about writing a book, hence I took the writing class. I remember typing on my beloved Brother typewriter–no computers yet. I placed it on a towel, so my typing wouldn’t wake up our sleeping infant. I loved it. The writing gave me a creative outlet and something to think about other than diapers and feedings. Don’t get me wrong–I loved being a mother and I still do.

Being a mother has many challenges, none of which include having too much time on your hands. The more our daughter grew, the less time I had to write much less think. I put the book idea on the back burner of my brain, because of my family and teaching responsibilities. Also and probably most importantly, I had plenty of fear about attempting to write it. What if this, what if that, what if what if.

Fast forward several years….another daughter was born and I am still busy teaching and directing plays. No time for writing that’s for sure. Kabuki Theater would drift through my thoughts from time to time. When I became frustrated with circumstances in my life I’d weep that, “what I really need to do is write”! But still there was no writing accomplished and no faith in myself.

More time passed, except I began writing but I did’t recognize it. I adapted multicultural folk tales into plays and wrote arts grants for the community theater of which I presided. Heck, I even attended graduate school and received my Masters in Education in creative arts learning. There was a lot of writing in graduate school–papers, poems, lesson plans, etc.

But Bea and her story? Still not happening.

Zip. Zap. Twenty years go by in a slow motion instant. Our daughters are adults, we move, we have new jobs and live in an amazing place with mountains that tease you to be inspired. Another writing class (because I still don’t feel I know enough) and voila! Bumbling Bea was finally born.

So, the question should be: What changed that I finally felt equipped and ready to write Bea’s story? When one turns a half century (yikes), one begins to look around and think about the regrets that she has. I have always lived in the present, but I knew that I would really, really regret not writing Bea. And probably strangers, my friends and certainly my family were really, really tired of hearing about Bea. So, I did it and I’m really, really glad. Really. Tada!

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: a young mother's challenges, Family, Institute of Children's Literature, Kabuki Theater, middle grade students, writer's worries and fears of failure

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