A deja vu kind of weekend

Last week, November 13 through 20, was eventful. Work-wise, it marked some real progress on a number of projects that have been haunting me for months. Some I completed at loooooong last, others I managed to move forward significantly. So I ended the week with a real sense of achievement, which, after so many weeks of frustration and frenzy, was a welcome relief.

I spent most of Friday with a fairly new client, consulting on marketing strategy and implementations, then headed off late in the afternoon -- an hour late because I was using my cell phone to check the time, and I'd forgotten to set it forward for daylight saving, which began the previous weekend -- for the city centre to meet an old friend (and client). After a brief meeting I found myself only a mile from the new beauty therapy salon of my 24 yo daughter, Miriam. I hadn't yet seen it, so I called her to check it was okay to call in on her. She seemed delighted at the thought, so I went. I even found a parking spot out the front! (Incredible at any time, let alone late on Friday afternoon.)

Chapel Street is the fashion capital of Australia. Miriam managed to find this salon after exercising the kind of faith we became used to when she was a child. Quite an amazing story, really.

The decor is... well... different. Kind of like a Jetsons TV set designed by Dr Seuss, with colour scheme by Mary Kay Ashe. We had a fairly short visit, big hugs (we're very alike) and a promise to come stay with me soon. Then it was off to Lynne and Esther's place to get ready for the Braeside Stake Ball later that evening. (Braeside is my stake. Lynne and Esther belong to Maroondah Stake, two stakes north of me.) I'd invited Lynne to be my date for the ball and she'd graciously accepted... our first "big" date since our separation two years ago.

I arrived to a real deja vu kind of scene. I guess the weird feeling was enhanced by the fact that I'd only had two hours sleep the previous night, but I was transported back to the first year of our marriage, when we seemed to attend a lot of balls and dances. In the late 60s, ladies had their hair done and rigidly lacquered into place for the big night. Lynne has fine hair that was always difficult to control, and she usually ended up in tears of frustration because the hairdressers could never seem to get it just right. Then there was always the drama over which dress to wear.

I found that the simplest solution then was to help her brush her hair out, wear it loose and choose a dress in which she'd be comfortable and relaxed, because Lynne always looks her best when she's relaxed and happy. There's a radiance that's missing when she feels uptight or uncomfortable. So she got used to me taking charge and putting things right for her in my own inimitable way.

So... here we were, 37 years down the track, facing the same dilemma. What should she wear?

It occurred to me that the solution would still be the same, because the problem was still the same. So I gently took the lead as we worked through the solution. I wanted her to feel beautiful and happy, and to achieve that she would need to feel relaxed, comfortable and confident. Piece of cake! *lol* (Yeah, right... like dancing in a Cambodian meadow!)

She had three outfits she'd chosen. She'd bought them in Italy last year. All three were beautiful, chic, stylish and totally different to each other. Really, she could have worn any of them and looked stunning.

But one would have been too confining for her. So I mentally ruled that out. Another seemed a little casual for a dress-up affair like a ball. That left a superb little black combination of a skirt that appeared to be several layers of fine whispy netting, but cleverly woven from a single layer, and a semi-see-through jacket that wouldn't really be appropriate. So we chose a very feminine embroidered top from her wardrobe that complemented the skirt beautifully and she wore the jacket over it. All in black, which really suits her Winter colour palette. http://www.colormebeautiful.com/colorharmony.html#winter

We headed off down Springvale Road, a major north-south highway that starts near Lynne's place and ends near the Braeside Stake Centre. Easy for giving directions. We stopped on the way to buy some snacks and drinks, always a good idea at Church dances.

We arrived about 30 minutes after the opening of the ball, so parking was available. We could hear the music in the car park, and it sounded great. We entered the Stake Centre to find a 10-piece soul band playing ("Soul Contention"), a harpist playing in the chapel area for those wanting some relief, and plenty of theme decorations everywhere (the Olympics). Everything looked terrific and added to the atmosphere.

The attendance grew steadily and we found seats with some of my Ward members. I introduced Lynne to my friends and asked her to dance. The music was sensational. The lead singer, a recent convert of several months, was really excellent and had everyone up and dancing.

For some unfathomable reason there were no tables for people to put their nibbles and drinks. Not that it really mattered -- we seemed to be the only ones there who'd bothered. But with no drinks or food available until supper, at around 11:00pm, it's a tip that should be heeded for next year.

Highlights of the evening -- for us -- included catching up with friends we hadn't seen in more than 20 years, plus renewing friendships with some of the former Young Single Adults we'd been advisors for in the early 1990s who are now married with young families. We'd had a terrific group of about 35 YSAs in Templestowe Ward, and often had dozens more from across the region at our home and Sunday School classes, pot luck dinners, etc.

I forget how many of them served missions, but at one time we had 17 of them serving at the same time, all around the world, all from the same ward. It was a fabulous time and we were thrilled to see some of them once more.

The BIG surprise of the night for me was when Lynne "threw in the towel" at 11:30pm, saying she couldn't dance another step. In the past it's always been me who caved in, usually fairly early. So we made our farewells and headed home to her place.

It was a really enjoyable evening and we've talked a lot since then. It felt good to hold the woman I love, and the mother of my five children, in my arms again and just relax and enjoy her company. She looked beautiful and was the centre of a lot of attention, especially from people who didn't know who she was. Her enthusiastic welcome by so many friends from the past caused much interest, and it was great for Lynne's self-esteem to be surrounded by happy, excited people who were obviously delighted to see her.

Maybe Maroondah Stake will have a ball soon? (I can only live in hope!) *lol*

It was a wonderful evening.

Esther Wins the BIG One :)

Esther's my youngest daughter. She's 15 and goes to Doncaster East Secondary College where she's in Year 9. You can meet her here:
http://www.johncounsel.com/john/family.html (click the link for Esther).

Like her mother and maternal grandmother, she's an actress, and she wants to pursue a career in music theatre.

I've seen her in a couple of school musicals -- the latest one "Bye Bye Birdie", in which she played a mother -- and she's done well, but nothing that really showcases her talents. (She has a beautiful voice, like her older sister and brother, who are both trained opera singers.)

Earlier this year she joined Fresh Youth Theatre http://www.blackburncare.org/fresh/index.htm and played a very funny "second banana" turtle in a play based on Dr Seuss' "Yurtle the Turtle", for which she won "Best Comedy Performance". She was very good.

Last weekend she was in two performances by Fresh Youth Theatre. In the first she sang and played a small part, which she did very convincingly. In the second, she played a drug addicted houswife. I was stunned.

Esther was sensational. Such a range of emotions and insight. She received huge applause several times, and most of the audience sought out her photo on the foyer display afterward, raving about her performance.

Lynne, my wife with whom she lives in Melbourne, attended the following night -- the final night -- when the awards were handed out. Lynne rang around 9:30pm (woke me up in front of the TV!) in tears. I thought something had gone horribly wrong.

She'd been moved to tears by Esther's performance, as I had been. But then, when the awards were announced, the Best Dramatic Actress award went to another girl, who'd been very good, but not in the same class as Esther's stunning performance.

Lynne was watching Esther closely and could see she was bitterly disappointed not to win ANY award this season.

Then the Director of Fresh announced the major award: the "Breath of Fresh" Award, awarded to the teenager who most represented all that Fresh was about for the entire year -- personal growth, maturity, social impact on the group, etc etc -- and the winner was none other than Esther Counsel, who had made a powerful impact on the entire organisation with her talent, her commitment, her personal qualities, her friendliness, her encouragement and example to the other kids, etc etc etc.

She received a standing ovation and long cheers and hugs from the audience and cast and crew, and went off to the after-production party walking on air, radiant, leaving her mother a cot case. *lol*

This was so much better for Esther, who did this entirely on her own merits, on her own level, and it was a dazzling endorsement of everything we've discussed about her need to be a leader and to set new standards for those she mixes with, and her willingness to put in the consistent effort to achieve this, even if it meant no public acclaim.

Needless to say, we're thrilled with and for her. :)

Idiot versus Lunatic?

I was reminded, driving home last night, of the difference between an idiot and a lunatic:

Anyone who drives slower than you is an idiot, while anyone who drives faster than you is a lunatic!

Wrap-up of the Bilson Street musical

(Written on Friday 29 October.)

My sister, Marg, and I were invited to a series of events at Wonthaggi Primary School this morning as a wind-up of the musical project.

I was at the school earlier this week to arrange return of sound equipment, etc. Post Production Blues had set in amongst the kids BIG time. The grade 6 teachers said it was hopeless -- the kids moped around, couldn't get into any work, etc. All familiar stuff, so I advised them to just deal with it and they'd eventually settle back into their regular routine.

First thing today was a whole-school assembly in the gymnasium. The Bilson Street Singers and Orchestra, a legacy of the show, performed a medley of songs from the show, plus one they'd written about us to the tune of the show's theme song. Very funny! :)

Then we were presented with a series of short speeches by kids from different groups associated with the production -- the writers, the principal actors, the back stage crew, the orchestra, etc -- recounting the changes and experiences they'd undergone as a result of their involvement. For me, this is what it's all about. I love seeing young lives changed for the better in this way.

Most interesting to me, personally, was the response of the writers. Only one of the 12 writers actually had a principal role, and that was by default when one of the cast was expelled from the production for misbehaviour and Ryan, as understudy, had to fill the vacancy late in the day.

Emma R. spoke for them all. She played flute in the orchestra. She told how they'd all felt a bit left out of things after the intensity of the 3-day residential writers' workshop, and had a hard time adjusting to being out of the limelight during the long months of rehearsals and preparation.

But finally seeing their creation in living, breathing, colourful, musical reality -- and being honoured in the curtain calls and celebrations, etc -- had had a profound impact on them. They still hang out as a group, bound by their common experience, and share ideas, etc.

Marg and I were also presented with engraved gifts (mine was a barometer and thermometer with a neat little plaque, Marg's an antique clock with computerised chimes, which she really likes) and thank-you letters from the school. We presented the school with a large binder filled with photos, documents, copies of the script, schedules, notices, etc, plus a series of CD-ROMs containing the complete system we've created so they can use it in mounting future productions.

Then we were invited to the kids' post production party from 10am to 11 am. The 12 writers had been given the responsibility of planning and organising the event, and they did a fabulous job -- really creative. They were the hosts for the 12 grades involved, too. Everyone received lollies, ice creams, cakes, etc and we all had a ton of fun.

Then there was a special morning tea from the School Council, which runs the school, for all the adults (staff, parents and others) involved in the show. The food was incredible -- we only managed to get through about a quarter of it, and I felt like I was eating constantly, the whole time!

We hadn't realised just how big an impact the project has had on the wider community. There's been so much excitement over what the school achieved. I guess Marg and I have become a bit blase about the production of a show of this kind. We take it in our stride... we have such a clear vision of what's needed and we just organise and delegate and things happen. But this kind of organisational and leadership experience is virtually unknown in this community, at least at this level, so we missed the undercurrents taking place.

I found myself in the midst of a group of about a dozen mums telling how their own lives and self-esteem had improved as a result of their personal involvement, and the impact on their kids' lives. It was such a wonderful way to conclude this episode.

It really hit Marg hard -- to the point where she actually said, publicly, that she'd be willing to be involved again the year after next (she'd been adamant that this was her last production).

I think the fact that it was our old school, our home town, and the really close relationships we've formed with all the kids (we were constantly surrounded by all age groups thanking us, all morning!) and so many notes and cards made by individual children, made the difference. Prior to this, Marg had been the Vice Principal of a school in Melbourne, and a school production had been part of her duties. She enjoyed it, but it was still only one element in her overall role. This time, it was the entire context and focus, so she got to see it in proper perspective.

I've uploaded a copy of the letter I received from the school for you to read on my site if you're interested. Reading it was the first time I realised how the others involved must have felt during the last couple of days before opening.

I'm so used to pulling the technical side of a show together overnight, with all the resources I need and people I'm used to working with (eg: the lighting guy, Peter D., a permanently incapacitated Vietnam vet the same age as me -- Agent Orange syndrome -- is an old hand from working together on several productions in the 70s and 80s, and he jumped at the chance to work together again) and the same with Wayne F., the young sound engineer -- he was really keen to work with me.

We had NO technical rehearsal. Peter and I plotted the lighting on the fly and created the cue sheet on the run 30 minutes before opening (for Act 1) and at interval (for Act 2). Piece of cake for old hands like us *lol*. Especially with radio intercoms to keep us in touch while winging it.

But the principal and others were quite traumatised by the seeming lack of technical preparation. The opening performance was an utter revelation for them. And for the kids... the biggest problem we had was getting the kids to stop watching the lighting and multi-media effects while on stage, because we'd been unable to get into the theatre until two days before opening night due to a heavy schedule of earlier events. The opening night was the first time anyone had seen the complete vision in full realisation. Hence the euphoria -- at least half of it was sheer relief, I suspect! *lol*

It really must have seemed like a miracle to them, I can see now. But it was basically under control and in experienced hands. It makes a humongous difference, obviously. :)

Okay... enough of the show. It's over now. Fun while it lasted, but work has stacked up a mile high. Esther can't come down for this weekend or the next because of a show she's starring in, so I'll have some time for a concentrated burst.

http://www.childrenstheatrevictoria.com/schools/disappearance/
(Photos from the show will be on-line shortly!)

Opening night!

This was originally written on 21 October 2004.



What a week! *lol*

Last night was opening night of the school musical. I'd carefully scheduled all the things still needing to be done on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday so that everything would dovetail neatly in time for the opening.

Yeah... right!

First variation to that plan was discovering late on Tuesday that there was nowhere at the theatre to suspend a data projector, despite being told repeatedly that there was. (The person in charge thought a data projector was the same as a cinema projector!)

Luckily, we have talented parents at the school, so two engineers created an ingenious suspension cradle for us overnight and it worked perfectly. Then we found there was no cabling to link a laptop to the data projector, and no stores or service businesses in town could supply us with a 60 foot long video cable.

This is why I have my trusty business partner, John Crooks, who's based in Melbourne. Within 90 minutes he'd had one made by a wholesale computer company, at less cost than buying a 10 foot cable at Tandy, and shipped to us overnight by courier.

The next challenge was me falling asleep at the keyboard in the middle of finishing the multi-media presentation for Act 2, at about 2am yesterday morning. Bad enough to lose 5 hours sleeping -- but I managed to erase 90% of the multi-media presentation in the process! So I lost another 5 hours re-doing all that work! The multi media is critical to the plot development -- it projects onto the giant computer monitor (16 feet high by 20 feet wide).

At 3:30pm -- 4 hours before opening -- I realised I hadn't finished editing and recording the sound effects for the show! Panic stations!

Home to my place where I have a small recording and editing suite. Back to the theatre at 6 pm with the CD-ROM hot off the burner, untested. It worked!

Then I realised I hadn't printed out the technical scripts for lighting, sound and multi-media, or for the stage manager. And no time to do it. So we grabbed some of the kids' scripts (they no longer needed them -- they were either ready or it was too late for them!) and spent half an hour going through them with the sound and lighting people (I had to run the multi-media stuff, since no-one else knew what it contained, or the cues to interact with the actors). We finished this meeting (for the first act only -- act two we discussed at interval!) 10 minutes before the curtain opened.

*Whew!*

Apart from a few minor dramas supplementary to the main drama, such as the stage crew forgetting to warm up the fog machine for 15 minutes before the spectacular revealing of the giant computer screen, so nothing happened, and an audience member unwittingly disconnecting the cable from the CD player to the sound mixing desk, everything went well and the capacity audience was thrilled with the performance. The kids all did wonderfully, the 19 piece orchestra was terrific and the costumes looked spectacular.

I came home to almost 800 emails and around 30 phone messages from clients, friends, etc who have been largely ignored the past few days, so I dealt with them, one way or another (!), and got a good night's sleep. I have a full day producing and consulting for desperate clients all day today and tomorrow.

Oh... and John Crooks arrived on my doorstep at about 5pm in the middle of the recording and editing session. He decided he wanted to see the show for himself. (He loved it.)

Another capacity crowd tonight, including Lynne and Esther, our 15 yo youngest daughter, who are driving down the coast from Melbourne to see it. Esther helped the principal actors as a dialogue and drama coach while she stayed with me for the 4 weeks Lynne was away in Canada and Florida, and they're looking forward to seeing her again. So many of the parents of kids in the show were in Lynne's shows at the school between 1977 and 1986, and they're looking forward to catching up with her -- she'll be here all night! *lol*

Actually, the principal of the school has been overwhelmed by the level of parental support for the show. He couldn't understand why they were all so keen to be involved. I explained to him that they were products of a culture that developed over that decade that was missing from their kids' lives, and they were excited to have it back again. They wanted it for their children -- and for themselves! :) (I can't go shopping without being waylaid by excited parents in recent weeks.)

So it's been a huge success so far. Changed many children's lives permanently, which is what it's really about for me. Kids who were outcasts, the butt of unkind jokes, who looked "different" or "funny", or had physical or intellectual disabilities... all of whom are the school's new heroes -- whose status has changed irrevocably, who have newfound self-esteem and acclaim. Wonderful to watch and be a part of. :)

Next: The Wrap-up on the Musical

Disappearance.com -- beginnings

Over the past 18 months I've been involved in the writing and production of a musical by the kids at Wonthaggi Primary School.

Referred to locally as "Bilson Street" because it's the oldest of five primary schools in the town, this is the school where my sister Marg and I spent two happy years in the mid-1950s, where three of my own children started school, and where my wife taught art, craft and drama for almost a decade.

Lynne had produced a series of annual musicals, most of which I'd written, during the 1970s and 80s. But, after we moved to Melbourne at the start of 1987, that tradition ceased, and the culture that had developed around it in the school community died out.

When I moved back to Wonthaggi after Lynne and I separated in late 2002, I decided it would be good to have a project to occupy my spare time (!), so I approached the school principal with a proposal for a new musical production in march of 2003.

He was cautiously keen (optimistically suspicious might be a better way to put it). Over the remainder of 2003 he enlisted the support of the School Council and most of the staff, a number of whom had been young teachers at the school when Lynne was teaching there.

So, at the beginning of 2004, it was decided to create a new musical for the entire school, to be written by the children (including the music) and produced and directed by Marg and yours truly.

We organised a 3-day writers' camp at nearby Inverloch and, with the help of senior teachers, chose 12 kids from grades 5 and 6 to participate, based on their applications. You can read about the Writers' Camp here:

http://www.childrenstheatrevictoria.com/schools/disappearance/writerscamp1.html

(The photos section is restricted by the school's Internet policy to protect the kids.)

You can learn more about the project in general here:

http://www.childrenstheatrevictoria.com/schools/disappearance/

In a nutshell, the group created the plot in less than an hour, then formed four groups of 3 writers to take a main scene each. They completed the script by that evening, then wrote the six songs the next day. The first reading took place on the second evening at the camp, and we knew we had something special on our hands... a very talented bunch of youngsters, indeed!

Then followed months of rehearsing and planning, preparation and delegation. We wanted to create a duplicable system for this kind of event that could be packaged and used by any school, anywhere, to create and present a really enjoyable musical production that would raise self-esteem, boost co-operation and interaction across the entire school community, and give children a chance to demonstrate their talents and skills in performing and visual arts in a truly spectacular fashion.

In the next blog, I'll tell you what happened in the immediate lead-up to the show.

Let's kick-start this thing!

Hi, and welcome to my personal blog.

If you already know me, then you'll be aware of my idiosyncracies and interests. If you don't know me yet, here are some links to my personal sites, where you can find out almost everything you could ever want to know about me.

http://www.johncounsel.com/ -- my personal web site.
http://www.profitclinic.com/about -- my main business site.
http://www.johncounsel.com/nwm -- my alternative business site.
http://www.angus-world.com/ -- my dog, Angus, has his own popular site.

You can view my professional profile here:
http://www.profitclinic.com/profile/john.html

I'm an Aspie -- I have Asperger's Syndrome, a neurological condition on the mild/genius end of the autism spectrum -- and, while I'm very mildly affected and exceptionally self-aware, I prefer to be completely up-front about it. It doesn't define me, but it certainly helps to explain me. You can learn more here:
http://www.johncounsel.com/asx
http://www.johncounsel.com/asx/reflection.html

I'm also an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and no, I'm not interested in debating it. You can learn more here:
http://www.johncounsel.com/lds
http://www.lds.org

I'm the Executive Director of The Children's Theatre Company of Victoria and I write kids' musicals for fun.
http://www.childrenstheatrevictoria.com

Okay... that should provide you with enough background to understand where I'm coming from in any comments you read here. I'll update this blog every few days.

Thanks for dropping by!

John