Engineer's Daughter

matokie mix 08.30.20

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the keep going song

Bay Area audiences might already be familiar with the Bengsons after Z Space produced the world premiere of their musical memoir Hundred Days several years back, and Abigail and Shaun's talent for creating transcendence out of the little details of life is on full display in their current production The Keep Going Song. Streaming for pay-what-you-can until October 8th as part of the Actors Theatre of Louisville's current season, The Keep Going Song is a progression of linked tunes performed and recorded during quarantine at Shaun's parents' house in Ohio, incorporating issues of faith, grief, and resilience. The intimacy of the virtual concert is particularly effective for the subject matter here, and this atheist Buddhist was tremendously moved and ultimately quite uplifted by the viewing experience. We're all getting through this as best we can.

See also:

• The Keep Going Song
• Hundred Days

matokie mix 08.23.20

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matokie mix 08.16.20

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wildflowers and plant habitats of half moon bay

 

If, like me, you could use some beauty and inspiration in your life right now, I highly recommend the above webinar from Coastside Land Trust!

• The webinar recording, presentation references, and responses to questions are now up on the Coastside Land trust blog. 
• If you are interested in purchasing Plants and Plant Communities of the San Mateo Coast, written by presenter Toni Corelli as well as Avis Boutell and Nancy Frost, copies are available for purchase for $20 through the Coastside Land Trust. Proceeds from the sale of the book support the Coastside Land Trust and the local State Parks.
• And next week: A webinar about the Amazing Plants of the San Mateo Coast

protecting sacred landscapes

As my state burns I am reminded of how important it is to listen to Native voices, especially on the topic of conservation. A couple weeks back I (virtually) attended a compelling program called Protecting Sacred Landscapes from Medicine Lake to Juristac, which included presentations from Chairman Valentin Lopez of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, Morning Star Gali of the Pit River Tribe, Green Foothills Legislative Advocacy Director Alice Kaufman, and Dr. Stuart Weiss, Chief Scientist at Creekside Center for Earth Observation.

• I learned about the threat to Medicine Lake from geothermal industrial development and the threat to Juristac from a proposed sand and gravel mine, as well as the cultural and ecological importance of these sacred landscapes.
• A video recording of the event is now available on the Protect Juristac website, alongside a text recap and resources list.
• Sign the Petition to Protect Juristac
• Write a letter to the County of Santa Clara on behalf of yourself or your organization, expressing your opposition to the proposed mining project at Juristac. For County email addresses and instructions, visit the ‘How to Help’ page of the Protect Juristac website.
• Use the Teaching Juristac curriculum.
• Pass a resolution at your school in support of Juristac. Protect Juristac has a toolkit with everything you will need. Please contact info@protectjuristac.org
• Reach out to your church congregation or faith community about supporting the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band’s efforts to protect Juristac, the tribe’s most sacred spiritual site. Email info@protectjuristac.org to request outreach resources or support.
• Contribute artwork to the campaign for Juristac! Email protectjuristac@gmail.com for more information.
• Contact your local elected officials and ask them to support the preservation of Juristac. If you live in the Bay Area, help Protect Juristac pass a resolution through your town’s city council calling for the protection of Juristac, as Morgan Hill and Santa Cruz have done. 
• Donate here to support legal and campaign costs for Juristac.
• Follow and share posts from the Protect Juristac Instagram and Facebook page. Create your own posts tagging @protectjuristac. You can also follow @greenfoothills on Facebook for updates on Juristac and other threatened wild places.

 

 

one room

"We need people to help us do the things we need to do alone." Alfre Woodard delivers that beautiful line in the short play by Will Eno that opens the omnibus One Room, a series of pandemic one-acts commissioned by Vermont's Weston Playhouse. The works include the slyly humorous and the deadly serious, and even when the material occasionally falters the strength of the actors' performances elevates the viewing experience. Of course solo performances feel particularly relevant right now as we continue to isolate, and there were many moments where I felt strong resonances with my own life over the past months. Pieces like these will be such fascinating time capsules to look back on when we're finally through this.

See also:

• Weston Playhouse
• Watch the plays one at a time
• Or as a compilation

sports content

Really this post is just an excuse to show off how Stella's cutout, currently seated in row 10 at the A's Coliseum, appeared on TV last week when my dad spotted her in the stands. That's my one-eared cat!

• But I'm also binging The Last Dance this week and it's all kinds of awesome.
• The always-correct Wesley Morris said of the series: “You could call these 10 hours a walk down memory lane. But that’d be like calling Mardi Gras a parade.”
• Check out the fascinating conversation between Eric Eddings and Ed O'Bannon aka The Man Who Beat the NCAA on podcast The Nod
• For more basketball through a nostalgic lens I also highly recommend the documentary After the Game
• And it's not too late to get your own pet a seat in the stands this short baseball season, with proceeds benefiting the East Bay SPCA and Animal Rescue Foundation.

matokie mix 08.09.20

mix

the 7th voyage of egon tichy

 

As theater continues to evolve quickly in quarantine, Joshua William Gelb is making innovative productions right in his closet. Last week he performed a mind-bending piece called The 7th Voyage of Egon Tichy, based on a Stanislaw Lem story adapted by Josh Luxenberg and directed by Jonathan Levin, in which Gelb interacted live with many many pre-recorded versions of himself. I was mesmerized by the results, alternately laughing at the slapstick moments and then trying to figure out the technical aspects of the production. This is just the latest in a series of works Gelb is calling "Theater in Quarantine" using a donation-based model. Check out his YouTube channel for the archive, and future performances include short dance pieces and a Borges adaptation.

See also:

• Theater in Quarantine
• Building the quarantine theater
• The Star Diaries by Stanislaw Lem