Director's Note & Press Release: House on the Cliff

Here's the director's note for my first show directing with Houghton College.  This show will always have a special place in my heart.  I loved it from the get-go.

I read several scripts before settling on House on the Cliff.  In order to preserve the mystery, as well as the element of surprise I was determined to find a lesser known play.  I had never read anything by George Batson, but took an instant liking to this one.  It preserves the traditional aspects of a good mystery while avoiding clichés.  I thought the central plot was very unique and found the characters to be interesting and fresh. 

     I’ve had a great experience working with this cast.  We’ve had a lot of fun together.  It will be a shame when the production concludes and we no longer have an excuse to get together anymore.  They have each put a lot of hard work into this show and I, like you, look forward to seeing the finished product.

-Nic


Below is the press release that went out to local papers.  Hilary actually wrote this one.

Houghton College will be presenting a murder mystery this Halloween weekend! It’s the perfect show for a spooky evening, so bring your friends, family, everyone!

In George Batson’s House on the Cliff, a widow (Alice Browning) and her step-daughter (Rachel Stowe) struggle to heal from a recent family tragedy, while the arrival of two strangers (Eric Mikols and Carly Trask) brings an atmosphere of uncertainty into the equation.  Death lurks around every corner. Who is safe? And who will save the household? 

Join us for a time of intrigue and suspense this Halloween weekend! Shows are 7pm on October 29, 30, and 31 (plus a 2pm matinee performance on the 31^st) in the Tysinger Auditorium at the Houghton Academy (9790 Thayer Street, Houghton, NY). Tickets will be available at the door. Contact Director Nic Gunning at Nicolas.Gunning05@houghton.edu with any questions.

Hilary Gunning 

Houghton College

Press Release & Director's Note: Art

Here's the press release and director's note for Valley Theatre's second show, Art.  This one was directed by Hilary and Amanda.  These were written by Hilary.

Press Release
The Valley Theatre of Houghton, NY is back this September with a vibrant production of Yasmina Reza's

Tony award winning play "Art". This is the Valley Theatre's second show, coming after the well received musical from last September, "She Loves Me!"

Now veterans from that production Ethan Stowell and Mike Cox are joined by their former director, Nic Gunning, for this critically acclaimed comedy. In it, long-time friends Marc, Serge, and Yvan exchange amiable banter and biting sarcasm as they struggle to reconcile their mounting differences.

Join us at 7pm on September 10, 11, and 12 in the Houghton Fire Hall for an evening of comedy, irony and drama. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased online or at the door. Visit our website, [www.facebook.com/valleytheatre], or email thevalleytheatre@gmail.com for more information.



Director's Note:

     We have wanted to put on a production of Art since reading it as students.  We were immediately captured by its easy, effortlessly comical dialogue and the completely real definition of friendship it constructs, but never really thought we could pull it off until watching Nic, Ethan & Mike working on it together.  The innate camaraderie

they share gives their portrayals a natural flow.  Now, we are so pleased to be able to share it with you.  We hope you will embrace as we did the quick banter, frank phrasing and exquisitely awkward pauses that make up this Tony Award winning play.

Director's Note: Telephone Roulette

For Valley Theatre's second production we did a set of two shorter plays.  We began with Jack Finney's Telephone Roulette which centered on two bored female friends (Amanda Cox and Noelle Winkens) looking for a date for the weekend.  The main feature was Yasmina Reza's Art which focused on the strained friendship of three guys (Mike Cox, Ethan Stowell and me).  Both used the same set.  I directed Telephone Roulette and Hilary & Amanda co-directed Art.  Here's my note from the program.

Director’s Note:

     I am so thrilled to be getting the opportunity to bring some of Jack Finney’s work to life on stage.  I have been a fan of his novels since accidentally stumbling across a copy of Time& Again nearly 10 years ago.  As soon as I discovered that, aside from being a prolific novelist, he had also tried his hand as a playwright, I was determined to track down a copy for The Valley Theatre. As it is quite an obscure work by Finney, this very well may be the first production of Telephone Roulette since 1956!

Director's Note: She Loves Me

The genesis of The Valley Theatre can be traced back to years of us coming up with great ideas, planning out how to accomplish them and promptly forgetting about them as soon as the commercial break ended.  Then one seemingly ordinary day, in a car ride to Corning, Amanda turned to me and said, “We should start a theater and our first production should be She Loves Me.”  Maybe it was the lack of a TV distraction or just an attempt to avoid listening to Alison’s music, but for whatever reason this one stuck.

            So here we are, The Valley Theatre’s first production. Welcome.  She Loves Me has always been one of my favorite shows, so when it was suggested that I take the reigns for my directorial debut I eagerly accepted.  From the very beginning this production has had a very grassroots feel to it.  We basically had to start from scratch by gathering costumes and props; making sets and furniture and drafting my mom to be our cook.  I am very proud of what we have accomplished and am eager to find out what the future holds for The Valley Theatre.  I hope you enjoy our premier production as much as I do.

Thanks for coming.

Nic Gunning

The Valley Theatre

Book Review: Diagnosis Murder: The Past Tense

*****

Diagnosis Murder: The Past Tense

By Lee Goldberg

I enjoy this series because the mystery is always well thought out and it keeps you guessing and second-guessing right up until the big reveal. They aren't overly violent or filled with gory details. They are just clever, fun reads.

This book in particular is a departure for the series in that the bulk of it is a flashback to Mark Sloan's early medical career and his first dabble in the detective world, told in first person. It mainly deals with new characters. With the exception of Dr. Sloan, the other regular characters from this series basically just bookend the story. Lee Goldberg really has the characters down, especially Dr. Sloan. You can't help but picture Dick van Dyke when reading this book. Overall, I would say that The Past Tense is my favorite in this entertaining series.

Book Review: Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years

*****

Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years

By David Talbot

This book wasn't what I expected it to be... and it took me a long time to figure that out. From what I read of this title before buying it, I assumed it was an account of the JFK assassination through the eyes of Bobby Kennedy. Instead it was basically just a retelling of the Kennedy years. It was well-written and enjoyable, it just wasn't what I was looking for. One of the big questions the book asked was, "Why didn't RFK uses his position and power to solve the JFK assassination?" Instead of an answer, all it gave us was, "Seriously, why didn't he?" There was a little speculation as to why, but no real insight into the possibilities. I think the fatal flaw of this book was that it was just too broad, but despite that it is still an interesting read. I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't gone in expecting something that it wasn't.

SNL gets politically correct!

Can someone please tell my why the folks at Saturday Night Live seem to be the only ones willing to call Barack Obama on his empty statements and courtship of the media? Honestly, I just don't get it. I don't understand Barack Obama as a candidate. I don't think it's a matter of disagreeing with his political views, but more that I don't feel like I know any of them. From what I can gather he's a strong advocate for change, but unless he's saying he wants to abolish all paper money I have no idea what that means. My biggest problem with him is that he lacks the experience that a Presidential candidate will typically have and so far he hasn't given us much to fill in the blanks. He rarely gives a direct answer to the questions he is given, nor will he clarify his vague policies. Don't get me wrong, I think war in general is bad and I would love to see changes in the U.S., but simply wishing things were different isn't going to make them so. To me his platform lacks substance. It would be one thing if he was just another easily dismissed, empty candidate (See Bill Richardson). Unfortunately that's not the case at all. People are going for him in a big way. (Thanks, Oprah.) I can't make sense of it. 

There have been candidates in the past that I didn't like but could at least understand the appeal they had to others. Not so in this case. I don't get it at all. I don't find him to be charismatic or a particularly good public speaker. I hear no discernible message and I'm at a loss. 

Throughout this whole process I kept thinking that sooner or later the fad surrounding Barack Obama would lose steam as most fads inevitably do.  Sadly it shows no signs of stopping and that leaves me a.) very confused and b.) seriously concerned for the future of our country. It seems to me that people take his well researched applause lines for thoughtfulness and leadership capability. Clearly he is resonating with a large portion of Democrats, but being likeable doesn't necessarily translate into running a country. 

SNL's return from the writer's strike has given me much needed hope that there are others out there who see through the empty mantras and soft-ball questions. That is at least changing the conversation on some level. Will it be enough to snatch the nomination away from him? Probably not, but hopefully it will make people think twice. The stakes for the American people are huge. We are talking about the highest office in the land. I just hope the country isn't heading towards a dangerous nosedive.

SNL and I will be watching.