An eloquent piece here, Clayton.
Doc
On Oct 1, 2015, at 5:56 AM, Clayton Stromberger wrote:
Hey thanks everybody for all the thumbs-up (not “thumbs-ups,”
right?)…. much appreciated. And fun to hear your voices again!
But I need to clarify one important thing, re Jerald’s original
shout-out:
That prestigious honor is for the school and its staff, not those of
us who pop in for a few hours a week. I’m very fortunate to have
the opportunity to be a small part of what they have cooking now.
And I’m one of a little gang of arts educators who are in that
school every week; when we met for orientation, it was the first
time in all my years in the schools that I’d found Shakespeare
sitting right alongside orchestra, photography, fairy tale theater,
ballet, and piano lessons (the latter for children with an
incarcerated parent). I step gingerly past two dozen ukuleles every
day on my way up to fourth grade classrooms. I don’t stand out
when I walk into the office to sign in — and often I have to wait
behind the two young people toting their viola cases. It’s
wonderful. I hope someday every school I visit is like that.
The Blackshear teachers who work with those students all day, and
work with their parents, and try to squeeze in as much real learning
as they can while being told from upon high what to teach and when
— those folks are the real heroes. I remember what a tough day at
Blackshear took out of you (I was 38 at the time, just a kid) and I
honestly don’t think I could survive it now. Just for starters,
the drive I make from one school to another is a break those
teachers never get.
Second important thing I need to say….: Carl, re your loving
comment, you ALL care that way. (Okay, yes, except for maybe Donald
Trump. And those knuckleheads in the Texas Legislature… and....)
I’m starting with everyone on this list and that’s a lot of
people. And then I would spread that outward to all of your close
friends and family members. I know for a rock-solid fact that every
one of you carries through your daily life that same spirit of
courage and devotion and generosity that you shared with your
classmates and the community and the audiences in your time at
Winedale. I saw it alive in every one of you in the reunion group.
We saw it in Lou and Gabe and Hutch. And all of us saw it in Doc,
who devoted hours and hours of his time over the past year to make
that week possible and made every moment count and inspired us
(again — and how fortunate we are, all these years later) to do the
same. We remember it in those who were not able to be there for
that gathering.
And there are real heroes among us who are not glimpsed fleetingly
in tv news reports. Not all of you may know that Jeff Larsen is an
immigration lawyer in Houston. Talk about someone in the trenches
and fighting the good fight. Then there’s the guy whose sitcom
could be called, “Five Ain’t Enough,” because at an age when
I’m ready to collapse as a father of two, he and his wife adopted a
young boy and made him the sixth and littlest of the Little-Meyers.
Then there are those of you caring for a parent or sibling or friend
in failing health, physical or emotional. Artists overcoming
endless obstacles to hold the mirror up to nature. The team
bringing The Play’s the Thing to young patients at Dell
Children’s Hospital. And on and on. So don't get me started on
the rest of you.
You all give your all in your work and life, I know that to be
true. And when you can’t for whatever reason, you fight like hell
to get back to being able to give it again. That’s why it’s
really an honor to be considered a friend by all of you.
I really feel what I’m doing in the schools is attempting to share
something of what we all discovered out at Winedale together. For
whatever reason, this is the way I’m able to offer it. And I know
each of you does that every day, in your own utterly original way.
That’s why the sparks fly when a bunch of us get back together. We
want to make something happen. We know what can happen in a week.
Doc taught us that decades ago and yes we still burn.
What I was lucky enough to find when I began doing this work 25
years ago in the Seattle area is that there are kids who are thirsty
for this experience, just like we were. It’s a real privilege to
be able to help bring it to them in whatever way I can, for however
many hours a year I can. Some are low-income, others are not. But
they dive into it joyfully. I think they need it, just like we
did. Something in them responds to the invitation. The invitation
started with Miss Ima and it’s still going, in all of us.
cheers,
cs
Clayton Stromberger
Outreach Coordinator, UT Shakespeare at Winedale
[email protected]
www.shakespeare-winedale.org
cell: 512-363-6864
office: 512-471-8367
On Oct 1, 2015, at 7:14 AM, Anne Engelking Smith
<[email protected]> wrote:
Wow!!! Congratulations!!
What an achievement for you to relish...no, that the kids will
relish the rest of their lives!
Sent from my iPhone
On Oct 1, 2015, at 7:10 AM, Suhler, Jayne <[email protected]>
wrote:
Only a tiny fraction (.25 percent) of K-12 schools in the U.S. are
designated Blue Ribbon. Parents in Dallas have slept in tents to
be in line for transfer seats at the handful of schools here that
have received the award over the years. What Clayton’s school has
achieved is remarkable and his contributions can be traced
directly to the award. All this is a nice way of saying CLAYTON
YOU ARE ONE B.A.M.F.!!! jayne
From: Winedale-l <[email protected]> on
behalf of Mary Collins <[email protected]>
Date: Thursday, October 1, 2015 at 4:33 AM
To: Clayton Stromberger <[email protected]>
Cc: "[email protected]" <[email protected]
>, "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [Winedale-l] Because it has been on my mind--
Dearest Clayton,
You rock! You are an inspiration. Congratulations to all of you.
Love. Mary
Sent from my iPhone
On Sep 30, 2015, at 9:18 PM, Clayton Stromberger <[email protected]
> wrote:
Thanks y'all — a pretty neat group of kids, they actually
cheered this afternoon when I told them I’d brought the rest of
Hamlet 1.1 for them to take home (we’ve been working on the
first 20 or so lines). They were unfazed to see Fred Cantu and
his cameraman in the little “theater room” built over the
summer and eagerly volunteered for their turn at Bernardo,
Francisco, et al.
Very impressive and heartening what’s going on at Blackshear;
next door to us in the dance studio, I saw a class of first
graders in socks lining up on their tippytoes for ballet
lessons. I’m so glad the principal, Betty Jenkins, is receiving
this Blue Ribbon recognition for her determination to make the
school the first Fine Arts Magnet at the elementary level in the
district. It’s a remarkable sea change from the atmosphere of
even a decade ago — when arts were tossed aside the moment
scores dipped — and I hope this award will give other elementary-
level administrators in low-income communities the courage and
incentive to make the arts an integral part of their students’
day.
Especially sweet since I was run off from Blackshear 16 years ago
largely for doing Shakespeare with my classes when I should have
been drilling them for the TAAS test…!
cs
On Sep 30, 2015, at 7:43 PM, Aubrey Carter <[email protected]
> wrote:
Great work Clayton.
ACDO
1401 E. 7th St.
Austin, TX 78702
512-472-3393
On Sep 30, 2015, at 6:30 PM, Jerald Head <[email protected]>
wrote:
I just saw Clayton on the local news working with the kids at
Blackshear Elementary, which was awarded a Blue Ribbon status.
The arts program there was mentioned as a real plus. Good job
kids, teachers, and Clayton.👏👏👏👏
Sent from my iPhone
On Sep 29, 2015, at 10:59 PM, Susan Todd <[email protected]
> wrote:
Love and big smooches to all of you! What a thrill it was to
have Doc and JoAnn and such a goodly herd of our beloveds in
the theater. I'm sorry the Ghost of Scottish Rite Theater
targeted Lynn in its naughty shenanigans. I promise to get
Stan to smudge the place in preparation for any of you who
dare to enter and sit in the seats.
Terry, your email enchants me. Thank you for that.
Dream, dream, dream!
Susan
On Tue, Sep 29, 2015 at 8:29 PM, Lynn McGuire <[email protected]
> wrote:
Jerald - glad I could be your buffer and I enjoyed Susan's
production of COE too - very creative and entertaining! The
theatre and sets were gorgeous... But do check your chair
backs before sitting down. I had an entanglement with my first
choice which had a broken back and almost broke mine as we
collapsed to the floor! Our two wonderful doctors - Craig and
Jerald came to my rescue, prescribed Advil and ice, and we
then all enjoyed the show. Of course Jerald had to inform me
how sore I would be in the morning! Anyway - come see the show
and let's all go to dinner!
And Terry, thanks for your lovely words! They mean a lot! It
also meant the world to me that you came to our performances-
you were missed during the week!
And to the rest of you- keep writing, it is joyful to hear
your voices! Love, Lynn
Sent from my iPhone
On Sep 29, 2015, at 2:04 PM, "Jerald Head"
<[email protected]> wrote:
Sunday I went to the Scottish Rite Theater to see “The
Comedy of Errors,” which is always such fun. This time it
was directed by reunion alum Susan Todd and one of the
Dromio’s was played by Kathy Blackbird who was a real hoot.
I just love to see those Dromios receiving a few licks. . I
know I loved beating Mary Collins in 1978, when she was my
Dromio.. There were several other Winedale alums in the show
as well. Zaniness ensued. There was a mini reunion in the
audience. Hurwitz, Lynn, Joy, Mike Mergan, Doc, and Joann
were all in attendance as was Jonathan and Whitney Ayres. It
was good to see them all . Thankfully, Lynn sat between Joy
and I so Joy’s harassment of me was kept to a minimum. The
theater itself is worth seeing as well which was built in
1871 and if I am not mistaken, some of the fly/ sets used in
CE were original. It looked great. The show runs for a while
longer so if you are in Austin, and looking for an escape
from the ACL hoards, go support some local theater, and of
course our friends as well.
Jerald
Sent from my iPhone
On Sep 29, 2015, at 12:53 PM, tlgalloway via Shakespeare at
Winedale Email List <[email protected]
> wrote:
These last few days, I have been falling into reveries about
the reunion plays.
I can't get over how tightly they were performed. Crisp and
energetic and funny and moving. Both of them.
When I was there watching it seemed well, of course-- that's
the way Winedale works.
But now that a few weeks have gone by, I am struck once
again by what a miracle it is that two plays can be so
perfectly realized in just a week.
And I wanted to say again to all of you who performed at the
reunion, what a profound pleasure it was to witness the
results of your thought, your sweat, yours whims, your
camaraderie and your playing.
It was enchanting. Just like it should be, has always been,
and always will be.
Love to you.
Terry
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Godwin <[email protected]>
To: Shakespeare at Winedale 1970-2000 alums <[email protected]
>; Shakespeare Winedale <[email protected]
>
Sent: Tue, Sep 29, 2015 8:29 am
Subject: Welcoming Linda Addison, Winedale Spring 1971 class
Linda, whom many of you may remember for her involvement in
the early
years of
Eeyore's Birthday Party, is reachable at
[email protected].
She's now on both the Google
Groups and Wikimedia Winedale-alum mailing
lists.
Welcome!
--Mike
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