Is that snow, or is the fog just condensing in flakes? You can't even see the disc of the Sun behind the clouds at Noon.

Footbarn's Celebration of Theatre: Theater X-Net

Starring: Ida Rubinstein Belle Epoch Russian/Parisian beauty.
Ida's Places in Paris -- from my first jet-lagged day by the Seine.
Read more about Ida in Sisters of Salome by Toni Bentley

Visit: Michael's Montana Web Archive
Theater, Art, Flash Gordon, Funky Music and MORE!
NEW! Spitfires of the Spaceways
Watch Dale Arden rescue Flash Gordon for a change!

Charity Alert: Make a resolution as the days get brighter to click on The Hunger Site every day.

In The Community: The Traveling Medicine Show Opening ceremony Friday, January 26, 2007 5:30 to 8 PM -- FREE to the public. Three trunks of Native American Art and Artifacts -- Learn MORE
Trunk One: Ancient Case -- Bow and arrow, shield, parfleche etc. from long ago. Trunk Two: Traditional Case -- Ceremonial and everyday clothing, moccasins, dolls, cradle board, drum and pipe, decorative beadwork, etc. Trunk Three: Contemporary Case -- Current art, artists, and traditions.
Learn the stories of each trunk from Blackfeet artists Darnell Rides At The Door, David Dragonfly, and Rich Horn.
Hockaday Museum of Art

Media Watch: PBS' Great Performances showed Julie Taymor's production of The Magic Flute. Hats off to honor one of the late Jacques LeCoq's most famous students! The costumes and overall design were blindingly beautiful. You could see the blending of Asian and European traditions, plus Taymor's astounding originality in every scene. My favorite characters were three singers with removable mask/heads and BIG left hands -- comic sensibility reminding me of the Bread & Puppet Theatre. I enjoyed the Queen of the Night's design, and Erika Miklósa, the singer who played her part. I wasn't particularly fond of the English liberetto -- I didn't see the point, since they ran the translation in subtitles anyway.

Speaking of LeCoq, and his students:


Footsbarn Theatre has TWO productions in the oven right now -- this one, and a revival of their particular version of Midsummer Night's Dream. (R to L) Fredericka Haytor and Mas Sogeng operating diaphanous shadow puppets for L'Homme qui Rit as Hugo spoke and spelled it. Mas is originally from Java and brought along his own knowledge of masks and puppets to extend Footsbarn's already-vast vocabulary of these techniques. Ms. Taymor has nothing over this international bunch of fellow LeCoq disciples!