Hello from your silent alumna from 1980;
Having missed the big reunion this summer and aslo having met the fascinating and
personable David Ziegler through Mike (Godwin), and even enjoyed his hospitality and
delicious food in is way cool Oakland digs, I am very sad to say I won't be able to be
there and enjoy the festivities (rum punch -- yeah). In fact it sucks.
Maybe we can do it again later, chez moi, in Cupertino?
I have a good excuse -- I will be in India, celebrating my fifth wedding anniversary on
the beaches of Goa.
Meantime i want to report that I'm still maintaining my ties to Shakespeare in my own
odd fashion. First, for my birthday, me and hubby and dear Indian friends attended the Sf
Free Shakespeare in the Park performance of Two Gentlemen of Verona, in August. They come
to the park next door to our house every year at this time, and are really awesome. I used
to watch them every September in Golden Gate Park, and their performances are always
inventive, yet faithful. This production was done in a 60's London Mod mode, with
carefully (and brilliantly) selected tunes by Marianne Faithful etc. played by the
characters to start or end scenes.
We had the young first-generation American son of our friends with us, who is a
high-school thespian who's already familiar with the Bard and laughed louder than
anyone else at the jokes. It was so rewarding to see how he got it, and how a new
generation continues the love.
Secondly, last night my husband and I watched a Hindi movie adaptation of Othello (still
my all-time favorite), Omkara (it's on NetFlix, check it out). The director did a
brilliant job of integrating the story in modern-day yet traditional Rajasthani culture,
shot on location in the dusty Thar desert. I had forgotten that Othello had actually
kidnapped Desdemona (tho only a nominal kidnapping since she was so willing), but this
feature of the story was emphasized because in traditional Indian culture there's
often a ritual kidnapping, even when the bride is willing; the parents have to accept,
based on the young lovers' desire, and the blessing of the village elders.
Knowing a little bit about Indian culture now, I have to say that the story of Othello
translated perfectly -- proving once again the universalities of Shakespeare's themes,
across time and culture.
While I'm on the subject, I also have to recommend a most beautiful Hindi movie from
the sixties calles Shakespeare-Wallah, in black-and-white, an early film by
Merchant/Ivory. It's about an English family of Shakespearean actors in India, with a
teenage daughter who's never seen England, who travel the countryside of India
performing Shakespeare (other roles filled by Indian actors). Their business is waning, as
the Maharajas who invite them to perform at court are in decline. It's a naturalistic
family drama played out in beautiful but decaying locales, and the parents are dedicated
artists who realize their careers and audience are ending. It;s haunting, lovely, and
demonstrates the vocation of actors to their art, and Shakespeare.
Doc, if you're reading, I was a terribe Winedalian, but know that the experience
transformed me and has informed my life ever since. I am a sometime afficianado, but when
I'm in the zone, the most ardent advocate. I have introduced Shakespeare to a real
motley crew of novices, who easily became fans.
I had the pleasure of visiting the new Globe theater in London a few years back, and got
to see what the scene was when the plays were performed for Londoners, high and low, at
the time. Was horrified (!) to discover that ladies peed in their dresses on the ground
during performances (too much ale and not enough ladies rooms -- well actually, i think,
NO ladies rooms), and that courtesans (the polite term) conducted their business in the
upper balconies throughout the performance.
But Thank God for the hoi polloi, or else we wouldn't have all that comic relief from
the servants, even in the tragedies. I just LOVE the fact that even today, my young
Indian-American friend got all the jokes AND appreciated the language, however foreign to
his everyday life.
And though I consider my experience at Winedale a failure, it was a failure I learned from
in so many ways.
Caryl Gorska (used to be Gorski)
From: winedale-l-request(a)lists.wikimedia.org
[mailto:winedale-l-request@lists.wikimedia.org]
Sent: Friday, September 17, 2010 09:09 PM
To: winedale-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
Subject: Winedale-l Digest, Vol 9, Issue 8
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digest..."Today's Topics: 1. Re: San Francisco bound? (James Ayres) 2. Re: San
Francisco bound? (David Ziegler) 3. Re: San Francisco bound? (Mike
Godwin)----------------------------------------------------------------------Message:
1Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2010 18:13:03 -0700From: James Ayres Subject: Re: [Winedale-l] San
Francisco bound?To: Mike Godwin Cc: Winedale-l(a)lists.wikimedia.orgMessage-ID:
<93C55D8D-D488-4593-A056-D4A15AD4E848(a)cvctx.com>Content-Typet-Type: text/plain;
charset="us-ascii"Hurry up on that, will you!DocOn Sep 17, 2010, at 4:05 PM,
Mike Godwin wrote:> Doc, I'll let you know when I've mastered virtual
lobster.>>> --m>>>> On Fri, Sep 17, 2010 at 5:02 PM, James Ayres
wrote:> Mike:>> Given your wizardry, could you not develop a virtual approach to
> this affair. I can almost taste the lobster.>> Doc>>> On Sep 16, 2010,
at 3:38 PM, Mike Godwin wrote:>>> I still don't have complete memories of the
last time Ziegler >> hosted one of these Winedale events at his place. That's
how much >> fun it was.>>>>>> --m>>>>>> On Thu,
Sep 16, 2010 at 5:35 PM, James Ayres >> wrote:>> This has all the wonderful
stuff of fairy tale. Yellow-brick >> golden-gated journey with summer folk and
Indians and Figaro BBQ. >> Wish I could join you! Send me a photo, OK? with Tony
Bennett?>>>> Love,>>>> Doc>>>>>>>> On Sep
15, 2010, at 9:14 PM, David Ziegler wrote:>>>>> Hey all and everyone
...>>>>>> Turns out there's a little gathering of some 2010 Summer
folk >>> that's going to happen in early October here in San Francisco.
>>> Yours truly (who lives here), Mike Godwin (who lives here), Kathy
>>> Blackbird (from Austin), Craig Hurwitz (from Chicago), Jayne Noble
>>> (from Dallas), and Matt Kozusko (from Philadelphia) are all >>>
planning a weekend of (certainly) fun in the City (that's SF for >>> those of
you live in other "The City"s), (hopefully) sun in the >>> Bay Area
(should be our Indian Summer), (possibly) opera (Marriage >>> of Figaro), (most
likely) shenanigans (undoubtedly drunken blank >>> verse), and general
conviviality. If you are going to be, or can >>> be, in or near San Francisco on
October 9, 10, 11 (when I'll most >>> likely have a bbq here in Oakland), you
are begged to let me know >>> so we can include you in our festive
pleasures.>>>>>> So consider yourself invited, and let me know if we
will see you, >>> and I'll pass on more details as they
evolve.>>>>>> Yours now and always,>>>>>>
David>>> _______________________________________________>>> Winedale-l
mailing list>>> Winedale-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>>>
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/winedale-l>>>>>…
_______________________________________________>> Winedale-l mailing list>>
Winedale-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>>
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/winedale-l>>>>>…
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------------------------------Message: 2Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2010 18:23:54 -0700From:
"David Ziegler" Subject: Re: [Winedale-l] San Francisco bound?To: "James
Ayres" , "Mike Godwin" Cc: Winedale-l(a)lists.wikimedia.orgMessage-ID:
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"Oh no, I usually get away with
some burgers and some chicken legs and maybe a pulled pork ... (and a bucket load of rum
punch) ... now I've got spring for a LOBSTER? and figure out how to virtually
thermidor it?Game ON!From: James Ayres Sent: Friday, September 17, 2010 6:13 PMTo: Mike
Godwin Cc: David Ziegler ; Winedale-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org Subject: Re: [Winedale-l] San
Francisco bound?Hurry up on that, will you! DocOn Sep 17, 2010, at 4:05 PM, Mike Godwin
wrote: Doc, I'll let you know when I've mastered virtual lobster. --m On Fri, Sep
17, 2010 at 5:02 PM, James Ayres wrote: Mike: Given your wizardry, could you not develop
a virtual approach to this affair. I can almost taste the lobster. Doc On Sep 16, 2010, at
3:38 PM, Mike Godwin wrote: I still don't have complete memories of the last time
Ziegler hosted one of these Winedale events at his place. That's how much fun it was.
--m On Thu, Sep 16, 2010 at 5:35 PM, James Ayres wrote: This has all the wonderful stuff
of fairy tale. Yellow-brick golden-gated journey with summer folk and Indians and Figaro
BBQ. Wish I could join you! Send me a photo, OK? with Tony Bennett? Love, Doc On Sep 15,
2010, at 9:14 PM, David Ziegler wrote: Hey all and everyone ... Turns out there's a
little gathering of some 2010 Summer folk that's going to happen in early October here
in San Francisco. Yours truly (who lives here), Mike Godwin (who lives here), Kathy
Blackbird (from Austin), Craig Hurwitz (from Chicago), Jayne Noble (from Dallas), and Matt
Kozusko (from Philadelphia) are all planning a weekend of (certainly) fun in the City
(that's SF for those of you live in other "The City"s), (hopefully) sun in
the Bay Area (should be our Indian Summer), (possibly) opera (Marriage of Figaro), (most
likely) shenanigans (undoubtedly drunken blank verse), and general conviviality. If you
are going to be, or can be, in or near San Francisco on October 9, 10, 11 (when I'll
most likely have a bbq here in Oakland), you are begged to let me know so we can include
you in our festive pleasures. So consider yourself invited, and let me know if we will see
you, and I'll pass on more details as they evolve. Yours now and always, David
_______________________________________________ Winedale-l mailing list
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------------------------------Message: 3Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2010 21:08:55 -0700From: Mike
Godwin Subject: Re: [Winedale-l] San Francisco bound?To: David Ziegler Cc:
Winedale-l(a)lists.wikimedia.orgMessage-ID: Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="iso-8859-1"Didn't Lobster Thermidor mark the end of the Reign of
Teriyaki?--mOn Fri, Sep 17, 2010 at 6:23 PM, David Ziegler wrote:> Oh no, I usually get
away with some burgers and some chicken legs and> maybe a pulled pork ... (and a bucket
load of rum punch) ... now I've got> spring for a LOBSTER? and figure out how to
virtually thermidor it?>> Game ON!>>>> *From:* James Ayres > *Sent:*
Friday, September 17, 2010 6:13 PM> *To:* Mike Godwin > *Cc:* David Ziegler ;>
Winedale-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org> *Subject:* Re: [Winedale-l] San Francisco
bound?>> Hurry up on that, will you!>> Doc> On Sep 17, 2010, at 4:05 PM,
Mike Godwin wrote:>> Doc, I'll let you know when I've mastered virtual
lobster.>>> --m>>>> On Fri, Sep 17, 2010 at 5:02 PM, James Ayres
wrote:>>> Mike:>>>> Given your wizardry, could you not develop a
virtual approach to this>> affair. I can almost taste the lobster.>>>>
Doc>>>>>> On Sep 16, 2010, at 3:38 PM, Mike Godwin
wrote:>>>> I still don't have complete memories of the last time Ziegler
hosted>> one of these Winedale events at his place. That's how much fun it
was.>>>>>> --m>>>>>> On Thu, Sep 16, 2010 at 5:35 PM,
James Ayres wrote:>>>>> This has all the wonderful stuff of fairy tale.
Yellow-brick>>> golden-gated journey with summer folk and Indians and Figaro BBQ.
Wish I>>> could join you! Send me a photo, OK? with Tony
Bennett?>>>>>> Love,>>>>>>
Doc>>>>>>>>>>>> On Sep 15, 2010, at 9:14 PM, David
Ziegler wrote:>>>>>> Hey all and everyone ...>>>>>>
Turns out there's a little gathering of some 2010 Summer folk that's>>>
going to happen in early October here in San Francisco. Yours truly (who>>> lives
here), Mike Godwin (who lives here), Kathy Blackbird (from Austin),>>> Craig
Hurwitz (from Chicago), Jayne Noble (from Dallas), and Matt Kozusko>>> (from
Philadelphia) are all planning a weekend of (certainly) fun in the>>> City
(that's SF for those of you live in other "The City"s), (hopefully)
sun>>> in the Bay Area (should be our Indian Summer), (possibly) opera (Marriage
of>>> Figaro), (most likely) shenanigans (undoubtedly drunken blank verse),
and>>> general conviviality. If you are going to be, or can be, in or near
San>>> Francisco on October 9, 10, 11 (when I'll most likely have a bbq here
in>>> Oakland), you are begged to let me know so we can include you in our
festive>>> pleasures.>>>>>> So consider yourself invited, and
let me know if we will see you, and>>> I'll pass on more details as they
evolve.>>>>>> Yours now and always,>>>>>>
David>>> _______________________________________________>>> Winedale-l
mailing list>>> Winedale-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>>>
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/winedale-l>>>>>…
_______________________________________________>>> Winedale-l mailing
list>>> Winedale-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>>>
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/winedale-l>>>>>…
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