The healing journey of a widowed, unschooling badass in Delaware.
My sons have completed another theatrical presentation of Shakespearean material. This was a mini Shakespeare Festival by Pages Alive Theater.
Isaac had a big moment as he recited Hamlet’s “To be, or not to be,” soliloquy.
Westen broadened his theatrical repertoire by choreographing and performing Mercutio’s fatal swordfight with Tybalt from Romeo and Juliet.
Olive volunteered to decorate the audience with face paint.
All the kids were wonderful and impressive in their many roles.
My sons are participating in Pages Alive Theater‘s Shakespeare Festival. Both will serve in multiple roles, but two stand out as special.
Westen will be playing Mercutio in his death scene from Romeo and Juliet. With sword fighting, a flurry of double entendres, and a flamboyant exit, Westen was made for this role. He’s seen it on stage and screen and I’m excited to see his interpretation.
Isaac is getting stretched with the “slings and arrows” speech from Hamlet. Certainly the most somber role he has tackled, it will fit well as he becomes a teenager this Spring.
I’m blessed with how much these boys love Shakespeare. As much as they like the stage, nothing motivates them like the Bard.
Pages Alive Theater has held a powerful place in our performing arts life for more than five years.
My sons are loving Lisa’s first Improv Class offering, while simultaneously working on a Shakespeare flash mob performance.
Shakespeare shows up constantly in our lives.
Screens have been heavily limited as of late. Guitar lessons, park day, Lego club, improv class, reading, and church activities have filled our days.
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I missed our movie nights, so tonight we watched Scotland, PA, a retelling of Macbeth in 1970s Pennsylvania. It’s no more inappropriate than the source material and less grotesque than many stage versions.
It was exciting to witness my sons’ familiarity with the story. They were racing to identify characters and predict who would die next.
I continue to urge organizations like Delaware Shakespeare and Wilmington Drama League to stop coercing actors into vaccines that are being revealed as ineffective and unsafe.
From Pubmed.gov:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35659687/
Recently, The Lancet published a study (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35131043/) on the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and the waning of immunity with time. The study showed that immune function among vaccinated individuals 8 months after the administration of two doses of COVID-19 vaccine was lower than that among the unvaccinated individuals. According to European Medicines Agency recommendations, frequent COVID-19 booster shots could adversely affect the immune response and may not be feasible. The decrease in immunity can be caused by several factors such as N1-methylpseudouridine, the spike protein, lipid nanoparticles, antibody-dependent enhancement, and the original antigenic stimulus. These clinical alterations may explain the association reported between COVID-19 vaccination and shingles. As a safety measure, further booster vaccinations should be discontinued.
My heart has been broken more times than I can remember in the last two years. Many Christians, crunchy hippies, family, friends, artists, librarians, and performers bowed to Lockdown propaganda and pledged allegiance to governmental powers that have hindered human flourishing for centuries.
I don’t know how much healing I’ve done. Just when I feel a relationship might be on the mend, another blow is struck.
Delaware Shakespeare begins their Community Tour today. It will be the first time the Zerbeys are not welcome.
I have read more than enough literature to convince me that masks are not healthy for us. This is a sincere and well-read stand for my family’s health.
I have tried to leverage my relationship with Delaware Shakespeare to share this information and make a plea for all of us who are choosing to protect our health as we see fit. It has fallen on deaf ears. Medical freedom will not be honored at their shows.
Below is my most recent communication to them and screenshots of the latest guidelines for Delaware counties. I’m not alone in my sentiments and I hope more lovers of Shakespeare speak up and ask to once again be welcomed into the community.
Dear Delshakes,
I’m very sorry to hear about your masking requirements. You are coercing people into behavior that has been proven to range from neutral to harmful in relation to mental and physical health and wellness. Excluding the parts of your community who are following peer-reviewed studies does not appear to fit your stated purpose of inclusion.
CDC guidance has loosened in healthcare facilities and all guidance for Delaware counties says masks are optional.
It is never too late to champion individual health and choice. We will be here, waiting.
With Sadness,
Jason
Rereading it now, I wonder how long we will be here. With organizations as large as DelShakes shifting their focus to political and health matters, I wonder how much interest in live theater will wane.
I butchered half a line of Shakespeare while being smothered and it felt like a victory.
Disclosure: The link below is an affiliate link, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
“Think of the universe,” ran through my mind as I was under a brown belt mount and could feel the last minute of the match counting down. There was no space there. I needed some. I needed all the space. I needed the universe. Panic is scary. All I had to do was tap and I could make it go away. I could be safe and breath fresh air. But that’s not the goal, not even one of the goals. The goal is to put that panic in its place. “Hey, Panic, fuck off, we’re safe here, we can breath. Check this out.” Slow inhale, slow exhale. “Fuck, okay, that was tough, maybe you’re right, maybe we went full white belt this time and we’re gonna get hurt.” Slow inhale, slow exhale. “Think of the universe.”
The space is getting smaller and the Panic gets a voice, “Shakespeare? You can’t even get Shakespeare right?” “The universe has a lot of air. More air than I’ll ever need. I can breath all that air right now. I’m not being choked. If you get your way we will get choked.”
This was in the third match and fifteenth minute of rolling. It wasn’t enough to just breath, I had to be active in my defense and try to get out of an impossible situation. I didn’t get out, not nearly. I also didn’t tap to Panic or allow a submission. I went on for two more matches.
Till then, think of the world.
That’s Cassius’s line, but I needed more than a world of air.
With all the mentions of Shakespeare here I’ve been remiss in sharing about my older son’s work behind the scenes on Pages Alive Theater‘s production of Much Ado About Nothing.
He was a student director and gained accolades from the head of the program, parents, and actors. His responsibilities demanded a calmness and focus that I don’t see when he’s on stage. He looked very much like he does when he’s competing in jiu-jitsu, moving with intentional, singular focus.
At the cast party he got an award for being an undercover superhero. Cool and unassuming, while tackling grand tasks.
He’s ready to be back on stage. I believe he will carry this seriousness into his next role and I can’t wait to witness the results.
In this scene from Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Stephano, Trinculo, and Caliban sneak towards a murderous plot. The first two drunken fools are distracted by a clotheline of fancy articles while Caliban loses his patience and rages against them.
We recently saw Delaware Shakespeare‘s production of The Tempest and I was inspired to recreate this scene.
