Notes

Just so you know we really met , JoJo took this group portrait to prove we were there.  I also posted a short Facebook live with a quick hello from the attendees. Ted gave a short history of the Longfellow house and the park across the street where we were meeting.  He also brought some very tasty italian cookies.

This meeting marked our 27th year and we reminisced a little about the history of  SoloTogether as well.

Because we were right next to the street, I wasn’t always able to catch everything that was said so this will be a brief overview of the discussion.

It was one year ago to the day since Stephen found himself in the hospital, which did a number on his Fall and Winter program schedule and then the current shutdown finished off his Spring as well.  He’s back now, writing his memoirs and even doing a live performance as Whitman this weekend at Old Frog Pond Farm.  He’s also had some success doing virtual programs.

Jessa has been spending her time researching her family history.

JoJo has actually been very busy with her video productions as well as her podcast, Somerville Connects.  She’s now able to do video remotely, so she hopes some of our members will take advantage in the future.

Michael Mack is writing a new program.

Debbie Weiss talked about some of the plays she’s written, including a couple based on James Joyce, which piqued Stephen’s interest, since he’s wanted to do something on Joyce for quite a while.

Gail has been putting her energies into cleaning her house, since she’s been unable to perform.  If you’d been at the meeting, she had some historical treasures that she offered to any takers.  And takers were happy to oblige.

Lynn Noel has been recuperating from a knee operation, so performances have been on hold.  The lock down has brought her a new opportunity though.  She  created The Mermaid’s Tavern. http://www.mermaidstavern.com, a Zoom concert series, so she’s been very busy.

Deb Goss was the featured artist for the Longfellow House web broadcast.  This was part of our arrangement with the Park Service so we can meet in the carriage house.  We’ll let you know when/if a link for the program becomes available.

Ted is reviving his portrayal of  Longfellow.  He performed the persona several years ago, but was never happy with the program.  He’s reworking the script as Lonfellow’s Last Sermon and is hoping to use the shutdown to get the program ready.

I was perhaps a little pessimistic  about not being able to perform.  My main reason for being a living history artist, is my love of live theater.  I’ve done several virtual performances, but even though the audiences were very responsive, I have still not been happy with the results.  This ignited the discussion about what should we be be doing and how will it affect what happens after things get back to some kind of normal.

The Sun was setting, the air was cooling and the meter man was looking at some of our cars so it was time to call it a day.  Hopefully we’ll all be able to meet once again in January.

Mike Francis

Webmaster SoloTogether

Home  |  The Characters  | Special Programs  |  The Performers  |  Meetings  |  FAQs  |  Contact

©Mike Francis 2020 This website is designed and maintained by Mike Francis.

NOTES FROM THE FALL MEETING SEPTEMBER 14, 2020

We missed our annual Spring dinner meeting, so it had been a while since we had gotten to be together.  Attending were:

Stephen Collins - Walt Whitman

Mike Francis - Galileo

Deborah Anne Goss - Charlotte Cushman

Gail Hamel - Abigail Whitney

Jo Jo LaRiccia - JoJo’s Dreamcart

Michael Mack - poet , playwright, performer

Lynn Noel -Gudrid the Wanderer

Jessa Piaia - Isabella Stewart Gardner

Debra Weiss - playwright

Ted Zalewski - Teddy Roosevelt