And the winner is...

Last month, Eileen Butcher's watercoloring was selected for the Centennial Mural design. Now we must wait for the Planning Commission (Dec. 18) and the City Council (tba) to give the greenlight for us to paint it on the wall of US Bank.

The next step now is to find someone who will work with the winning designer to paint it up on the wall. The mural must be completed by one of our Centennial Celebrations, either the weekend of the 4th of July, or by Labor Day weekend, at the latest.

If you are a muralist or know a muralist who might be interested in painting Patterson's Centennial Mural, please contact Colton Dennis at, colton@pattersonrep.org, or 209.872.0430.

Revenge of 'THE NERD'

Patterson Rep presents, Larry Shue's The Nerd, directed by Tori Lee Scoles, opens this Halloween at 7:30 pm. at the PHS Auditorium, 200 N. 7th Street.

Shows are Friday - Saturday at 7:30, Sundays at 2 pm. October 31 - November 9.
To reserve tickets call, 892.7297 or pattersonrep.org.

Synopsis:
Now an aspiring young architect in Terre Haute, Indiana, Willum Cubbert has often told his friends about the debt he owes to Rick Steadman, a fellow ex-GI whom he has never met but who saved has life after he was seriously wounded in Vietnam. He has written to Rick to say that, as long as he is alive, "you will have somebody on Earth who will do anything for you" - so Willum is delighted when Rick shows up unexpectedly at his apartment on the night of his thirty-fourth birthday party. But his delight soon fades as it becomes apparent that Rick is a hopeless "nerd" - a bumbling oaf with no social sense, little intelligence and less tact. And Rick stays on and on, his continued presence among Willum and his friends leading to one uproarious incident after another, until the normally placid Willum finds himself contemplating violence - a dire development which, happily, is staved off by the surprising "twist" ending of the play.

Cast:
Daniel Mauterer, Jessica Hulen, Daniel Ortiz, Brian Schantz, Wish Foley-Cohen, Anthony Francis and Colton Dennis.

Reviews:
One of the funniest plays ever written, this extraordinarily inventive, side-splitting comedy was first presented by the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, then produced in Great Britain, then went on to Broadway. The action centers on the hilarious dilemma of a young architect who is visited by a man he's never met but who saved his life in Vietnam - the visitor turning out to be an incredibly inept, hopelessly stupid "nerd" who outstays his welcome with a vengeance.

"Shue delivers a neatly crafted package that uses some classic comic forms to bring the audience to its knees, laughing." - Milwaukee Journal. "...the audience almost never stops laughing-handkerchiefs wiping away tears of merriment..." - Variety. "...a spring tonic of side-bruising laughter..." - Milwaukee Tribune.

Photos by Elias Funez/Patterson Irrigator

Three Tall Women as reviewed by David Keymer

The Prospect Theater Project certainly picked a winner to kick off its ninth season. Three Tall Women is Edward Albee’s third play to win the Pulitzer Prize for drama. Albee turns eighty this year and theaters across the country are producing his plays as an act of well deserved homage. Women may be the best play that Albee has written. It balances his trademark ambiguity (dialogue and scenes that seem almost realistic but veer slightly off kilter, into a reality that has sharp and painful edges) with a heartbreaking poetry composed 99% of the ordinary language we all use every day. Three women sit in a bedsitting room: a well-off elderly woman, 90, 91, or 92 depending on who’s counting, drifts in and out of reality, falls back on the past in repetitive coda, is never very nice and is occasionally outright nasty in the way she treats her companions; a fiftyish caregiver, her sympathy for her charge worn down by the old woman’s complaints and pettiness; a twentyish lawyer, sent to persuade the old lady to cash her checks and pay her bills, and repulsed by her constant tirades and close-minded bigotry. The old woman dominates their conversation. It falls back again and again into monologue, the old lady reliving her past. Watching her behavior, seeing her drift in and out dementia is a wrenching experience, especially for a viewer like me who’s already several steps along life’s path. I won’t tell you what happens later in the play but the second act completely transforms the revelations made in the first act and brings the play to a sad but richly lyrical close.

Fine writing is one reason to see this play. Exceptional acting is another. Grace Lieberman is absolutely perfect as the old woman. She neither overacts nor underacts in an exceedingly difficult role – as an actor myself, I know just how difficult it is to strike that balance, especially when so much depends on you in the play. How she can make us care for such a despicable character amazes me. But she does. She strikes a chord in all of us. The details may vary but we too some day will have to face the end her character does. Our strength will go, our influence diminish, our grasp on reality won’t be as strong. Lieberman’s character captures our sympathy, not for her personal qualities –she’s an awful person-- but for the common fate we share with her. Of the other two actors with speaking roles, Jennifer York, as the caregiver, delivers a strong performance in a challenging role. Though no newcomer to the theater, this is her first performance in the Central Valley; it shouldn’t be her last. Although occasionally awkward in her use of her body, Angela Ruby performs creditably as the young lawyer and deserves praise as well. Jay Sprague, who plays the old lady’s son, is on stage briefly and has no lines. All I can say of him is that he fits the part.

Everything in this play works. For the second year in a row, Colton Dennis has directed a standout play with an exceptional cast. The stage set, designed and constructed by Brian Swander, is neither too much nor too little. This is not a play where heavy demands are placed on other technical services: the lighting, designed by Jon Duran, does its job and doesn’t intrude; Kristi Mayfield’s costumes are appropriate; Vance Whitaker, who is responsible for props and special effects, has one surprise in store for the viewer.

Anyone who enjoys theater should see this play and this production. Women is one of the best productions I’ve seen at this intimate, edgy theater. Don’t miss it!

Prospect Theater Project
520 Scenic Drive
Modesto CA 95352
(209) 549-9341
http://www.prospecttheaterproject.org/

Celebrating California Arts Day by Submitting a Centennial Mural Design

The deadline for the Centennial Mural design is Friday, October 3. It was no coincidence that this date was picked; every first Friday of October is California Arts Day. For more on California Arts Day and the impact and importance of the arts, even in small towns like Patterson, check out the California Arts Council website. For more information on Patterson's Centennial and the Centennial Mural Project, check out Patterson100.org.

Below is a photo by Elias Funez of the first Centennial Mural design submitted. For purpose of judging the designs on it's own merits, the designers of these murals will be kept a secret...

(The artist) tried to convey Patterson’s past, present and future as viewed by one of Patterson’s families.

It includes the D.B. George house when the palm trees were first planted on Las Palmas. The three cyclists in front of the historical building in the circle represent the Amgen tour. The Del Puerto Hotel is on the right side of the mural and the Senior Center of the future is on the left. The Plaza Center Building is registered as an historical landmark. The largest celebration of the year is the Apricot Fiesta, so the banner is depicted between two palm trees. The Apricot Fiesta logo is under the Centennial sign.

Patterson’s agricultural base is represented by an orchard in the left-upper corner, as is a farm with rows of produce. A steam thresher, as pictured on the upper-right, was made by W.W. Cox and taken in 1909 as it harvested barley.

The image of four men by a vintage car on the lower-left is thought to be taken by T.W. Patterson. He reportedly told W.W. Cox, “Will, I want to start a town here – will you harvest the barley as soon as you can, so I can have it surveyed.” W.W. Cox is in the center, leaning on his car.

Lastly, the mural includes the aqueduct and a nod to Diablo Grande’s golf course.

Starting Rehearsal

We start rehearsal tonight for the PRT production of Larry Shue's, "The Nerd". And I am excited! It should prove to be pretty funny! This weekend Gary Scoles, Carol Scoles and James Dimter worked on the set and within 2 days and 14 hours we put up it up! It looks great so far but there is still a lot to do! I love the process...


More later.

Patterson director and Del Puerto artist represented at Modesto theater

Three Tall Women
By Edward Albee
Directed by Colton Dennis and featuring Grace Lieberman.

From the author of A Delicate Balance, Seascape, Zoo Story and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woof, comes yet another Pulitzer Prize winning play from premier American playwright, Edward Albee. Based on the life of Albee’s stepmother, Three Tall Women is the sophisticated, enigmatic and moving story of one woman’s life journey. Through the lens of this woman’s life, Albee asks his audience to witness and experience all the strengths, weaknesses, pains, and joys of human existence.

Three Tall Women opens Friday, September 26th, and runs through Sunday, October 19th. Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings, and Thursday, October 16th at 8pm, and Sunday matinees at 2pm. Talk-Back Sunday is on October 12th.


Director Colton Dennis is co-founder and co-Artistic Director of Patterson Repertory Theatre.

Also, from Patterson is Del Puerto Art Group’s very own, Lois A. Hansen. Her work is being displayed in the lobby of the theater. She is showing her paintings and collages of women. For a more in-depth story on Lois and her art, read "Hansen shares artwork; play depicts life issues," at Maddy Houk's blog, Talk Around Town.

September 26, 27, 28 - October 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18 and 19, 2008.

Shows are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 2 pm. Lobby and Art Gallery are open 3o minutes before the show.

Tickets cost $15 per person. Art Gallery is free to view.

For information: 549-9341, or www.prospecttheaterproject.org/

Patterson's very own "Downtown Art Walk"

The Del Puerto Art Group has art displayed in 7 offices and businesses downtown! This art group has many talented artists who are members and the art displayed is a must see for anyone frequenting any of the downtown businesses. Come check it out!

Downtown Businesses/Offices displaying art:

City Hall
1 Plaza

Tri Counties Bank
17 Plaza

Oak Valley Bank
20 Plaza

Blues Café
34 S. Del Puerto

The Beauty Shop
26 S. Third St., Ste. E

Drs. Allen and Sarasqueta’s dentist office
355 W. Las Palmas

Valadez Jewelers
10 Plaza.

For more information on the Del Puerto Art Group, call 892-6782 or 892 6485.

• Much of this information is courtesy of Maddy Houk's Briefs in the Patterson Irrigator.

Love, Life and Literature

Lately I have been trying to find a way to incorporate the story of Patterson into a play for the centennial. Finally, with the help of my trusty assistant Moonisah, we discovered the thing that ties all Pattersonites together is the town's sense of community. So with that in mind and with suggestions that she has made I am now writing the first draft of the Centennial Play which I have subtitled A Thread of Community (a working title). If there are any suggestions or ideas out there I am more than glad to hear about them.

Arts in Patterson

It's unfortunate, but when most think of Patterson or the Westside, the arts isn't one of the first things that come to mind. Tori and I plan on changing that. The fact is there are plenty of arts here in Patterson and even more arts opportunities to come in the near future!

For example, we have the Del Puerto Art Group, Patterson Repertory Theatre (Tori and I are co-founders), two dance companies - Curtain Call and Trinity Dance Center, Patterson Art and Wine (a fundraiser for our theatre), and we have our Centennial Mural Project coming, as well!

Stay tuned for more arts in Patterson! We will do our best to post everything about the arts in our lovely community on this Patterson Arts Project blog.

We promise there is plenty more to come...