On Sunday, we went to see the Classic Chorale Society and their 53rd Annual Winter Concert in Blooming Grove. They played a marvelous selection, with a full choir and a 31-piece orchestra. It was fantastic! They will be performing once more at the Presbyterian Church in Goshen this coming Saturday night at 7:00pm! Our suggestion is that you get there early, as it will be packed! The Chorale operates from dues paid by members and donations from the public, which go to pay for the orchestra and the operation of the organization. It is well worth whatever you dip into your pocket to give!
On a more somber note, we, like many Americans, have been trying to process the horror that came out of Connecticut on Friday. That includes sorting out the sparse information regarding the perpetrator and the actual event. Authorities have been slow to disseminate much of value; however, we have it on the highest authority that a major contributing factor was "first-person shooter" video games. These games, which now totally dominate the marketplace, were created initially as training tools for the military; unfortunately, in the wrong hands, a glitch can occur in the interface between that which is real and that which is imaginary. When other elements go uncontrolled, they can conspire to produce such horrific events; elements such as prescription medications, lack of proper supervision, mental illness, and, of course, what we call "Mom's guns". All of these things create the perfect storm, from which is born the unimaginable disaster. Stay tuned, folks...it's not going to get better before it gets a lot worse!
We must all take responsibility for what has happened and be responsible, to ensure it doesn't happen again. We must take appropriate steps to review these forms of "entertainment" that our young people (far too young) spend their days with as baby-sitters in lieu of proper parental guidance. We are, in fact, computers ourselves, and when the algorithms that control these games connect with our young people's brains, we must make sure that there are no other additives to the equation that can distort the perceptions of the user to the point of what occurred last Friday. Just as individuals should never operate heavy machinery while under the influence of drugs, they should never participate in the video games that puts them in a threatening environment, opposing other humans and humanoids (such as zombies). Such people run the risk of acting out in the real world what they experience in the game. We must be better stewards of our children, brothers and sisters who suffer from extreme mental illness and require such radical drug therapy, and yet we allow them to participate in games that feed into their illness. We'd like to hear your opinion on this issue...please leave a comment!
Meanwhile, we are getting close to a cable network deal on "Chasing G"! We expect to close before the end of the year and be onscreen (in a home near yours) in January!
We're also looking to make an announcement soon on our stage production; we are still looking for a stage to present this performance, and we are meeting with several venues in the area. It is our desire to perform here in Orange County, then move the show off-Broadway for a spring opening!
On "A Hustler's Life", we continue casting: Michael Pare (Eddie and the Cruisers) is definitely on board; he will play either 'Clyde' or 'Leonard'. Beki Brindle-Scala (who will play 'Margaret', Mick's mother) delivered a phenomenal blues guitar and vocal performance at the Cornerstone Alliance in Goshen Saturday night, as part of their ongoing music series, hosted by WTBQ's John Stein. Both John and Beki will be appearing in our forthcoming stage production as well!
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