#solstice party

[mckinnonfan]

Kate McKinnon dancing at a silent disco @ Scarlett Curtis’s birthday, 2019

[fuckyeahgreatplays]

Solstice Party! by Susan Soon He Stanton

“I’M REALLY INTO CULTS!” I told someone in the lobby, probably too loudly and too enthusiastically. But it’s true. I just finished a deep dive on Jonestown, and with NXIVM, DOS, and Scientology in the news lately, it’s been on my mind. What happens when we so desperately want to belong to something, anything?

This is Pipi’s problem. She joining new boyfriend Andrew at his friends’ annual solstice party, hosted by Andrew’s ex Joann and her husband Dominic. Pipi (a bundle of nerves played by Phoebe Dunn) is spectacularly failing at ingratiating herself with this clique, and the first half of this play focuses on desperation to belong, both in Pipi and the groundskeeper Stan (a Mansonesque Michael Vitaly Sazonov), who’s recently lost his partner under mysterious circumstances. There’s a distinctly unsettling mood, an ashram and a tiger rescue across the lake, and the tension of being an outsider only grows. But what’s real and what’s the manifestation of Pipi’s frustration?

Live Source Theatre Group is unique in the indie theater world, as they put their designers first, and have the playwrights write around the design ideas.  Bryce Cutler (set), Mary Ellen Stebbins (lighting) and Adrian Bridges (sound) have crafted a campground that is both Pinterest-esque and menacing by turns.  Kevan Loney’s projections also made me jump out of my seat. I found the direction a bit clunky, but Stanton’s script still shines through. 

(SPOILER: It’d also be careless to not mention the standout performance by Hallie Hadara, who arrives late in the show and delivers some incredibly twisted text with all the shrug of Tinder date who ghosted, and gave me the biggest laughs of the evening.)

Michael Vitaly Sazonov, Patrick Andrew Jones, Satomi Blair, Stephanie Weeks, Chris Ignacio, Phoebe Dunn. Photo Credit: Mark Davis

Think I should come review your show? Send me a message here.

[liminal-spacethyme]

Party Games

So I uh, miiight have played cards at the revel.  Which was definitely not a bright idea, but I didn’t bet anything too important.  Or at least, I didn’t lose anything important; I remember what I lost.  I don’t remember what I won though, but I know I won a few games.

There were seven of us playing.  Me, @tiredgremlin, @elsewherequill, and four others I hadn’t met before.  Dragonfly (a poly-sci major I think?), Slagathor (art major?), and I can’t remember much of anything about the other two, but I doubt they were human.

The game was mao, which I’ve played like once but that was several years ago.  I picked it up quickly enough though.  (Relatively speaking.  It’s a hard game.  I kept getting penalized during the coffee breaks.)  I think most of us were fairly inexperienced with it, except for Dragonfly and the one who started the game.

We placed bets at the start of each game, and played winner-take-all.  I think we played more games than we should have been able to for the time we spent.  Most of them were for low stakes (a handful of candy, pocket change, creamer cups, some origami that hadn’t been completely crushed in my purse), but eventually we started making larger bets.

I lost most of the contents of my purse (leaving washers, salt, paperclips, a few completely crushed pieces of origami, and a single creamer cup), my jacket, the ability to whistle (whoops), and a couple of old memories.

I don’t remember everything I won, but I know one of the prizes was a little bit of luck.  Looking through my purse, I’ve ended up with a handful of rose buds, a bag of trail mix, and two bottles of something glittery.

I do know I won a bit of luck though, I managed to edge out Dragonfly for fourth place once I got it.  The Others ran circles around us all, though.  But after a few games to get the hang of it, Egg actually held their own.  It was a little scary, honestly.

[liminal-spacethyme]

What are you wearing for the Fae revel tonight?

A purple floral dress with a small white cardigan and boots with leggings :D

[liminal-spacethyme]

Pictures from the revel!  It was a good time, even if most of my memories are really hazy.  The only really clear ones are the times I got too tired and had to step out and clear my head, which is where most of the pictures came from.  I stopped getting tired after we played cards, though, so there’s only one picture from the morning.

I recognized a good number of people there, but I don’t remember exactly who all it was.  Aside from everyone in the card game, I’m pretty sure I saw @nickname-elsewhereu doing something with candles, but she left before I got a chance to talk to her.  I also talked a little bit with @ylva-silverflame, but I don’t remember what it was about.

[liminal-spacethyme]

Okay I’ve had pizza rolls and water, and I’ve got protections in my purse, salt in my shoes, and an iron necklace.  Time to get this party started!

[conquertheworldbyyourside]

Solstice

[liminal-spacethyme]

Party Time :D

Okay I’m gonna try and get through all my asks real quick while I eat pizza rolls, and then I might basically sprint to the party.  Wish me luck!