The Rustic Mechanicals Announce Cast and Tour Locations for Richard III

CZ

Full Press Release Here

Shakespeare’s immortal tale of ambition, lust, and murderous treachery will be brilliantly updated and brought to life by The Rustic Mechanicals this spring. A savage civil war between two royal families has just concluded. But even as the newly installed King Edward takes the reins of power, his ruthless younger brother Richard sets in motion a monstrous scheme to claim the crown for himself. Enlisting the aid of equally duplicitous allies in the court, Richard embarks on a merciless, single-minded campaign of betrayal, seduction, and cold-blooded murder to achieve the goal that has obsessed him all of his tortured life.

Audiences will have their first opportunity to see the show on Thursday, April 12 at a “Pay-What-You-Will Preview.” The doors will open at 6:30 p.m. with the show beginning at 7:00 p.m. There is no set ticket price for this performance. Audience members are encouraged to decide what they can give to support the troupe and this performance.

The troupe’s first ever opening night “Shakespeareance” will take place on Friday, April 13. Fifty lucky audience members will be treated to a gourmet dinner, a pre-show Q&A with members of the creative team, a live performance of Richard III, and a post-show dessert meet-and-greet reception with the audience and company.

Reservations are required for this event, and there are only 50 tickets available. The menu includes stuffed cranberry apple roasted pork loin, lemon garlic roasted chicken, roasted root veggies, golden mashed potatoes, a savory caramelized onion bread pudding, salad, homemade bread, fresh fruit, cheese, and vegetable starters.

Tickets are $75 for a couple or $40 for an individual. Dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m., with curtain at 8:00 p.m., and the reception immediately following the show.

The first weekend of the tour will conclude with performances on Saturday, April 14 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 15 at 2:00 p.m. at the Monongalia Arts Center in Morgantown, WV. Tickets for the troupe’s MAC performances are $15 for adults and $12 for students and seniors.

The Rustic Mechanicals, now in their fifth season, have grown from a troupe of seven actors to this year boasting a roster of nearly thirty West Virginia artists.

Joshua Brooks headlines the production in the eponymous role of Richard III.

Audiences will also see Daniel Crowley as Buckingham, Isaac Covey as Catesby, Sean Marko as Lord Hastings, Bailey Kershner as Queen Margaret, Kayla Hudimac as Queen Elizabeth, and Samantha Huffman as the Duchess of York.  James Matthews will be seen as Clarence and the Cardinal; while John O’Connor will be portraying King Edward, the Lord Mayor of London, and the Archbishop; and Travis Teffner will be playing Rivers and Richmond. Rounding out the cast is Sarah Young as Lady Anne and Tyrrel, and Kyle Stemple as Prince Edward and several other roles.

For more information about The Naked Villainy Tour of William Shakespeare’s Richard III, email VintageTheatreCo@gmail.com or call 1-855-VTC-8588.

Sunday, April 8, 2018

CZ

“A rebirth out of spiritual adversity causes us to become new creatures. James E. Faust”

Last week was Easter, but this week we will discuss “The Easter We Need” with Cricket. The lesson will be about symbols, rebirth, and Spring.

Our services are Sundays at 11 a.m. at the Progressive Women’s Association Uptown Event Center, 305 Washington Ave. in downtown Clarksburg, behind the Courthouse. There are classes for children and adults 10 to 10:45 am, and a coffee gathering before the service. More about us.

We would love to have you come worship with us.

Children are welcome. There is an activity for young children during the service.

The building is wheelchair accessible, with an accessible restroom. You may park on the south side of the building, which is marked reserved for the PWA.

Map

The schedule for the current adult religious education class is here.

Email westforkuu@gmail.com or use our contact form for more information or write to us at PO Box 523, Clarksburg WV 26302

Mid Year Update from the UUA

CZ

“The start of this new UUA presidency is an historic opportunity to reassess and realign our work. The call to live up to our most deeply-held values, to push forward on the journey towards the Beloved Community, is both clear and challenging. This mid-year update is an opportunity to share what is underway at the UUA and what Unitarian Universalists can expect to see in the coming year. We are excited to share the ways in which the UUA is advancing its core mission of equipping congregations, training leaders and advancing our values in the world.”

Watch and Read the Update here

Good Friday Meditation

CZ

In the Christian tradition, Good Friday is the day when Christ was crucified and died. It is an integral part of Holy Week and is often used as a day of somber meditation.

For years, I wondered why it was called “Good”. “What’s so Good about Good Friday?” by Justin Holcomb has a good explanation.

I really wanted to focus on what good means and I found a sermon by Rev. Alice King at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Loudon, Virginia that discusses good and perfect. I believe it is a good thing to listen to on this holy day. Perfection is the Enemy of the Good In this sermon Rev. King discusses a familiar and popular song. I will leave a link to the version she talks about most here.

I hope that focusing on good and perfect help you today.

Namaste,

Cricket

Sunday April 1, 2018: Rebirth

LdeG

Please bring flowers to share.  Whatever is blooming, or a twig in bud, is fine.

We will have our Flower Ceremony, which was created by Dr. Norbert Čapek for the Liberal Religious Fellowship he founded in Prague, then Czechoslavakia, in 1925, and which became the largest Unitarian Church in the world. He sought a ceremony that would celebrate love and community and the interdependent web of life and love among a new and diverse congregation drawn from many backgrounds, and which would be a celebration not tied to any older religious ceremonies, which many of his congregation had rejected. Nearly a hundred years later, it is celebrated by Unitarian Universalist congregations everywhere.

Our services are Sundays at 11 a.m. at the Progressive Women’s Association Uptown Event Center, 305 Washington Ave. in downtown Clarksburg, behind the Courthouse. There are classes for children and adults 10 to 10:45 am, and a coffee gathering before the service. More about us.

We would love to have you come worship with us.

Children are welcome. There is childcare and an activity for young children during the service.

The building is wheelchair accessible, with an accessible restroom. You may park on the south side of the building, which is marked reserved for the PWA.

Map

The schedule for the current adult religious education class is here.

Email westforkuu@gmail.com or use our contact form for more information or write to us at PO Box 523, Clarksburg WV 26302

Sunday, March 25, 2018

CZ

The bad news is nothing lasts forever,
The good news is nothing lasts forever.

J. Cole

This Sunday, John Hall will bring us “Good News: Things that are going well and things that are getting better.”

Our services are Sundays at 11 a.m. at the Progressive Women’s Association Uptown Event Center, 305 Washington Ave. in downtown Clarksburg, behind the Courthouse. There are classes for children and adults 10 to 10:45 am, and a coffee gathering before the service. More about us.

We would love to have you come worship with us.

Children are welcome. There is childcare and an activity for young children during the service.

The building is wheelchair accessible, with an accessible restroom. You may park on the south side of the building, which is marked reserved for the PWA.

Map

The schedule for the current adult religious education class is here.

Email westforkuu@gmail.com or use our contact form for more information or write to us at PO Box 523, Clarksburg WV 26302

Image credit

Sunday March 18, 2018: The Great Showman

Robert
P.T. Barnum Circus poster

Our forays into Unitarian and Universalist history normally focus on our heroes, the stars of social justice and liberal religion. But perhaps we need to be equally aware of our slightly less reputable past. This Sunday Robert Helfer will venture into the world of Phineas Taylor Barnum, Universalist, the master of “flimflam” behind the revelation that “there’s a sucker born every minute“.

Our services are Sundays at 11 a.m. at the Progressive Women’s Association Uptown Event Center, 305 Washington Ave. in downtown Clarksburg, behind the Courthouse. There are classes for children and adults 10 to 10:45 am, and a coffee gathering before the service. More about us.

We would love to have you come worship with us.

Children are welcome. There is childcare and an activity for young children during the service.

The building is wheelchair accessible, with an accessible restroom. You may park on the south side of the building, which is marked reserved for the PWA.

Map

The schedule for the current adult religious education class is here.

Email westforkuu@gmail.com or use our contact form for more information or write to us at PO Box 523, Clarksburg WV 26302

Lent 2018 – Day 8 – Comfort

CZ
Warmth in Winter
By Ben Soule

Now has come hard winter,
With whip of wind and slash of snow
and the diamond-bright stars in the black ice of the heavens.
Just as we resist the season with shovel and scraper, wool and windbreaker,
we embrace it with sled and snowboard, cocoa and comforter.
Winter is here: let us find warmth in this time of being together.

 

As REM said, “Everybody hurts”

But what do we do about it? What do we need? Comfort would be the answer.

Merriam Webster defines Comfort:

1: to give strength and hope to: cheer

2: to ease the grief or trouble of: console
We come to church to find comfort in the fellowship and spirit. We need to bathe in warmth and love. Comfort is necessary to help us keep moving towards all of our goals. We are making ourselves strong for another day when we allow ourselves to be comforted. We are making others strong when we comfort them. 
In the reading, “Comfort Ye My People” Barbara Rohde reflects on comfort in all its forms.
Namaste,
Cricket