Archives for December 2011

Community Connecting at Carolina Theatre

What have I been waiting for all these years?! I’m certain I must be the last person in Greensboro to take advantage of the Carolina Theatre’s Classic Movie Series they produce every December! For the first time EVER, I attended the fabulous and wonderful movie, “White Christmas,” starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, and Rosemary Clooney. I love that movie, but it’s been years since I last saw it, and I can’t think of a more perfect setting in which to ever see it again.

The beautiful Carolina Theatre, which seats around 1000, had a huge crowd in the house for the show. Armed with their popcorn and beverages, Greensboro presented itself well Thursday night. I thought I was just going to the movies, accompanied by family and friends, and that we’d enjoy seeing the show on the (really) big screen, and drive home satisfied.

Here’s what else we got:

  • We experienced the movie like never before as the entire live audience erupted in applause every time a big dance number was performed on the screen!
  • Cheers were common throughout the show, as movie-goers didn’t hold back their visceral connections to this beautiful story.
  • As the final big scene unfolded and Bing Crosby sang out, “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas.” Guess what happened? Voices all around me (and mine included) joined in, and downtown Greensboro’s Carolina Theatre became an extension of the movie set, itself.
  • The thunderous concluding applause communicated the mutual feeling we each shared: community is about connecting with your neighbors, and what better way to connect than to share a classic movie?

In what other ways have you connected with your neighbors for the holidays this year?

Climbing Out of Chaos : 15 Ways to Claim Success

Let’s face it – life can get pretty chaotic.

Every day there is a new call, text, task, meeting, play date, family emergency or event to add to the chaos of modern living. We schedule, plan and make long ‘todo’ lists – but we can only fit so much into 24 hours.

Here are 15 ways to calm the chaos and claim your success!

  1. Access Your Responsibilities. Make 3 separate columns on a sheet of paper   (family, work, community) and be honest with where you are spending your time. Look at what you can start saying no to, delegate or eliminate completely from this list.
  2. Schedule Private Time. If you want to claim your success, you need quiet time to rest your mind and reflect on what you have, need to and hope to accomplish. Treat this alone time with as much respect as you give a client meeting.
  3. List Your Goals. Write your top 5 immediate goals on a piece of paper and keep it with you. Goals are beacons in the chaos. Personal Goal Setting serves to remind us of what is truly important and helps guide our decisions in our day to day life.  At lunch, in between meetings, while waiting in line at the grocery store – as often as you can – LOOK AT THIS LIST. When you complete a goal, replace it with another one from your master goal list.
  4. Chuck Your Stuff. Schedule time each month to get rid of clutter. . . at your office, home and your car. Have 4 boxes handy (donate, give, put away, throw away) to make this process more organized. A favorite book is Lose 200 Lbs This Weekend: It’s Time to Declutter Your Life by Don Aslett and Carol Cartaino.
  5.  Learn to Say NO. For many of us – saying no is difficult. This article by Zen Habits is a great place to start learning how. 7 Simple Ways to Say “NO”
  6. Create a Board of Advisers. Whether you are a seasoned professional or a young adult, having a trusted and varied group of people who you can turn to for advice and guidance is priceless. This post from Inc. Magazine is perfect to get you started : How to Assemble a Board of Advisers
  7. Study the Masters. Regardless of your profession or trade there is, inevitably, someone (or many) whom you admire.  Learning from Leaders by reading their blogs, following them on twitter, reading their books and when the opportunity arises – engage with them. Focus on a more respectful studying of what has made this person a success . . . that includes their failures.
  8. Create a Vision Board. What The Heck’s A Vision Board—and How Can It Change Your Life? Cut out images from magazines or use your own images, sketches and pictures to create a living life plan of what you want. You can easily create or purchase a cork board to hang in a private room to create your masterpiece. When you achieve a goal on your board – take a photo, then replace that accomplishment with the next goal.
  9. Read More. There is a wealth on knowledge on the internet that comes at you at break neck speed. Taking time to read and learn things that will help you reach your goals will give you much needed rest while you still fill your head with valuable knowledge. Success Books is a great blog that has reviews of Success Books, Blogs, Podcasts, Websites and other tools that will help you claim your success.
  10. Sleep. All too often we make poor judgement calls when we have not had enough rest. From bad driving, short temper, dozing off in a meeting – none of these will help you reach your goals. Learn more about how much sleep you need from the National Sleep Foundation. 
  11. Learn How to Manage Your Time. At the end of your day write the top 6 priorities for the next day. Number them from 1 to 6 in order of importance – tackle each task until close of business. What ever you did not finish gets bumped to the top of your list for the next day. This advice comes from Ivy Lee, known as the “founder of public relations” and the man who gave this same advice to Charles Schwab back in the 1920’s.
  12. Turn Your Phone Off. When you are faced with a task or meeting that needs your undivided attention – turn your phone off. . . or for those of you who are parents – at least put it on vibrate. Giving the task and the people in front of you your undivided attention will go a long way in helping you reach your goals. Remember to Turn Off That Cell Phone! Business Etiquette Still Counts.
  13. Follow Up. Whether by phone, email or handwritten note – make time each week to touch those that have made your week great. Keep a list of those that you want to stay in contact with and schedule alerts that remind you to reach out. Here is an oldie but goodie post on The 10 Best Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Tools.
  14. Organize. When you are organized both in the physical and virtual worlds your everyday tasks take less time. Think of how much time you waste searching for files, tools, clothes or that thingy that you need to finish that home project. Woman’s Day has a fantastic list of 100 Ways to Get Organized.
  15. Ask for Feedback. It’s a good rule of thumb to always ask for feed back.  Whether it’s for your new recipe, your recent blog post or that project you just completed. Not everyone will respond and you may not always like what you hear – but those willing to offer constructive ways that you can improve what you are doing . . . they will be the hands that guide you and helps you climb out of chaos. Learn How to Offer Constructive Feedback.

What tips would you offer to conquer the chaos and claim success?

 

 

A Christmas Carol – A Review

Triad-Stage-ImageI want to forget that I’m in a theatre when I’m in a theatre. Is that too much to ask? Apparently, yes, for Triad Stage’s production of the Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol. An insert in tonight’s program asked for my feedback.

What did you like about the production?

I liked certain performances within the production. Namely, Gordon Joseph Weiss as Ebenezer Scrooge, Izzy Goff as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Michael Tourek as Mr. Fezziwig, and Rosie McGuire as Mrs. Fezziwig and the Ghost of Christmas Present.

But my favorite performance was the set, itself. As always, the behind-the-scenes powerhouse is what brings to life every production I’ve ever seen at Triad Stage, and it’s always transformative. Completely dependent upon one another, and of equal importance, are the set, the lights, the sound, and the projection. I was not disappointed in their ability to transform a small space in downtown Greensboro into 1843 London. Thank you for your brilliance.

Was there anything you didn’t like?

Yes, thank you for asking.

1. All the principle roles were the exact same actors as the 2010 production.
2. The blocking was almost identical to the 2010 production.
3. The performance lacked ensemble cohesion and believability. (I had to rely on standout performances for my entertainment.)
4. There were audio issues and it was difficult to hear some of the performers’ lines.
5. It was difficult to understand all of the actors’ lines – bad diction in many instances.
6. The performance of Triad Stage newcomer Kendra Woodfolk (Charity Woman/Belle/Edwina/Young Wife) was bad, at best, and for someone with as many lines as she had, this really caused a disturbance in the force.
7. What is with the Ghost of Christmas Present and her song?! We so hoped that would be absent from this year’s production, but, alas, no – it was every bit as confusing to us as to what it has to do with Dickens’ original tale. But props for a lovely voice. Wait. Is that why it’s there? Because Preston Lane‘s adaptation is really designed to showcase specific actors and their talents? Nah. I’m sure that’s not the case. (see #1)

Every time I started to lose myself in the story (and this was with some effort), something (see items 1-7 above) jolted me to the reality I was still sitting in the theatre. I expect a lot from Triad Stage; they’re a professional theatre company, and bill themselves as such.

Have we really tapped out Greensboro’s talent that we needed to bring back almost the identical cast from last year? Is it a prerequisite that in order to participate in a Triad Stage production you have to have acted in a minimum of two, but as many as six, previous Triad Stage productions? (I counted – and that’s what tonight’s playbill indicated.) Perhaps Triad Stage should bill themselves as a green theatre company because they keep recycling the same actors.

Would you recommend this production to a friend? Why or why not?

Tough question. The overall production felt forced and choppy, and lacked the theatre magic to tie it all together. If you are interested in watching individual actors perform their parts with magnitude, go right ahead and reserve your tickets. Just don’t expect to forget where you are because you will be reminded time and again that the Ghost of Get Me Out of Here still hasn’t arrived, and you won’t find me giving an undeserved standing ovation.

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