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Biddle-dee-diddle-dee-dee!
Well, that was fun. By "that," I mean the process of getting this new computer up and running to my satisfaction. Yes, the new monitor arrived last week, and I spent a few happy (well, mostly happy) hours with plug-ins and cables and drives (oh, my!), losing hours of productivity in order to get a device that is supposed to enhance my productivity to the point where I can actually be productive on it. But it is ever thus, and things seem to be in good working order now, with the old computer still standing by and ready to go in case I suddenly realize I've forgotten to transfer something I ...My poster for Regina Lyric Musical Theatre’s fall show
I've been designing posters for Regina Lyric Musical Theatre (previously Regina Lyric Light Opera) for years now. I enjoy it. It's pretty much the only visually artistic thing I do these days, despite being an art minor in university. Here's my poster for this fall's production of The Times, They Are A-Changin', a 1960s folk revue created and directed by Ryan Hicks, a music teacher here in the city with whom I used to sing in the University of Regina Chamber Singers. Oh, and tickets are on sale now, if you'd like to go see the show. You should!My poster for Follies
I've just sent this poster of Lyric Musical Theatre of Regina's upcoming production of Stephen Sondheim's Follies (in which I'll be playing Buddy) off to be printed. Designing these things is the closest I come to doing art any more. I always enjoy it!Oh, and let this be first notice of the production, if you're in the area. Tickets (just $25!) will go on sale within a week or so at Bach & Beyond in the Golden Mile Centre here in Regina, or online at reginalyric.com.It’s Magic!
I have occasionally made reference to the fact that I can sing, and now I have vidographic proof! This is from Lyric Musical Theatre's fundraising brunch, which ran the last two Sundays at the Hotel Saskatchewan. Enjoy!Got a little choked up there at the end because I made the tactically problematic though strategically sound decision to look at my wife and daughter in the audience. *Sniff*The first sentence I wrote today
Richard Hansen looked at the man who had appeared on the vidscreen in response to his request to speak to The Avatar.Words today, plus a few from Sunday I didn't blog: 2,139Total thus far: 15,630Percentage completed: 13So here I am back in Saskatoon for the last week of rehearsals for Beauty and the Beast before previews next week (yes, my name is misspelled "Willet" on the Web site--I really, really hope it's not in the program), leading up to opening night next Friday. My "day off" in Monday involved a two-hour meeting, writing a web column for CBC (which I failed to post before I left and don't have with me, so it ...Laurey is now Aunt Eller
This caught my eye, since I just played Jud in Regina Lyric Light Opera's production of Oklahoma!:Oscar-winner Shirley Jones will be featured in the Pittsburgh CLO's upcoming staging of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic Oklahoma!, according to the theatre's website. Oklahoma! runs through July 1st.Jones, who famously played Laurey in the 1955 film version of Oklahoma!, will now play sensible Aunt Eller.Of course, the first I knew of Shirley Jones was as Ma Partridge on The Partridge Family.Laurey becomes Aunt Eller. I'm tempted to write something mystical about the mysterious workings of time, or maybe burst into a chorus of "The Circle of Life," but really, all I'm ...Pore Jud…
...may well be dead, but at least he's not Ed--not any more.We wrapped up Regina Lyric Light Opera's production of Oklahoma! yesterday, and, as the rural correspondents of the Weyburn Review were wont to say when I was editor there, "A Good Time Was Had By All."I received a lot of compliments on my performance--more than I can ever remember having had before, actually. This either means I am just naturally believable as a creepy loner who can't get a girl--which may well be the case, since I am, after all, a science fiction writer--or that I did a not-half-bad job of acting.I prefer to believe the latter.Of course, a lot ...Two shows down, three to go
Well, we (Regina Lyric Light Opera, that is) have two performances of Oklahoma! under our belts (or suspenders, actually, for the most part) and it's going really well. Good houses both opening night and last night, and standing ovations both nights.I'm enjoying playing Jud. We've humanized him quite a bit from some productions, so that several people have told me they actually sympathize with him, which is exactly what I'm trying to achieve with my performance, so that's nice to hear.And, of course, "Lonely Room" is a great song. Lots of angst, and it fits my voice perfectly, so I can really let go at the end and bellow at full volume. It clears the ...Creepy, and possibly psycopathic…that’s me!
Well, that's me as Jud Fry in Regina Lyric Light Opera's production of Oklahoma!, which hits the boards at the University Theatre, Riddell Centre, University of Regina this Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., with additional performances Thursday at 7:30, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m.Even though I've done one or two previous musicals (this is, I calculated today, the 37th show I've done with Lyric alone), I've never been in Oklahoma! before. Much as I'd love to play Curly, I'm afeared (sorry, the accent tends to rub off on me, 'specially since I lived in Texas a couple of blue moons ago) that I'm more of a character actor than a leading man, ...Belated Photo of the Weekend: "How Can Love Survive?"
Joan Miller and I ask the musical question "How Can Love Survive?" during the final run-through for Regina Lyric Light Opera's musical fundraising brunch, With a Song in My Heart...the Music of Richard Rodgers, at the Hotel Saskatchewan Radisson Plaza Sunday morning.In the program I also perform two solos: "Some Enchanted Evening" and (ahem) "Johnny One-Note."There's a second performance of the brunch this Sunday, February 11. Brunch is at 12 noon, with the hour-long performance following. You can buy tickets ($40) at Bach & Beyond in the Golden Mile Centre here in Regina, or online here....
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Magebane
“Spectacular” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Evil wizards, multi-level conspiracies, hidden kingdoms…Lee Arthur Chane…has done a marvelous job…Magebane is a very entertaining book and well worth the time.” – A.M. Donovan, Night Owl Reviews
I happily recommend Magebane and I’ll certainly give Chane’s next novel a try based on this one.” —Bill Capossere, Fantasy Literature
“…an original and delightful tale of epic fantasy and magic, steampunk science, adventure, tragedy, and love…” – Errant Dreams Reviews
Eight centuries ago, the world changed. A devastating war swept the lands, and the MageLords, who had long ruled by virtue of their spell powers, were driven to a distant place, separated from those they had ruled by a magical Barrier. With magic banished from the rest of the world, the MageLords became mere legend and people turned to science to improve their lives. But if one man has his way, all that is about to change….
Written as Lee Arthur Chane (the middle names of my older brothers, Jimmy Lee and Dwight Arthur, and myself, Edward Chane Willett).
Marseguro
Winner of the 2009 Prix Aurora Award for Best Long-Form Work in English
Water world Marseguro is home to the Selkies, a water-dwelling race created from human DNA. When an unmodified human seeks revenge on a Selkie by activating a distress beacon taken from the remains of the original colony ship, a strikeforce is sent from Earth to eradicate the genetic abomination. Yet Marseguro will not prove as easy to conquer as the Earth force anticipates…
Terra Insegura
Finalist for the 2010 Prix Aurora Award for Best Novel in English
Marseguro, a water world far from Earth, is home to a colony of humans and the Selkies, a water-dwelling race created from modified human DNA. For seventy years the colony has lived in peace. Then Earth discovers Marseguro, and a strike force is sent to eradicate this “abomination.” But Marseguro has created a genetically tailored plague to use against Earth’s Holy Warriors. With the enemy defeated, the people of Marseguro feel they are safe. But Chris Keating, the traitor who signaled Marseguro’s location to the Holy Warriors, has fled to Earth, unknowingly carrying the deadly plague within him. The people of Marseguro feel they must send a ship to Earth with a life-saving vaccine. Only time will tell what awaits them when they reach their destination.
Lost in Translation
Kathryn was a human empath whose world and life had been destroyed when the alien S’sinn slaughtered her parents before her very eyes. Jarrikk was a young S’sinn, an unproven warrior who’d seen his flight mates slaughtered by the humans who’d sought to colonize his world.
As humans and S’sinn found themselves on the brink of war, these two Translators had to work together to find a common ground and avert catastrophe. But whether their Translators’ oath and training could overcome the enemies leagued against them was very much in doubt…
Archives
Song of the Sword
My new YA fantasy novel from Lobster Press
Before the Lady called her, Ariane’s life was a mess. Two years ago, her mother disappeared. She bounced around different foster homes until her aunt finally took her in. The meanest clique at her new high school has decided to make Ariane their prime target. And to top it all off, she is having frightening premonitions, and they are becoming more intense. The moment water touches her skin, she sees visions of a lake, a lady, and a sword. When a staircase opens up in the middle of Wascana Lake and the water begins singing to her, she has no choice but to answer the call….
Historic Walks of Regina and Moose Jaw
Ten walks to points of historic and architectural interest in the cities of Regina and Moose Jaw (eight walks for Regina, two for Moose Jaw).
Johnny Cash: The Man in Black
When country music legend Johnny Cash took the stage at Folsom State Prison in 1968, he solidified the public’s perception of him as a rebel who followed his own path. Born in Arkansas during the Great Depression, Cash endured poverty, the death of his older brother, and a difficult relationship with his father. He turned to gospel and country music to express the pain, and after many years of struggling, his songs of hardship and hope would finally reach the ears of those waiting for an artist who represented them, ordinary people fighting to survive.
Andy Warhol: Everyone Will Be Famous for 15 Minutes
“Paintings are too hard. Machines have less problems…” In the 1960s, Andy Warhol became the most famous creator of a new style of art called pop art, which transformed mass-produced items of popular culture into fine works of art. From Campbell’s Soup cans to photographs of Marilyn Monroe, Warhol’s willingness to use anything and everything from the mass media in his work expanded the range of subject matter available to artists. His avant-garde films, artistic usage of American icons, and unconventional social life made him a controversial figure, both greatly admired and deeply reviled. A trendsetter rather than a trend-follower, a dispassionate observer of both the seamy and celebrity sides of life, Warhol was a true American rebel.
Disease-Hunting Scientist
The true stories of six real disease hunters. Epidemiologists travel the world trying to keep us safe from deadly diseases—from high-tech labs in Canada to remote villages in Africa. Learn how these “disease detectives” are coming up with new ways to fight disease, and find out if you have what it takes to become an epidemiologist, too!
The Bounty Mutiny
The Bounty was a British ship visiting Tahiti in 1789 when some of the crew overthrew the captain, William Bligh, and set him adrift in a tiny boat with sailors loyal to him. The mutiny resulted in a number of trials–both of the men who mutinied and of Bligh for losing command of his ship. These fascinating events have been the source for numerous Hollywood movies, most recently The Bounty. The Bounty Mutiny: From the Court Case to the Movie explores the famous case and the movies it inspired.
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