in 2021 we are
#SVSMoreThanJustAShow
April 23, 2021
Celebrating Aging Through the Performing Arts
Greetings!

There are so many things that bring us back to live theater again and again. The love of performing, the excitement of opening night, friendships made, and the joy of seeing it all come together. We rehearse, take our director’s notes and polish for the best shine.  At each performance we anxiously wait in the wings before going on, take our cue and then “strut our stuff” as they say in the theater world. 

To many of us, a really fun part of performing is taking ourselves and becoming someone or “something” else. You can be a princess, a dog, a cowboy, a chicken, a clown or whatever you wish (as long as it fits the current show theme! Ha!). 

To become someone else usually requires the task of costuming. Through the years so many of our performers have delighted us with their creations. Costumes are the first visual impression the audience has of “the character”. It really helps establish “who they are” or in some cases, “what they are”.

Our audiences have been treated to everything from live potted plants to dancing arms, (think about that one!) which only proves; if you put funny people in funny costumes the audience will love it.

Costuming isn’t only for the “funny stuff”. Our dance groups have brought audiences everything from cowgirls, to “glitz and razzle dazzle”. And the solo numbers have presented us with both fun and fancy costumes in everything from a court jester to a period piece.  
 
We want to take this week’s newsletter and delight you with pictures of costuming color and fun from past shows. It’s sure to bring a laugh or two.  Be sure to check it out. You just might see yourself! Hit the hot You Tube link below!

Hint for this week's featured Senior Showcase performance: What do you have when you get folks up and out of their rockers and bring them together for fun and frolic?
Make your best guess and hit the hot linked SVS You Tube channel below to see this week’s showcase (it’s already posted!!)
 “Keeping Up With Folks”
Let’s read how some folks have been spending their time these past months 

Polly Gilbert: “What a difference a year makes. When Lee Smithson proposed to me in October 2019, we planned a formal church wedding for April 2020. We booked a popular country western band since Lee wanted me to enjoy “a nod to my Texas Roots”. Wham! Covid struck. We moved the wedding to March with 10 family members providing the music in my living room. Surprisingly, we both discovered that we loved to cook. We prep and cook together, and Lee manages KP (Army days’ training). We also enjoy Zooming with family and friends, reading out loud to great-grandchildren nieces and nephews. We are thankful and grateful that we are vaccinated, alive, well and striving to help and connect with others while staying sheltered. I sincerely miss The Senior Variety Show…..one of the greatest highlights of my move to Ames 
  
Clark Ford: I’ve been writing songs for over ten years and working to get them out to the world, mostly on line. I just finished an album of 15 country songs this March that has been five years in the making. You can imagine how happy I was when one of songs was chosen by  M & M’s to be on a playlist “messages” bags all over the country. Then I found out a member of the Recording Academy said he would put a couple of the most recent songs from my album forward for consideration for a Grammy! This is a huge honor. Win or lose, it will be great exposure for my music!   

You can send your quarantine projects and ideas to us at storycountysvs@gmail.com and we will share. Building community one project at a time.
Spotlight article: “Rock and Rollers Senior Theater” by Pat Meek 

Once upon a time long ago in a land NOT so far away there was a small group of people (60 years of age or older of course) who loved to perform, whether it was singing, dancing, reading poetry or just being funny. To begin the group’s theatrical journey, a name was needed. The name chosen was The Rock and Rollers Senior Theater.
    
Over the past ten years, many, many volunteer hours have been spent writing skits, rehearsing the skits, musical numbers, jokes, learning dialogue and much more. The audiences were also treated to some of the zaniest, fun costumes ever. It wasn’t unusual to see bears, pigs, spiders, a flop eared dog and so many others too numerous to mention. The joy of performing was very evident. We took our talents to assisted living centers, community organizations and functions, and to the lights and stage of the Senior Variety Show.  We performed Valentine’s, Thanksgiving and Christmas shows. Before the opening of the annual Senior Variety Show the group promoted the upcoming show to encourage folks to come. (They did not perform any acts from the current show. Didn’t want to give anything away without purchasing a ticket!). 

It has been my joy and honor to be a part of this group for the 10 years they have been performing as The Rock and Rollers Senior Theater. Working with all this talent and creativity helped me to feel younger and got me performing again, not to mention the friendships I have formed. My personal thanks to all of you who have helped bring enjoyment and laughter to the audiences. Indeed, The Senior Variety Show’s mission continues to be “Celebrating Aging Through the Performing Arts”.
Newsletter humor by Steve Bellin:

1: A little boy and his mom returned from the grocery store. While his mother put away the groceries, the little boy opened his box of animal crackers and spread them out all over the kitchen table.

 “What are you doing?” asked his mom.

“The box says you shouldn’t eat them if the seal is broken,” said the little boy. “I’m looking for the seal.”

2: What did the porcupine say when he backed into the cactus?
“IS THAT YOU, MOTHER?”

3: Why did the ram fall over the cliff?
HE DIDN’T SEE THE “ewe” TURN!

            “SPRING IS BUSTING OUT ALL OVER!”   “ENJOY IT!”
  
What’s better than singing in the rain?  
“ SINGING TELEGRAMS”!!  Stay Tuned!!