It's the week of the show! - Free outdoor Shakespeare in DC!

Hi Everyone!

It's the week of the show!!  The Fat and Greasy Citizens Brigade will be back to bring free outdoor theatre to the city for its second year, opening this Thursday!

Our production will be William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing,” with performances running for two weekends on June 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, and 28, 2014.  Performances will be held nightly at 8 p.m. at Grace Episcopal Church in Georgetown (1041 Wisconsin Ave, NW).  Audience members will be able to lay out blankets, pack a picnic and enjoy a free performance out under the stars.  In case of inclement weather the show will be performed indoors.  Doors will open at 7:00 PM for picnicking and relaxing pre-performance.  Some concessions will be available for sale on site.  For additional information please visit our website: www.fgcitizens.org.

So come out and see our show!!! Throw down a blanket, pack a picnic and a bottle of wine and enjoy some free outdoor Shakespeare this June!
Thank you!!

The Fat and Greasy Citizens Brigade presents "Much Ado About Nothing!" - Free Outdoor DC Theatre

Hi Everyone!

I know it's been awhile, but I wanted to write because I am really excited to announce that after a fantastic first year, the Fat and Greasy Citizens Brigade will be back to bring free outdoor theatre to the city for its second year. 

This summer we will be mounting our production of William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing,” with performances running for two weekends on June 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, and 28, 2014.  Performances will be held nightly at 8 p.m. at Grace Episcopal Church in Georgetown (1041 Wisconsin Ave, NW).  Audience members will be able to lay out blankets, pack a picnic and enjoy a free performance out under the stars.  In case of inclement weather the show will be performed indoors.  Doors will open at 7:00 PM for picnicking and relaxing pre-performance.  Some concessions will be available for sale on site.  For additional information please visit our website: www.fgcitizens.org.

The Fat and Greasy Citizens Brigade has become the resident theater company of the Grace Episcopal Church in Georgetown. The company's mission is to provide accessible theater to all, and we do so by providing free outdoor productions of the works of William Shakespeare each summer. DC has so many great free outdoor summer activities like Screen on the Green and Jazz in the Sculpture Garden; we are bringing free outdoor theatre to the city.

We already have a fantastic cast and crew working on the production, but we are still raising funds for the project.  So if you are able to donate, please visit our GoFundMe page!

The cast, crew and myself would really appreciate any help that you could give!  By supporting the Fat and Greasy Citizens Brigade you can be a part of bringing free, outdoor, live theatre to DC!

But above all, come out and see our show!!! Throw down a blanket, pack a picnic and a bottle of wine and enjoy some free outdoor Shakespeare this June!
Thank you!!

The Fat and Greasy Citizens Brigade, A New Washington, DC Based Theatre Company!

Hi Everyone!

I'm posting today because I've recently co-founded a brand new theatre company here in Washington, DC called The Fat and Greasy Citizens Brigade!  Our company will be bringing free outdoor summer theatre, featuring the works of William Shakespeare to the city.  To begin, we will be mounting a production of "As You Like It" this August 14th-18th. Who wouldn't love to come out, throw down a blanket, pack a picnic and enjoy a performance out under the stars?

We already have a fantastic cast and crew ready to get working on the production, but in order for the show and our company to be a success, we do need some support.

In order to get this company off the ground we've launched a Kickstarter to help provide funding for our venue, a set, lights, sound, costumes, props, marketing, etc....

So if you are able, please take a moment and and visit our Kickstarter page: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1356825814/the-fat-and-greasy-citizens-brigade 

If you are able to donate, we cast and crew would really appreciate any help that you could give!  By supporting the Fat and Greasy Citizens Brigade you can be a part of bringing free, outdoor, live theatre to DC!

Thank you!!

Bogie, Indy and E.T.

One of my favorite things to do during a DC summer is take advantage of any one of the outdoor movies shown around town.  In the last few years quite a few of them have popped up.  There is of course Screen on the Green and various others scattered around the area, but this summer I’ve pretty much stuck with the Capitol Riverfront Film series. 

Every Thursday night for eight weeks this summer, movies are shown in Tingey Plaza down by the Navy Yard. You go with friends, you set up your blankets, bring dinner, bring “beverages” (in plastic Pour House cups) and you get to just sit out on a gorgeous night, under the stars and enjoy.  This particular venue was my locale of choice partially because it’s very close to where I live on the Hill and so walking home is easy. They’ve also just had a really fantastic line-up this summer (not to mention snow cones, popcorn, cotton candy and usually a DC food truck or two parked around the plaza).

Highlights for me this year were Casablanca, 

Raiders of the Lost Ark

and E.T.  

There is just something so great about hearing Bogie's voice boom out across the plaza, or Indiana Jones running from the enormous boulder in the opening sequence of Raiders on a big screen, or Elliot flying with ET in his bicycle over the night sky while sitting under the stars yourself. 

One word of caution if you decide to go, very often in venues such as these port-o-potties very likely might be your only option. Also, frequenting outdoor movies (not to mention concert lawn seats) has set me on a quest to find the perfect low to the ground camp chair (amazing how difficult they are to find), but that's another story.  Regardless catching a summer flick outside is totally worth it.

The series isn’t over yet, there are two more weeks of movies which I unfortunately won’t be able to attend, but if you are in the area I would recommend it.  If not, there’s always next summer!

Lost In The Hunger Games

When I was a kid, summer reading meant two things.  First, it meant that in the last week of summer I would frantically be reading the two novels we were assigned before coming back to school.  I’d inevitably have put it off until the very last minute.  No doubt these would be novels with some sort of “literary significance,” containing content that would lend itself to the essay we no doubt would have to write upon returning to the classroom. 

For the rest of the summer though, I would be reading books purely for pleasure; some with “literary significance,” some without.  Somehow just not being forced to read them as an assignment made them so much more enjoyable regardless of whether they were critically applauded or not.  With more free time and the summer heat leaving one in want of air conditioning, I found myself many an afternoon walking the two blocks from our house to our local library to pick up something new.  I don’t know if its just the nostalgia of being a kid kicking in, but I fondly remember getting completely wrapped up in a book while laying on my front lawn until the fireflies came out, or reading on the beach at our annual family vacation down at the shore. That is not to say I didn’t have my full share of bike riding, sprinklers, tree climbing, chasing after an ice cream truck, obstacle course creating, hideout building, and running around the neighborhood until my feet turned black with dirt; I just had the reading as well.

These days I don’t have the summer vacations that we all used to enjoy.  Still I find myself, particularly in the summer, looking for books that capture my interest the way they used to, ones that I just can’t put down.  More serious or thoughtful books I can handle in the fall or winter, but in the summer I just want something that carries me away.  I found that in the Harry Potter series.  One year I received a particularly bad sunburn on my back when the final Harry Potter book was released conveniently on the day I left for our annual family beach vacation. I spent the entire first day on my stomach, on a towel, on the beach, lost in the story.  I probably should have flipped onto my back more often, but being over 700 pages, it was much easier to read that way.

Last week, I finished reading The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.  I’d heard about it from my sister, my cousin and a number of other people as well; all saying that I would love it.  It was an easy read, so I flew through it pretty quickly (I read all three books over the course of one week) and absolutely loved it.  It was one of those stories that I just couldn’t put down.  It may or may not be a work of “literary significance,” but for what I was looking for, it was just the thing.  You know it’s a sign of a good book when you know that anything you read as a follow up is going to disappoint.  Not because it’s bad, but simply because it’s not what you just read. I highly recommend it to anyone who’s looking for something new. A movie is in the works for sometime next year as well, and I cannot wait for that to come out.

The story is set in a post apocalyptic North America, where those who have survived have joined together to live in an organized society called Panem.  The 13 districts of Panem are ruled by its Capitol city with an iron fist until one day the 13 districts rebel.  Eventually this rebellion is quashed by the Capitol and the 13^th District is completely destroyed.  As punishment for the rebellion, the Capitol creates what they call the Hunger Games.  Every year, each of the remaining 12 districts must send two tributes, one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18, to fight in an arena to the death until there is only one victor.  When the younger sister of the story’s main character is chosen at random to be the girl tribute from District 12, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her place.  She’s thrown into an adventure that kept me captivated at every turn. 

And so for now, I’m once again on the lookout for something new to capture my imagination; something to dive head-first straight into and lose myself in the story.  Who knows when it will pop up, but when it does, I’ll be ready.

I'm a Little More Country Than That

 Confession #1: I’m a girl who grew up in Connecticut, and I love country music. 

Not exactly the norm. When I tell people that I love country music, they ask where I’m from and then look stunned when they find out I’m a Yankee. But yes, it’s true. On top of that, ironically, a few of my best friends from growing up all separately somehow found their way to loving country music as well. When we realized that we now all had this shared interest, four of us decided to make our way to Nashville this past weekend for the 40th Annual CMA Music Festival.

 

Confession #2: I adore outdoor summer concerts.

There is just something so great about sitting outside on a warm night, with friends, a beer in hand and listening to fantastic music. Lawn seats, real seats, picnic blanket; wherever you may be, its always a great way to spend your time. The CMA fest was no exception as it was four full days and nights of outdoor summer concerts in Nashville; Disney World for country music fans. I got to see some of my favorites; Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, The Zac Brown Band, Sugarland, Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban. I also got to discover new favorites like Trace Adkins, Blake Shelton, Josh Turner, Easton Corbin, Randy Rogers Band, James Wesley, and Jason Michael Carroll. There was live music everywhere. If it got too hot outside during the day at one of the four stages set up by the festival, we’d just pop into an air conditioned bar and got to listen to some more music inside.  (My itunes bill will be extensive for the next month or so as I gather all of the great new stuff I heard.)   I also must mention how great the people were there.  Everyone was there to have a good time, there to party, there to enjoy the music; and by extension everyone had a fantastic time.  Can’t tell you how much fun it was to be in a stadium full of people all singing along to their favorite music.

Confession #3: I love beer and I love barbecue.

Beer is great. Hot summer day, country music playing in the background and a beer in hand. Nothing better. Or wait, add some barbecue to that, and it just got better. That’s what we had in Nashville. Along with the music, beer and barbecue was also everywhere. There was one day that we went to lunch at Puckett’s Grocery & Restaurant. None of us were super hungry, but we figured we should probably eat lunch as the day was getting on. The minute we stepped through the door, the scent of barbecue that infused the whole place wafted over us and we were immediately starving. Pulled pork was had by all; accompanied by local beer in mason jars. I’d found out about the local Nashville brewery, Yazoo, from some friends of mine who’d been to there before. They sold it everywhere around town, so on Saturday we went to the brewery to check out the tap room and take a tour. Really good beer. Really wish they distributed further than Tennessee and Kentucky. (Fantastic that they had a taco food truck parked outside for afterward)  Guess it will just be something I can look forward to the next time I go back to Nashville, though I did take a growler home to remember the experience.

Confession #4: I love my friends.

We could have been anywhere, at a big event like the CMA fest or just sitting around drinking a beer or having coffee, and still have a fantastic time. Lucky for us we got to be in Nashville, but honestly I feel so lucky to have such incredible friends. We’ve already talked about going back again next year because of how much fun we had, and I really hope that we get to. I will, without a doubt, have my cowboy hat, boots and very best “Yeehaw!” ready and waiting for this time next year.

The Merits of a Refreshing Cocktail or My Inability to Make a Good Mojito

 

So it seems summer has descended upon DC.  Perhaps not “officially” as that won’t happen until June 21^st, but in terms of the actual weather we are experiencing; definitely summer.  For a girl with curly hair I can always tell when summer has arrived in the district; the humidity settles and it seems like my plethora of curls doubles in size. 

In any case, regardless of the heat I really love DC in the summer; there are just so many things to do!  For instance, a summer evening spent at an outdoor happy hour just makes my day.  One of my favorite places to grab a cocktail after work is a sushi place near my office called Nooshi.  They have happy hour Monday through Friday and all of their drinks are half off.  Simply delightful to sit outside on a warm evening with a spicy crunchy tuna roll in front of you while sipping a mojito… or four.  When the weather is warm and the humidity is so heavy you feel as though you are wading through the air not just simply walking, something as refreshing as a mojito just hits the spot.  I’m not even a rum enthusiast, but I just love me some mojito on a warm night.

A few months ago some of my very best girlfriends and I all convened in Los Angeles to visit a friend of ours who now lives there.  After we’d all arrived, our very gracious host announced that she’d gotten the ingredients so we could make homemade mojitos!  Fantastic!  What better way to enjoy the delightful weather of LA in February (70+ degrees) than with one of my all time favorite drinks.  Thanks to google we quickly pulled up a recipe for the drink and got to work.  Now after all of the mojitos I've had in the past, the following thought had never crossed my mind: mojitos are really hard to make!  Or at the very least hard to make well.  There are just so many steps involved.  They are a lot of work!

We set ourselves to the task with diligence, but the drinks did not turn out like the ones I’ve so enjoyed elsewhere.  I suppose someone, somewhere, might attempt to say something profound like, only with hard work can you achieve stellar results, but that was just not the case with us. For that particular evening I believe we compensated by just putting extra rum into everyone’s drink, and for the most part we were happy.  Really it was the company of friends that made the evening great, not just a mojito.  Still, I gained a new respect for the work that must have gone into each and every one I’ve had in the past. 

For sure the next time I visit Nooshi for their happy hour, with each and every sip of mojito, I will appreciate it just a little bit more now than I did before.  After all, a well muddled mint leaf and extra rum is no small thing; not on a warm night where a refreshing drink and time spent with great friends can turn your whole outlook around.