Sundance Student Screening 2016

Last Tuesday I had the opportunity to take some of my students to see the film The Fits as part of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.  Every year the Sundance Institute, through the support of generous donors such as the Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation and the Zoo, Arts, and Parks (ZAP) Program, provides free tickets for high school students to experience the power of independent film and I've been taking my students since 2010.  I think this is such a great opportunity!  Even though arranging a field trip can be a bit daunting, being able to share my passion for independent film with my students makes it so worthwhile!  My students absolutely loved the film (so did I) and, because it had a very ambiguous ending, they have been talking about it ever since the screening!  In fact, the entire theatre (filled with high school students) erupted when the screen went black at the end of the film!  One of my favorite aspects of the Sundance Film Festival is having a Q & A with the filmmakers (and sometimes cast members) after the screening.  Royalty Hightower, who gave an absolutely incredible performance, was there for the Q & A much to the delight of the audience.  Many of my students were able to get pictures with her!  It was an incredible experience and I am very grateful to the Sundance Institute for the opportunity they give to my students!  (A full wrap-up of my Sundance experience is coming soon).

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Note:  I was interviewed by The Salt Lake Tribune a few years ago about my experiences taking my students to the Sundance Film Festival.  Go here to read it.

Dinner at Pago

A couple of years ago I made a New Year's resolution to try a new restaurant every month and I actually kept it!  Not only was it a really fun resolution (you should try it!), but I found lots of restaurants that I now frequent on a regular basis.  I thought I would share a few of them for those of you in the SLC area looking for new places to try.  Pago is one of many great restaurants in the trendy 9th & 9th neighborhood of SLC.  It has a modern and rustic design with a really fun vibe.  Pago features contemporary American cuisine with an ever-changing seasonal menu incorporating a farm to table philosophy.  I eat there quite a bit, usually before attending the theatre, and the service has always been excellent and the wait staff are friendly and personable.

I consider myself to be a really picky eater.  I sometimes have a hard time eating meat (It's a long story) so when I find a good burger I tend to order it a lot.  The Pago Burger ($18.00) with bacon, Gouda, pickled onion, black garlic aioli, and truffle frites is a good one.  I'm telling you, it is Heaven on a bun and, in my opinion, it is one of the best burgers I've had in SLC.  Pago is located at 878 S. 900 E. in SLC and is open for Lunch: Monday - Friday 11:00am- 3:00pm, Dinner: Monday- Sunday 5:00pm - 10:00pm, and Brunch: Saturday - Sunday 10:00am -2:30pm.  Prices for dinner vary from $31 to $50.

Two Dollar Bill at PTC

Last night I had the opportunity to see the world premiere of a powerful and provocative play called Two Dollar Bill by playwright T.J. Brady at Pioneer Theatre.  It takes place in the present day on an unnamed Ivy League University campus where it is discovered that a well-respected and tenured history professor has falsified his undergraduate degree.  The play opens with Bill Dudley (Mark Zimmerman) lecturing to a U.S. History class on the Treaty of Paris which "officially" ended the Revolutionary War even though the British had surrendered at Yorktown a year earlier.  He states that the fledgling country needed legitimacy, in the form of an official piece of paper, in the eyes of the world.  Thus the central theme of the play is introduced:  what constitutes legitimacy?  Dudley is informed by the dean of faculty, who happens to be his wife, that the University has discovered that he was one credit short of receiving his Bachelor's degree and demands his resignation while an undergraduate student demands that a failing grade be changed because it will ruin her GPA and, therefore, her chances of getting into law school or business school.  In the midst of these goings-on, Dudley laments the loss of a two dollar bill given to him by his father and wonders why the lack of a degree makes him unsuitable for a position he has held for over thirty years and why his student seems more interested in getting a degree rather than learning the material.  Is legitimacy based on a piece of paper rather than knowledge and ability?  In the end, Dudley finds the two dollar bill and gives it to his teaching assistant, asserting that he doesn't need a piece of paper to remember his father.  This play is incredibly thought-provoking, to say the least, judging by the many conversations swirling around me at intermission and, even though this play deals with higher education, I couldn't help but think about the pressure I am under to pass students in my classes when they have clearly not mastered the material because our school is judged on its graduation rate.  I enjoyed this production immensely, not only for the subject matter, but also for the excellent performances by the aforementioned Zimmerman, Lesley Fera as the dean of faculty, Corey Allen as Dudley's teaching assistant, and Ephie Aardema as Dudley's undergraduate student.  Aardema is especially effective as an entitled student who, at one point, calls her Dad to threaten the school over her grade.  I'm sure she prepared for her role by visiting one of the high schools nearby (said without the slightest bit of cynicism).  I highly recommend this timely drama, especially to anyone concerned over the state of public education in this country.  It runs at PTC through January 30 and tickets may be purchased here.

I Heart Snowshoeing

My brother-in-law Trent told me about a snowshoeing trail less than five minutes from my front door (it actually takes me longer to put on my snow boots than it does to drive to the trailhead) and I have certainly taken advantage of it!  I have already gone several times and I absolutely love the fresh air up in the mountains.  I got up early yesterday (a day off from school for MLK Day) and spent several hours on the trail.  It was so quiet and peaceful.  In fact, the only other person I saw was a guy that I have seen on the trail before.  He recognized me and talked to me for a while and then eventually went ahead of me because he was a lot faster.  Ha ha!  It makes me so happy that I can be in the great outdoors doing things I love, like snowshoeing, in mere minutes!  I am also looking forward to hiking this trail in the spring and summer.

Utah Opera's The Merry Widow

Last night I attended opening night of Utah Opera's production of The Merry Widow by Franz Lehar and it was so much fun!  I normally do not like operas with an English libretto and I usually prefer tragedies to comedies, but I must admit that I enjoyed every minute of this delightful romp through Paris at the turn of the 20th century.  The Pontevedrian Ambassador to Paris , Baron Zeta (Michael Wanko), is concerned that a wealthy widow from his country, Hanna Glawari (Caroline Worra), has become the toast of Paris and may marry one of her Parisian suitors.  Zeta seeks to prevent such a marriage because all of the widow's 20 million francs would then leave the almost bankrupt Pontevedro.  He instructs Count Danilo Danilovich (Daniel Belcher), the Embassy Secretary who spends more time at Maxim's than at the embassy, to marry her.  The only problem is that they have a past, and while they clearly love each other (demonstrated in the "Ladies' Choice" dance), Danilo refuses and complications abound.  Will Danilo and Hanna realize that they love each other?  It was so much fun to watch.  Sometimes I think that the comedic elements are overdone in Utah Opera productions but this was really funny and I actually laughed out loud many times (as did the entire audience).   My favorite moment was when the Pontevedrian diplomats performed their own version of the can-can as they lament their inability to understand women (It brought the house down).  The cast sang (and, rather unusually, spoke) their roles beautifully, including Belcher who, it was announced, was suffering from a cold and wore a microphone.  I loved the Belle Epoque costumes (especially the black and white costumes at the embassy in juxtaposition with Hanna's red gown), the opulent sets (especially Maxim's), Lehar's glorious music (conducted by Utah favorite Jerry Steichen) and the lively choreography (all of that waltzing and a wildly entertaining performance of the can-can!).  I certainly had a lovely time at this opera and I highly recommend it!  Go here for information and tickets.