MERRY CHRISTMAS
It is that time of year again. I turned 70 in February. Susan’s a bit younger. Our relationship continues to flourish.
The last two years have been delightful. Susan and I have travelled a lot. We have taken four transatlantic cruises. In spring 2008, we visited France, Spain, Italy, Britain, France and Denmark. In the fall we cruised the Mediterranean to Turkey, Greece, Slovenia, and Italy, Then in 2009 to East Africa, stopping in Mauritius, Madagascar, Kenya the Suez, Egypt, Yemen . In September, we went to Northern Europe Greenland, Iceland, Edinburgh, the American West and the Carolinas. In addition I average about 13 day trips to Rehoboth Beach each summer
We have the same interests. Bridge, ballroom and country and western dancing, theatre, travel are our major hobbies . Other pastimes include public service activism, antiques and oil painting acquisitions, swimming, exercise, and bicycling. Susan enjoys being a chef. Historic preservation continues to be of great interest to us. We also enjoy our club activities. Investment management continues as our second job. Income has to come in from somewhere. Susan’s career as a full time commercial real estate agent in a down market continues to do well. We continue to enjoy both our Falls Church and Capitol Hill neighborhoods.
My son Thomas is doing fine. He is now 26, and has a delightful girl friend Melissa and owns a home with four other guys in the Takoma Park section of Washington which they are restoring. After graduating from St. John’s College in Annapolis (Great Books), he is pursuing a career as a businessman. He is in charge of finance at Fragers Hardware, and also works in a bicycle shop to learn the bicycle business. He begins his MBA program at George Washington University in January. Two other significant accomplishments that need mentioning are his successful construction supervision of two H Street projects, the Rock and Roll Hotel and Sticky Rice Restaurant, both now landmarks on Capitol Hill
My life as a dramatist is busy. ,Next August will mark my thirteenth year as a playwright. 2009 has been an especially busy year.. Charleston Revisited was copyrighted and performed at the Corner Store and Cosmos Stages. I currently have twelve works in progress: three plays, three screenplays, three operas and translating three plays into Italian. In 2010, the Seventh Street Playhouse will tentatively be producing 14 stagings, including at least two full productions.
Over the past 2 years, the plays have been staged thirty times in such venues as The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The National Press Club, Universalist Stage, Cosmos Theatre, Playwrights Forum, and the Dramatists Guild of America in New York. We ;have also performed at New York University, Casa Italiana, Peter Marshall Stage at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, Capital Fringe , Capital Fringe/ Universalist Stage, Silver Spring Stage/PF, The Arts Club of Washington, New York International Midtown Festival/Dorothy Strelsin Stage, Abingdon Theatre (NYC) and about ten others.
In addition, Robert Trifiletti , Director of the Boston Office of Italian Center of New York City, sponsored a successful symposium on The Racial Laws of Italy at the Harvard Club of Boston in October, where we performed Margherita.
On the publication front, New Theatre Publications in Great Britain relased two plays, Margherita and Vandergrift, while Browns Court Publishing Company in the United States released Charleston Revisited and Eight Plays by Anthony E. Gallo.
The plays are receiving more notice in the press. There were about two hundred press notices for play stagings, in such publications as Washington Post, the Washington Examiner, the Washington Times, the City Paper, Winding Streets, the Valley News Dispatch, the Wharton Magazine, several Catholic and Jewish weeklies, the William and Mary Gazette, Vandergrift News, WETA, Columnist Jack Blair, and the Dramatist. We received a number of reviews, most very good and a few very bad. --Smile
I have been forced to become director and producer. The Seventh Street Playhouse-LLC has an active ensemble of 60 actors and technicians. I am also becoming more technologically adept. Am now using camcorders, digital cameras, and created 20 new websites on Verizon when Geocities closed, blogging daily, using a scenery projector and upload videos, a major step for an old man. In addition, the small film company I started, Eastern Market Studios is filming its first s motion picture this fall.
Our health is fine. My knees seem to be holding up so as not to impede my ballroom dancing. I struggle with my weight constantly however, even though I swim, bicycle, dance, do yoga, and exercise daily. Susan’s back problem comes up from time to time.
Merry Christmas again, and keep in touch.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Charleston Revisited
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