#don't show these to my ballet teacher he will absolutely have my head for doing the poses wrong in ways I didn't even know were possible.

[cl0udberry]

Utena ballet doodles while I play around with style

[aquasoftware]

His baby. ⪩✿⪨

No warnings just Nanami being a dad (fluff) + ML.

Girldad!Kento, who pulls the classic "Go ask your mother." When his daughter wants something but eventually gives in, shaking his head with a slight smile once she brings out the big doe eyes and pleading combo. "I'll see what I can do." He says as he acknowledges her request.

Girldad!Kento, who supports his daughter's little dreams and gives her wads of cash to start her snack business at school, then once she quickly sells out, she finds hidden colorful sticky notes at the bottom in her big tote bag telling her how proud he is.

Girldad!Kento, who teaches his daughter how to save money when he finds out she spent most of her earnings on Doordash and Roblox.

Girldad!Kento, who covers his red face in embarrassment when his daughter dolls him up for a tea party, wearing a comically large powder pink tutu paired with a plastic silver crown as she records tik-toks forcing his two left feet to dance.

Girldad!Kento, who proudly wears his daughter's homemade bracelets that she made from a gifted hobby lobby bracelet kit to work anytime he gets handed a new one, not at all caring about the idiotic snickers he gets from his co-workers. Kento's favorite bracelet that he'll forever keep safe is one that has lettered black and white charms saying "Best dad."

Girldad!Kento, who never gets tired of the crafted macaroni gifts, whether it's on a card for his birthday, a picture frame for Christmas, or a macaroni necklace for Father's Day to him, it's always the thought that counts.

Girldad!Kento, who gets spoiled by his wife and his daughter, receiving two packed lunches for work. He was intensely observant of his daughter's latest interest, which this time became those junior cooking shows eager to try out a new recipe. Yet although it wasn't the best tasting food in the world, he still scarfed down his daughter's cooking as if it were his last meal.

Girldad!Kento, who awakens to the horrified cries of his precious child, begging "Papa, there's a monster in my room; can I sleep with you and mama tonight...?" He couldn't deny that, swiftly enough you both accepted her with open arms in your shared bed.

Girldad!Kento, who encourages his child to do a sport, feeling his heart melt as his little girl picks ballet.

Girldad!Kento, who spam calls you while you're at work so you can guide him through doing makeup for her ballet recitals. "That's the last step? Okay, I promise I'll get some videos for you, honey!" He reassures you, understanding that you don't want to miss a moment.

Girldad!Kento, who humiliates his poor daughter at the recital jumping up and screaming "That's my baby!"

Girldad!Kento, who never misses a PTA meeting or a parent-teacher conference meeting.

Girldad!Kento, who knew no amount of pep talks from you could prepare him for his baby getting her first period, halfway panicking in Walgreens, snatching up every sanitary napkin possible as soon as he got the text, picking her up from school early due to how bad it got getting her favorite comfort food to cheer her up afterwards.

Girldad!Kento, whose heart absolutely shattered hearing the sentence "Papa, I'm way too old for dolls now." What did she mean she was ready to give up Monster High and Barbie's? The saddened blonde refused to let his baby grow up even though he knew he had to.

Girldad!Kento, who almost sheds a tear when he finds out other cruel kids have been picking on her, calling her ugly, so instead of a typical lecture, he gave a warm embrace reminding her how beautiful she is.

Girldad!Kento, who will sob his eyes out at every single graduation, including elementary, middle, high-school, and soon eventually college, needing at least five boxes of tissues to himself at her middle school graduation, not even being able to fathom how he'd handle her high school graduation.

Girldad!Kento, who loves his daughter unconditionally.

8/28/24 11:59pm

[rogue-durin-16]

MATCHUP FOR:

Anon

i'm really short, skinny but in a athletic kinda way, blonde, brown eyes. i had a cleft palette as a baby, but i had a lot of surgeries to get rid of it. my super power is that i can't get brain freeze after eating ice cream because the nerve endings in my mouth were messed up from all the surgeries. i'm kinda insecure about my face and body though. pretty sure i have body dysmorphia. i was adopted. i have an adopted little brother too. we're both from russia. i love ballet and i used to dance when i was in school. besides dance, my other passions are animals and kids. i want to work as a vet or as a pre-school teacher one day. i also love chocolate a lot. i'm a pretty quiet person. i love inside jokes with my friends and i have a really snarky sense of humor. i can sometimes come off as mean if i don't get what i want but my main fear is that i'll end up alone in life and that i need someone to love me in order to feel worthy.

From Band Of Brothers I Ship You With:

Darrell "Shifty" Powers

Ship dynamic:

In Love & Unaware Of It™

Quote:

«Let everything happen to you, beauty and terror, no feeling is final.»

Bet he pins you as a preschool teacher the first time he meets you; he finds that endearing and he's pleased when he learns he was on the right track.

He's good with kids —good with people in general, dare I say—, so that's something you got in common.

He adores to see you interact with kids, like, I just know that puts a beam on his face every single time.

The whole company thinks you're dating. Shocker, you're not. Yet.

You just act around each other like you're the most lovesick couple ever since minute one, and you're not even together yet.

When you eventually start dating it gets somehow less couple-like??? Until you start to get fully comfortable.

While Shifty will absolutely love you and make you feel the most loved you've ever been, he's going to make you unlearn that you need THAT to feel worthy.

It's gonna be a long haul, but I'm sure this angel will manage.

He also teaches you that you don't need to be mean in order to get what you want; as Cinderella would say (and probably Shifty too), you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. I know it's not an original Cinderella quote shush

He shows you how you can get your way much easier with kindness and sweet words, and you eventually pick up on doing that, which makes you look much better even though you're doing the same.

Shifty never thought much of ballet until he met you. You saw him how graceful and beautiful it is, and now he loves it.

You two go to ballet shows everytime you can.

This man BEGS to see you dance for a long time. He'll only give up if you a) give him a taste of what you learned from those ballet classes, or b) show him photographs, you choose.

He also likes to slow dance with you.

Shifty finds absolutely outstanding and impressive that you can't get brain freeze from eating ice cream.

Like, he will genuinely gasp in shock, it'll definitely be hilarious.

He buys you ice cream a lot, just because he loves to see you not get brain freeze— someone explain why is he so adorable?

Cue ice cream dates.

This cinnamon roll is confused at first about the way you see your own body and face; he can't wrap his head around the idea of you not seeing yourself in an accurate way.

Like, he sees you; you're gorgeous, stunning, beautiful, amazing. Then he hears you and he just??? does not compute???

He'll eventually understand and try to help you the best he can. Having a distorted version of yourself is not an easy thing to deal with, but if someone can hold your hand while you walk through it, that's Shifty.

Lots of caressing, specially in your face; he loves to stroke your cheeks while you two smile like two idiots.

I'm getting falling asleep on each other's shoulders vibes.

I'm also getting comfortable silence when you two cuddle vibes.

Tons of inside jokes that tear quiet laughs from both of you while you're in a group, leaving the others clueless.

You two are lovely to watch, the definition of wholesome OTP.

Please, get married.

[ballet-symphonie]

What is, in your experience, the hardest corps the ballet choreography ? And what is your fondest memory of a corps performance?

Same for soloist stuff. What has been the hardest choreography to conquer so far?

Swan Lake corps de ballet is so tiring, it just kills your quads. All those lunges are brutal and there are also far too many pas de chats. However what really kills you is all the standing, especially when you have to hold your arms above your head. You're on stage for a solid 30 mins (although it feels far longer) and the white adagio seems to be endless. I remember counting down the 8counts until I could change my pose. Ugh. Awful.

Perhaps my most memorable memory would have to be the first time I got to dance with my theater's corps de ballet. While it was an awesome experience to dance in the company, I remember the first rehearsal more than the actual performances. I was in my graduate year and the company was dancing Balanchine's Symphony in C as part of a triple bill. They needed some extra dancers to fill in the corps; the artistic director selected me and 2 of my classmates. It was our first time dancing Balanchine and we specifically asked our teacher if we needed to prepare anything before we went to rehearsal. She said, "no, they are just setting it now so you don't need to learn from the video." Then we showed up the next day and found that the whole ballet had already been set! The Director quickly ushered us into our spots, we started here, where all the principals come back on. The corps starts right away with a quick tendu combination (that we absolutely did NOT know). Unfortunately, the three of us were put at the back of the stage, not in the line so our mistakes were VERY obvious. I remember one of the other dancers hissing the combination to us, "croisé, now écarte close back, close front, croisé again, change legs" but it was no use. We were SO lost! We felt the director's eyes on us, glaring but he didn't say a word to us for the whole rehearsal. I think the three of us left the studio at 1 am that night, we learned the entire ballet ourselves off of a tiny phone screen. Not knowing what movement we were supposed to learn, we learned all 4 of them, terrified of embarrassing ourselves again. We showed up to our classical lesson the next day dead exhausted and kind of slopped through the barre. Going to center, our teacher dismissed the pianist. She walked to the cd player, turned up the volume, and told us to prepare for tendus. Suddenly, the Symphony in C overture blasted in the studio and like robots, the three of us started doing the choreography. And we did the entire ballet, just like that. When we finally made it to the end about 30 mins later, we nearly dropped dead to the floor. "At least they know it now" my teacher said to the director who had poked his head into the studio at some point. Never again have I been more mortified and never again have I shown up to a rehearsal so unprepared.

For the soloist stuff, Gamzatti was by far the most daunting role I've ever done. I had done her wedding variation frequently in school for various performances and was confident in that but I had never even tried the Temple Destruction variation. And I had no clue about the mime scenes or the terrifying grand pas de deux. I had only danced one pas de deux as a professional at that point (and it was with my classmate who I had danced with for 3-4 years). Imagine my shock when I got a call at 8 am telling me that I needed to replace someone. I would be debuting Gamzatti that night with one of the principals who I had never even SPOKEN to, much less danced with. I nearly died but he was incredibly understanding and helpful and somehow I got all the choreography into my brain. While it was probably the most stressful 12 hrs of my life and certainly wasn't a perfect performance, it was a really big moment for me. I got promoted after the show and I was overwhelmed with a surge of happiness that was stronger than I've ever felt before.

I found out afterward that the director had decided to give me an opportunity at the role because one of the ballet mistresses had seen me practicing the variation for auditions. You never know who's watching!

[5raysofsunshine]

Get to know me!

I've been tagged by @dalexandriag16 and @ssaagentemilyprentiss thanks friends 💖

I tag @ssajemilyprentiss @wren-was-here @missrebecaeffinbeale @too-haught-haught-damn but like no pressure okay?

---

Reasons you like/dislike your name:

I like my name because it's not a common one for people my age. I dislike it because of the same reason.

Star sign:

Gemini. My big 3 are gemini sun, scorpio moon, gemini rising.

Country you live in:

USA

Favorite artist:

I'm assuming this is favorite music artist and it's Taylor Swift (but I have many other favorites too, she's just my most favorite)

Morning, afternoon, or evening:

Despite me not really being a morning person, I actually really appreciate the mornings! I like waking up to doggies wanting to cuddle, picking out what I'll wear for the day, having some coffee or tea before driving to work. Also my mom tells me she loves me every morning before I go to work which is an incredible improvement for our relationship and it makes me happy.

Siblings:

Biologically 1 younger brother and my best friend @mycatisneedy is basically my sister

Sexuality:

Bisexual babyyy

Favorite special item:

My guitar!!! It's a Taylor GS-Mini, my dad got it for me before I left for college back in 2015. I play it as often as I can because it helps center and calm me.

5 random facts about me:

1. My favorite Ben and Jerry's flavor is Half Baked, favorite general ice cream flavor is chocolate chip cookie dough!

2. When I was 11 I slapped a kid on the back of his head because he was telling my best friend at the time how ugly and dorky I was and that never in a million years would anyone have a crush on me (if only he could see me now lmao). I was sitting 4 desks behind him and he was saying all of this outloud! So I slowly walked up to him and when he finally looked up and saw me I slapped him SO HARD that the whole room went silent. I immediately started crying of course. My art teacher HAD to write me up for it, but she actually apologized to me and told me she didn't want to do it because that kid deserved it. It was my only write up while I was in school.

3. I took dance classes for 10 years (5-15). Started off with ballet, then tap, jazz, and hip hop. My favorite out of all of them was tap. I kinda miss it tbh, been thinking about signing up for adult classes one day.

4. I've been writing songs since I was 14 and yet I don't show them to anyone (they're very personal for me and I'm scared of criticism). But I'm working on that, I'm gonna teach myself how to record and produce so I can get my stuff out there! I mostly write songs about love/relationships but I get inspired by all kinds of people. For example, I have a song about Anna Kendrick that I absolutely love, and a couple songs about Emily Prentiss! Maybe I'll post some snippets for you guys someday!

5. My favorite food is a sandwich. Specifically turkey + cheddar cheese + mayo (on both sides) + applewood smoked bacon flavored mustard + iceberg lettuce on sourdough bread. But also making a grilled Turkey/ham and cheese is absolutely delicious. Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm gonna go make one right now!

[atruththatyoudeny]

Monthly Reads | August 2019

Oh, look, it's the 28th again! Celebrating the launch of Gucci's new fragrance and the fantastic new pics I had to reread Landslide. Other than that there are 21 fics in this list - and like always: so many thanks go out to all the amazing authors in this fandom who share their stories with us! ♥

Landslide | aimmyarrowshigh , spibsy (lucy_and_ramona) | historical - 1970s - cults - undercover - psychological drama - racism - period typical attitudes - internalized homophobia - PTSD - and more...please read all the tags carefully - 143k The year is 1976. In November, Jimmy Carter will take control of the White House. Americans are meeting Laverne & Shirley at their apartment in Milwaukee. Hotel California diverges from the reign of Kool & the Gang. And the FBI is still reeling from the repercussions of Watergate, the tragedy at Wounded Knee, Operation Family Secrets, and the strategic terrors of the anti-cult movement. That's what Special Agent Harry Styles has been told is the basis of his mission to an abandoned farmhouse in rural New Hampshire. With his hair grown out long and his shirt untucked, he's going undercover to do reconnaissance on suspected cult leader Louis Tomlinson, who has led a group of people out into the middle of nowhere, leaving no record of the life he'd had before. All Harry knows is what the agency gave him: Tomlinson's name, and instructions to figure out what he's doing with the eleven people he brought with him. In the year that Harry spends undercover and under Louis Tomlinson's wing, he learns more than he ever expected.

I Drove All Night (To Get To You) | lovelarry10 | famous/not famous - strangers to lovers - pining - fluff - 23k Harry’s job as a chauffeur for the rich and famous was not as flashy as he’d thought. Late nights having to listen to the ridiculous demands and whims of these high profile clients leaves him disheartened with the world he thought was all glitz and glamour. One night his boss asks him a favour. To collect one last client before he clocks off. Only problem is when that client gets into the car it’s Louis Tomlinson. As in Harry’s all time crush. As in future husband and father of all his children Louis Tomlinson. He can be cool and professional, right?

Live Like You Were Dying | YesIsAWorld | car accidents - love confessions - self discovery - 2k I’m in love with you. The phone fell from his hand, and the world went black.

Calling Clifford | noellehenry | fluff - humor - 10k The summer AU where Clifford has his own peculiar ways of matchmaking.

Home Remedies | kingsofeverything (FullOnLarrie) | friends to lovers - smut - 4k Louis’ hiccups just won’t stop. Harry, his roommate and best friend, is willing to do anything to help.

Traffic Light | dinosaursmate | Traffic Light Party - smut - friends with benefits - 7k Harry, a university student fresh out of a relationship, attends a Traffic Light Party. He knew all about the red, yellow and green cups, but the blue one confuses him. What does DTF mean, anyway?

Down On the Farm | kingsofeverything (FullOnLarrie) | bonfires - farm/ranch - smut - 5k Every Friday night there's a steady cloud of dust That leads back to a field filled with pickup trucks Got old Hank crankin', way up loud Got coolers in the back, tailgates down There's a big fire burnin' but don't be alarmed It's just country boys and girls gettin' down on the farm — “Down On the Farm” by Tim McGraw

Driving On The Wrong Side, Thinking Of You | dinosaursmate | Marcel AU - implied/ referenced homophobia - High School AU - friends to lovers - promiscuity - 25k Louis is the most popular guy in sixth form. Don't get the wrong idea, he's a good guy, and he absolutely won't stand for his friends teasing his neighbour, Marcel.

Restless Lane | jaerie | a/b/o - secret identity - childhood friends - secrets - friends to lovers - angst - 14k Louis had grown used to his boring life back in Mississippi as a stand-in father figure to his siblings. He never expected his childhood friend to show up on his lawn with the heat of summer or that he would remind Louis how much of himself he'd tucked away and neglected. He also never expected to find himself caught up in a tangled web of feelings or secrets that just might break him. Maybe he had never known Harry at all.

Waiting for the tides to meet | nauticalleeds (metamorphosis) | soulmates - pining - miscommunication - angst - fluff - friends to lovers - slow burn - 60k Soulmate AU. Everyone is born with heterochromia — one eye is their own eye colour, while the other is the colour of their soulmate's. It's only when they meet their soulmate for the first time that their own eyes match properly. After a hazy night at a frat party, Louis wakes up to blue eyes and the shocking realization that he had met his soulmate, without any sober recollection. Seven years pass where Louis comes to terms with the fact that he'll never know who his soulmate is. Then one fated summer, a beautiful green-eyed photographer arrives at Louis' workplace, with promises of endless laughter and a familiar feeling in Louis' heart. Featuring a lovely cup of OT5, a road trip down the coast, and a scene where Harry eats a whole head of lettuce. Don't ask why.

If I Stay | Rearviewdreamer | Walk In The Clouds AU - fake/pretend relationship - mpreg - slow burn - 37k Harry and Louis agree to a temporary arrangement that Harry can't seem to walk away from no matter how many times he tries.

Mirror Touch | pinky_heaven19 | Synesthesia - hurt/comfort - fluff - pining - strangers to lovers - 58k The one where Harry owns a second-hand clothing store, and Louis is a radio host. Louis has mirror-touch synesthesia, which makes him experience what people around him feel. He feels a lot around Harry.

In Your Black Heart (Is Where You'll Find Me) | graceling_in_a_suit | a/b/o - omega/omega - pirates - historical - 36k Louis Tomlinson has been lying for five years. His crew sees him as a pirate, a Captain, and an alpha; only two of those are the truth. He was content to let the illusion go on forever, but an omega named Harry Styles just had to join his crew and get his warm-vanilla stink all over Louis' best laid plans. Or: the story of The Captain and The Carpenter.

Supposed to Be | kikikryslee | High School - stereotypes - enemies to friends to lovers - slow burn - hate to love - 26k The Geek Charming AU where Harry's a film geek, Louis' a popular jock, and they both need each other to get what they want.

Meet me where the tulips grow | tempolarriefics | study abroad - fluff - 19k The one where Harry studies abroad and falls in love with both the city of Amsterdam and the boy he explores it with.

When i'm set alight | mixedfandomfics | teacher AU - hate to love - misunderstandings - 14k Louis and Harry hate each other. Always have, always will. No one is quite sure how they will handle it when their favorite students ask them to lead a new LGBT club at their school.

Breathe In, Breathe Out | dinosaursmate | friends to lovers - pining - 12k Louis Tomlinson begins visiting a new pub on his lunch break, mostly because he really fancies Harry, the cute, curly-haired barman. As Louis gears up to ask him out, he doesn't realise that there is a huge stumbling block in his way: Harry is taken, and by someone rather familiar.

I am mad all about you | godslut | med students - coffe shop - 5k Harry is a pre-med student trying to quit coffee. louis pretends to be spider-man to make kids laugh.

Welcome Back From The Friend Zone | 2tiedships2 | a/b/o - friends to lovers - fake/pretend relationship - mutual pining - 32k The one where an idea to create a fake wedding with the sole intent to receive gifts from billionaires took a turn no one, but also everyone, saw coming.

A Life That's Good (series) | lovelarry10 | fluff - kid fic - adoption - light angst - 66k Harry and Louis were married young, but always knew that they wanted a family together. Soon, through adoption, Hope came into their lives, and was later joined by her younger brother Oscar. Join the Tomlinsons on their journey in family life. ①  You're My Only Hope Harry and Louis have been hoping to start a family for a while, but it hasn't happened for them just yet. With the surprise arrival of a newborn baby on the doorstep at work, are their family dreams about to become reality? ②  Tiny Dancer It's Hope's first ballet recital, and Harry and Louis are more than excited to watch their four year old daughter perform for the first time. ③  Who You Are Things are going wonderfully for Harry and Louis. Their family has never been stronger. When a connection to their son’s past appears out of nowhere, it makes them wonder what lies ahead for the future of their family. ④  We Got Love Harry and Louis thought their family was complete. They were wrong. ⑤  Follow Your Arrow Hope has a crush, but she’s scared to tell her parents, especially Louis. Harry helps her figure out how to break the news to her other dad, who is ultimately nothing but wonderful. ⑥  Summer Love The Tomlinsons are off on a summer holiday before it’s time for everything to change...

Night Changes | colourexplosion | soulmates - supernatural elements - werewolves - light angst - 40k Louis and Harry are soulmates. (With a twist.)

From The Heart | jacaranda_bloom | coffee shop AU - 25k Every Tuesday, Louis spends his day off holed up in his favorite coffee-come-bookshop, writing his little stories as part of the WordPlay challenge while daydreaming about the resident barista, Harry. Each week a new word prompt is revealed and Louis adds to his series of short stories about Henry, the owner of a B&B in the Cotswolds who has curly hair and dimples, Lewis, his long term guest who just happens to be a writer, and Tigger, Henry’s cat. As Louis and Harry’s friendship develops, could his fantasy world spill out into real life? And how does that reader who leaves the lovely comments with the teacup emoji seem to be able to read Louis’ mind? ①  Henry and Lewis Louis hangs out in his local coffee shop to work on his weekly WordPlay Prompt, speaks to his beloved muse aka Harry the gorgeous barista, embarrasses himself in front of said muse, and receives a comment on AO3 from his favourite reader. ②  Smuturday Louis struggles with this week's WordPlay prompt before finding inspiration, and a date, in an unexpected place, and could there be more going on with his favourite reader than he originally thought. ③  Tea For Two Louis grapples with what to do about his new found suspicions over his favourite readers real-life identity. ④  Life Imitating Art Louis is taken on a very real journey through his fic back catalogue - life has never imitated art so salaciously. ⑤  Entertain Me All good things must come to an end, including the WordPlay challenge. But while Louis has mixed emotions about its end, and struggling to make sense of the final prompt, he is relishing every aspect of his newly revitalised personal life.

[rndyounghowze]

Helvetica Sails On At Elm Street Cultural Arts Village

By Ricky and Dana Young-Howze

Woodstock, Georgia

On May Thirteenth around three o'clock the play Helvetica by one of our dear friends Will Coleman was dead on arrival. It was yet another theatrical casualty of this global pandemic that has shuttered the doors of theaters everywhere from the Elm Street Cultural Arts Village in Woodstock, Georgia all the way to Broadway. The notice was one of the millions just like it that Dana and I had seen in our feed and our hearts had gone out to them. As reviewers we have felt helpless sitting on the sidelines for this whole thing. Then we saw a post by director Nicole Adkins that the show was not only not dead but going live on Thursday as a digitally streamed experience. So one message later and Dana and I were sitting on our bed with our cats doing our first theatre review from our homes!

Saying that Helvetica is the story of a writer of the same name isn't doing it justice. A "deconstructed" or "exploded" life is more fitting. Narrated by her favorite stuffed bear Myron this play takes you on a journey through Helvetica's younger years with her Mom and Dad to her adult life in a marriage gone wrong, to her final months battling cancer. But we never stay in one place too long as Myron deftly moves us from one time to another weaving the story together as if it's a tapestry. This is a play about stories and how they're born.

I've mainly known Nicole as a talented children's playwright and teacher. This is my first real encounter with her directing and I want to point out two strengths she has. When you watch this the first thing you'll notice in many scenes is that you don't notice her. When you sample the wares of a baker you're not tasting the individual ingredients you're tasting the confection and this is the case with her. Like with my South Jersey cohort I love the directors that put in the time and labor over their shows but like up North she's one of the few where you don't see her metaphorical hands on actors' shoulders gently nudging them or see their handiwork everywhere. You just see the amazing work as a whole! Nicole's second strength was grand stage pictures that reminded us of the depth of this story and its journey through time. There were a couple times like in Helvetica's funeral and the ballerina scene where I felt pacing suffered for that depth but that is being completely nitpicky.

One thing I envy about K. Willow Coleman are their characters. But in this play there are some characters that offer challenges to actors which rival the feats of Hercules.

Take Myron (played by Sean Haley) in which you have to be a stuffed bear that's not just a stuffed bear. If you stepped into this role thinking, "I'm just Helvetica's teddy bear" you've failed from the beginning. Haley seems to know that Myron is also Helvetica's avatar, the only person that she has loved one hundred percent, and the only person qualified to tell her story. But he still had to also be a bear and through Haley's performance I never forgot that even though he's not wearing a bear costume.

Now there's the impossible task of playing Helvetica. Helvetica is played by three actresses: Past Helvetica (Evie Sickbert), Present Helvetica (Molly Gilmartin), and Future Helvetica (Mary Wolfson). It would be very hard to play one of these people but then you have the added hardship of making your performance work in such a way that I don't see a "seam" in the actresses portrayal and they all blend into one character. I don't know how much (if at all) they planned for this but whatever they they did it worked. If they did this purely by accident they should take that secret to their graves.

First of all Miss Sickbert was my absolute favorite performer! The scene she has with Helvetica's father needs a maturity way beyond her years and it touched me to the core. At such a young age to be emoting with her eyes and face like that is so amazing. Gilmartin's performance played the perfect balance of reserved and passionate. I totally felt her character's feeling of being stuck and she drew this emotion out of me that just wanted to yell "just punch the dumb husband and sail away with Myron!" Wolfson's performance is what grounded me and I found myself calmed by her. Playing a writer is hard already because all of the conflict is inside the head yet Wolfson allowed that inner conflict to come outside and I could see her working through it. All three of these women came together to give us only one Helvetica and they deserve a riotous applause.

Then there are the characters that form a sort of a spine to the play because even when we don't see them we feel them. Father (played by Daniel Sickbert) and Mother (played by Riley Rawson) were two such characters. These were both people who needed to be powerful performers because we had to feel their effect on Helvetica's life long after they were gone. I think Sickbert's delivery rang with me more but he may have been "cheating" because he was talking to his real life daughter Evie most of the time (although from people I know who have done it acting with real life family can sometimes be harder). At first I thought Rawson's performance left something to be desired but then I saw her start to settle in and own it. Her last monologue in the play is one of my favorites of all time and she killed it. I just wished we could have had that energy the whole performance.

Big shout out to James Cogswell for giving me a Husband that I want to punch in the face. It's very hard to play a jackass and my hat is off to him for it.

Okay I was looking in the program for the almost five other talented actresses that were in this play but it turns out that they were all Amanda Lynn Simmons. This performer is not only a talented actress and ballet dancer but also a composer! I can't believe that I'm using the word "polymath" in a review but here I am giving it to her. There you go Miss Simmons making me pull out my SAT words.

Okay I want to talk to both set designer Brian Gamel and lighting designer Megan Johnson. Because of the very monochromatic gray color palette of the stage all I could think about was that we were inside Helvetica's brain (her "graymatter") and watching her story unfold in her mind. If that was your intention you're geniuses. If it wasn't let that be your biggest secret. The grays gave a great background for Johnson's vibrant purples and the muted blues and greens and browns of Cindy Flanders' costume design. Also Flanders deserves high praise for uniting all three Helveticas with the same color scheme but giving them all different styles and tastes. Whereas the trio of actresses played a unified character the clothing clued us into their different personalities.

Also a shout-out to sound designer Zach Roe and projection designer Beth Tate. These roles hardly ever get any love and they are the unsung heroes of the theatre.

A special shout-out to videography by David Thompson Technologies without whom this production would have stayed cancelled.

Don't tell Katie Coleman this but this play has stuck with Dana and me throughout the seven or so years since we first saw the staged reading at the Hollins Playwright's Lab. We have stayed up at night in bed talking (and arguing) about this play because we love it so much. It was very special for it to be our first review from quarantine. Also even in this digital age we still feel that need to be somewhere in person. We've had eyes and ears as a species way before we got phones and cameras so there is still a drive to get around the campfire as a tribe and let our hearts sync up as one to hear a good story. However in these times it's good to be reminded that technology can help us feel present with our loved ones even in times of uncertainty like this. Hence why I was able to do a review of play done in Georgia from my home in New Jersey written by a colleague from Chicago and directed by a professor I met in Virginia. This is what reminds me that Theatre is really about community and as long as the community still thrives theatre lives on. You now have a limited time to be a part of that global community. Follow the link below and watch this play yourself. After you watch it share it with a friend. Hurry fast because after May 10th it disappears!