From Shakespeare's As You Like It, 1600:

From Shakespeare's As You Like It, 1600:

JAQUES:
All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

A letter from Leslie Nichols to the Ventura County theater community

Dear Members and Leaders of the local nonprofessional theater community,

It came to my attention on Sunday morning from a news article in the Ventura Co. STAR that one of the local professional theaters, Rubicon, has taken an action, wittingly or unwittingly, that may impact one of our nonprofessional theaters.  Because of Rubicon's decision to abort an announced play from the last of their 2010 Season, they have substituted TEA AT FIVE with Stephanie Zimbalist that will overlap with the Elite Theatre Company's TEA AT FIVE starring Vivien Latham as Katherine Hepburn, directed by former Elite Artistic Director Patty Strickland.  While there have been times when theaters of all designations have selected identical plays within a same season, Elite has had this selection announced for a year. Rubicon has just announced their recent decision.

 TEA AT FIVE at The Elite will run from Aug. 13 through Sept. 19.  It is my understanding that Rubicon's will open three weeks into the Elite 6-week run.  While we might wish Rubicon well in their efforts to overcome severe financial difficulties, I believe that this late choice and the publicity it will generate might seriously affect the success of the Elite production.  As active participants in the local nonprofessional theater scene, I feel that we should be proactive in keeping all of our theaters sound and supported.  We all are aware of consequences of one poorly attended show on a small theater's overall financial health.

Here's what you might do:

1)  Plan on seeing the Elite Production  (Box Office-805.483.5118   730 So. B St., Oxnard in Heritage Square)
2)  Spread the word of this production to others
3)  Write letters in support of the show to local media
4)  Forward this email to others you think might be interested
5) Work within the social network sites to promote the show
6)  If you are a member of a theater Board of Directors, make sure all are informed

Thanks, Leslie Nichols