Dear  George,

I know you still don’t believe I’m really going to do it, but I just hit another checkpoint on my way to marriage.

Last night I finally told my parents that I plan to marry Kay Banks.  Dear old dad just grunted, God bless the Old Man.  Mother was decidedly more verbose.  She furrowed her brow slightly and asked if Kay was the one from, Fairview Manor.  I told her  that she was and she screamed, “ Why that’s no better than East Smithfield.”  I tried to tell her that I my manufacturing business was really beginning to take off, but as usual she wasn’t listening.   She immediately began paging through that newfangled Rolodex from Dad’s office seeking rich relatives so Kay and I could “at least get some nice gifts out of the deal.”

I am really so annoyed.  I mean my business is really picking up steam, I just know it, and I don’t see why I have to see all these people who I barely know just so they can rub my nose in the fact I’m still living at home.  

I really can’t wait to be married and live with Kay in our little house.  I am so lucky Kay has such a casual attitude towards marriage.  I shudder to think of both of our families, and everyone one we know staring at us in front of an altar.  It’s all so archaic, I’m so glad I found such a truly Twentieth Century Woman.                                         

Sincerely,
Buckley Dunstan 

Written by FOB cast member, Kristopher Moreau, "in character" as "Buckley Dunstan"

Hi everyone! This past Friday evening, some of the cast of Father of the Bride headed to Dedham for the poster shoot at the remarkably talented Matt Mckee's photography studio  - and boy we were in for a treat! Fellow bridesmaid Lindsey Darling and I made a stop on the way for make-up to create the look for the bridesmaids (Me, Lindsey Darling and Liz Bean). After about a half an hour of rummaging through the vast wall of make-up at CVS, we finally found all the ingredients we needed and were ready to go! Upon arrival we were greeted by fellow cast mates and production team. Costume Designer Maureen Festa was ready for us to try on our bridesmaid dresses for the shoot - with few tweaks here and there, all fit well! While Jim Ansart (Mr. Banks), Meghan Connor (Kay Banks) and Brian Moyer (Mr. Massoula) got into the studio for there shots - we were ready for make-up! While Peyton was occupied aiding Matt with the shoot, the fabulous Troy Siegfreid (Wig Master) showed us the ropes on how to bring out our inner most drag queen!! Layer upon layer, blending, sculpting, shadowing, glue-sticking (yes glue-sticking), a little shimmer here and some liquid eye-liner there!! Thank god for Troy and the girls - I was kind of at a loss on how to get there - but the final product was fantastic! We then moved on to wigs. Troy is a master of the wig and hand sculpted each one to give it that retro-classic look! After much preparation we were ready to shoot! Each of the Bridesmaids went in individually for an array of hilarious shots! I had a great time, after I warmed up I was on a roll haha - the final product of everyone's shots was amazing! Matt showed us a preliminary mock-up and it was absolute perfection - we got EXACTLY what we were looking for - and Matt and Petyon's vision was a reality! After several minutes of washing off make-up - we all headed out for a bite to eat and reflected on the night and what is to come! Great start to a great process. Till next time - ciao!

Submitted by Matthew J. Finn, Father of the Bride Cast Member
Photo by McKeePhotography.com

As part of Divine's mission, we are here to "inspire."  Why else do we want to be entertained?  We leave shows (hopefully) feeling good and therefore, deep down, inspired!  Stimulated to think, talk, act, etc.  Two people are currently fueling me with plenty of my own inspiration:  The American Repertory's (www.amrep.org) new Artistic Director, Diane Paulus, and mainstream's bizarre Lady Ga Ga.  We'll begin with Paulus:  She has taken the Boston theatre scene completely by storm, turned non-theatre goers into avid fans, and introduced the town to a full-blown, interactive theatre experience.  Donkey Show - who got pulled up on the cubes to dance with semi-naked, glittered boys?  I did.  I even tambourine spanked his hiney all while holding my cocktail and shimmying to the disco beats.  Then, for the next hour or so, the show exploded all over that room.  Shiny happy people everywhere.  Sleep No More?  Yeah, I may not.  Although its not a Paulus creation, she endorsed this Punchdrunk masterpiece (www.punchdrunk.org.uk), and thats good enough for me.  Where does live theatre go after we've been invited to run with the characters through a 4 floored wonderland?  Who knows - but I've certainly been inspired to ponder.  Thank you Ms. Paulus.  Now, for Ms. Ga Ga.  She may be on every radio station, but let's face it - she has done a bit of re-inventing when it comes to music and its presentation. The Bad Romance video?  Brilliant (www.youtube.com).  Her committment and saturated designs, like those of Paulos, are what this director is all about - going all the way.  Taking the viewer down a rabbit hole of theatrical pleasure, causing a reaction, and above all, inspiring.     

Written by Peyton Pugmire, Divine Stage Works' Founder/Director

So, its been nearly a year and a half since Elissa and I sat down and said "we are going to get Divine Stage up and running once again, together!"  After a 3 year break while I pursued other stuff, it was time to get the Divine going again - this time with Elissa as my partner.  For the past so many months we have been planning this spring's come-back-show (the play, Father of the Bride) and soaking ourselves in business "how to," etc, etc!  Its been a fun and rewarding journey.  We recently looked back at our stack of meeting minutes and proudly noted just how much work we had done together and how many ideas we had brainstormed and actually put into action!  For those thinking of starting a company, we urge you to keep notes from EVERY meeting!  Our's have kept us on track and moving forward.  We have also benefitted from the free advice of many loving folks who have sat down with us over drinks to offer insight into the "do's" and "don'ts."  So here we are:  Divine's "spring re-awakening," a new lovely home in JP Mass, a new website, a Facebook fan page, this fun blog, and the company's 3rd production simmering on the stove, just waiting to boil!  February will bring with it many pre-production meetings, just prior to early March audtions.  We cannot wait.  Most of all, we cannot wait to begin working again with a team -  we will then be the living/breathing creative community that Divine strives to be with each new, exciting show.

Please enjoy our website and Facebook page.  Drop us an email!  We hope to see you at audtions in March and, of course, at the show in May.     

Written by Peyton Pugmire, Divine Stage's Founder/Director