Shakespeare at Winedale for UT Life & Letters

This year marked the 40th anniversary of Shakespeare at Winedale.  What started in 1970 as a UT English class in Shakespearean performance has blossomed into a rich theater tradition in Round Top, Texas.  Each summer, students descend on the tiny town halfway between Houston and Austin, population 88, to perfect and perform three plays at the 19th century barn turned Elizabethan stage.  In celebration of the 40th milestone, alumni of the program gathered at Round Top for a week long theater immersion and encore performance. 

I spent an afternoon shooting verticals for UT's Life & Letters magazine, an interesting exercise when the vast majority of photography is horizontal.  Oh, the hardships we endure for magazine covers.  Ha. 

I'd love to go back for the entire week next year.  The alumni are tightly knit, even though many haven't seen each other since their college days.  There's a bond with their former professors James Ayres and James Loehlin, the barn itself, even the brutal summer heat.  Something life changing happens every summer at Winedale and it's still as palpable to the class of 1971 as it is to the class of 2011.

Kristin Johnson, alumni of the 1987 and '88 seasons, awaits her cue from the side-door of the Winedale stage during a 40th reunion performance.

At left, all hands are on stage for the induction of the Taming of the Shrew.  At right, Tara Kirkland leans over an air conditioning unit backstage.

 

 

 

At left, a sign on the dressing room reminds actors to stay silent during a performance with a quote from Henry the Sixth "Sweet Aunt, be quiet...". At right, Terry Galloway goes through her lines backstage before the start of the 40th anniversary performance of Shakespeare at Winedale.

Cast members gather before the curtain.

Earlene Moore for the Statesman

I spent a few hours with Earlene Moore, a 90-year-old bra fitter at Saks Fifth Avenue, for part of Ricardo Gándara's Austin at Work series.  Moore got into the business in 1939 when the downtown stretch of Congress Avenue was full of department stores.  

She opened her own lingerie shop in 1971 and fit Texas' political and social elite for over 20 years.  I can only imagine the stories and laughter that came out of that shop when Ann Richards came in for a fitting.  Earlene closed her shop on Jefferson Square in 1995 and went into semi-retirement.  She was bored though, and when Saks offered her a job in 1997 she was back in business.  

These days she greets everyone that wanders into her realm.  Earlene can fit a woman on sight and has a vast understanding of manufacturers and brands.  She always gets a hug after the sale is complete and is an adopted grandmother to the younger sales girls on the Saks floor.  And just look at that hair...

Robin De Haven for the Statesman

When Joe Stack flew his plane into the Echelon I in north Austin last February, Robin De Haven was on the freeway heading to another glass installation job.  The 28-year-old Iraq war veteran used the ladder on his company truck to rescue six people from the second floor of the burning building and then quietly left the scene.  Not so quietly, the media descended on his story.  De Haven became an instant celebrity and was hounded for interviews for months.  His relationship with the word "hero" is a complicated one.

The Statesman's Andrea Ball wrote about De Haven in an interesting piece on heroism and the media which you can read here. 

Singing Water Vineyards

Spent an early morning at the Singing Water Vineyards last month as the owners and some loyal fans brought in their first ever harvest of pinot grapes.  I love wandering the back rounds around Comfort, Texas but had never moseyed down Mill Dam to the vineyard before.  It's a beautiful stretch of road - tight turns and sharp hills leading to a small valley spread where the Holmberg's and Matula's nestled their vines.  A little slice of Tuscany in the hillcounty.

I'm looking forward to tasting the fruits of their labor in a few years.

Austin Gurdwara for the Wall Street Journal

Austin's Sikh community is facing the demolition of their new temple after a dispute with a neighbor over subdivision covenants. The congregation began worshiping in 2003 in a mobile home on property they purchased in far west Austin.  In 2005, the congregation obtained the necessary permits to begin construction of a new temple and faced no opposition until John and Leslie Bollier moved into the neighborhood in 2008 and filed suit claiming the temple violated the subdivision's restrictions on commercial building.

A trial judge sided with Austin Gurdwara in March 2009 and construction of the temple was completed in April 2010. In July, a Texas appellate court overturned the 2009 decision and ruled that the new temple must be razed or moved.  The Sikh community is appealing that decision to the Texas Supreme Court.

I spent a Sunday afternoon with the Austin Gurdwara community during their devotional service and communal meal.  Dr. Harnek Bains and the members of his congregation were thoughtful and patient explaining their religious philosophy and practice as well as the details of their legal battle.

Satpal Singh, left, and brother Gursagardeep Singh, right, stand in Austin Gurdwara's old sanctuary, a cramped trailer on Avispa Way in far west Austin on Sunday August 8, 2010.  The group began using the 1,200 square-foot trailer in 2003 and quickly outgrew the space.  Ground breaking on the new sanctuary began in 2007 but met with a lawsuit by neighbors John and Leslie Bollier.  A trial judge sided with the Sikh group and construction was completed in April 2010.  In July, the Texas Third Court of Appeals overturned the lower court's ruling and the new temple might be torn down.

Dr. Yadvindera Bains waves a whisk, or chaur, over the book of Sikh scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, in Austin Gurdwara's new 3,600 square foot temple.

The Sikh organization has said it spent $350,000 to build the new facility on land that cost an additional $100,000.  Neighbors John and Leslie Bollier say the building could bring down property values.  Dr. Yadvindera Bains, right, prays before the start of services on Sunday August 8, 2010.

Sikhism, a monotheistic religion that began 500 years ago, stresses the importance of leading a moral life.

Sikhism is the world's fifth largest religion.  An estimated 500,000 Sikhs live in the U.S.

Sukhchain Singh, center, blesses the book of Sikh scripture after Sunday worship.

Dr. Harnek Bains is the leader of Austin Gurdwara.

Dr. Harnek Bains in the 1,200 square foot trailer that his congregation used for worship services beginning in 2003.

The congregation of Austin Gurdwara shares a communal meal called Langar in the trailer that once housed their sanctuary.

If the Texas Supreme Court upholds the Bollier's appeal ruling, the Sikh community would still be able to worship in the mobile home on the property.  The new temple, however would have to be razed or moved.

AJ Castillo for the Statesman

AJ Castillo is a rising star in the Tejano music scene.  He was named the Tejano Academy’s best Accordion Player and Best Emerging Artist, and the Tejano Music Awards' Best New Artist of 2010.  The native Austinite recently graduated from the University of Texas San Antonio and released his second CD "On My Way" in June. Not bad for a 25-year-old.  Castillo is bringing an urban style to traditional Tejano music.  I dug his Kayne stylings and I definitely want to bling out my next camera body.

Metamorphoses for the Statesman

I had a blast with the cast of Zach Scott's production of Metamorphoses last month.  Shooting previews can be tricky - the Director wants certain scenes photographed, I want quirky rehearsal moments, and climbing around in the rafters is usually off-limits - not so with this group.

Director Dave Steakley ran through visually stunning scenes and let me wander all over the set and his lighting rig.  These photos really took themselves.  With a pool at center stage and actors descending from silk ropes how could anyone not find something to love?

Paul Flint, Director of Production, cleans the pool at center stage before a rehearsal of Metamorphoses, a play by Mary Zimmerman, at the Zach Scott Theater.

Andy Agne suspends from a hoop above Frederic Winkler during a rehearsal for Metamorphoses.  Actors suspend from silk ropes throughout the play where the audience sits around a circular pool.

Aaron Alexander, left, and Smaranda Ciceu, right, as Ceyx and Alcyone, and Stefania Tafuro, above as Alcyone transformed into a bird.

Stefania Tafuro, center, performs aerials on a silk rope above a circular pool at center stage. 

Margaret Carter, center, practices a descent on a silk rope.

under the bridge downtown...

I could not get enough...

Summer in the city.

road trip reprise

It seems I always hit the road on some kind of deadline.  There's never enough time between destinations to wander into uncharted territory.  I get my kicks where I can.

I spent some time on my favorite jogging trails from when I lived in SF.  Point Lobos and Crissy Field still reveal themselves anew.

The new Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles.

El Monte, CA

Mt. Lemmon - Tucson, AZ