Heeeres...DECEMBER!

December 1. See The Mannuscript today! (A1 article by Knox White, photo by Kyle Ames.)

December 3. MANN SHOW 2007 members see INSPECTING CAROL at The Warehouse Theatre Sunday afternoon at 3:00 PM. Talk-back to follow.

December 4-6. Film Criticism: BAMBI

December 8. Independent filmmaker JEFF SUMEREL visits Film Criticism today!

December 10. Students see the Centre Stage production of GREETINGS at 3:00 PM Sunday afternoon. Talk-back to follow.

December 11-14. Film Criticism: CASABLANCA

December 13. MANN SHOW 2007 unveils the title of its Spring Production immediately after school, at a press conference in the Auditorium. Production design and casting details will be revealed at this time, as well as a complete production schedule. Scenic construction will begin at the conclusion of the announcement.

December 14. Film Criticism students have a guest lecturer: award-winning interactive design guru Dean Schuster discusses the film, CASABLANCA.

December 18 and 19. Film Criticism: A TRIP TO THE MOON

December 21 – January 2. Winter Break!

Have I mentioned that I like ambitious theatre?

Anybody know this kid?

We need him at Mann.

Too bad, so Jad...

31-28.

Carolina beats Clemson. Finally.

I found watching this game to be exceedingly painful. My team (the USC Gamecocks) outplayed Clemson statistically, but trailed most of the game. We kept racking up yardage and great defensive stands, but Clemson kept making big plays...and scoring.

As we build a drama program here at J.L. Mann, I want you to ignore the "big plays" and focus on sound fundamentals: solid, truthful acting; smart, imaginative ideas; steady, disciplined stage management...attention to details.

Enjoy the "big plays," but move back to fundamentals quickly. For every Show of Plenty, there are Auditorium work days, Production Team meetings, and Drama class scenes to focus on.

There will be a payoff at the end. We are going to win! We will walk away from a Spring Production with a real Drama program...one of the very best in South Carolina.

Stuck in a moment that you can't get out of.

This year I am thankful that I'm no longer working for corporations.

Believe it or not, kids...things like this really do happen.

Bragging Rites

I will freely acknowledge that it is not fashionable for drama teachers to be as obsessed with college football as I am.

Moreover, calling oneself a commited Gamecock fan in the pressence of theatre artists is akin to admitting you are a political conservative (sheesh, I'm both!).

BUT...hiding it from you, my SHOW OF MANN, would be a damn lie. I cannot bring myself to keep you from the truth.

As you watch the film I produced this week at school (BRAGGING RITES: THE CAROLINA-CLEMSON RIVALRY), I hope you will cut me some slack. Let me have my college football fandom...maybe even consider the biggest sports rivalry in our state in a whole new way, yourself.

Drama is everywhere, you know...there isn't a more obvious theater than Death Valley, this Saturday. At high noon.

Go Cocks!

A veritable Cornucopia of Fun!

As we get set to open the first-ever J.L. Mann student variety show--THE SHOW OF PLENTY--I want to recognize five very important students.

KYLE AMES, GENNA "DIGGY" BUCKNER, DANIEL COOPER, BRENNAN WEST, and KATE WITOWSKI--the heart and soul of our Production Team for MANN SHOW 2007.

There are no other students at Mann I trust more than these. Each is as smart, dedicated, and professional as any high school drama student I've ever met (myself in high school included). If you want to know what the future of J.L. Mann drama looks like, just spend a few moments with these guys. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect collection of student colleagues.

I hope you see THE SHOW OF PLENTY tonight. If you do, let me know what you think!

(Oh yeah, JAY BRIDGEMAN, MICHAEL JENKINS, DYLAN MARLER, BETHANY WILLIAMS, and a some folks who don't go to Mann are also on the Production Team. But they just recently joined, so I don't know them as well as my Fab Five.)

Yes. THIS is theatre.

Wow.