hard deadlines

Just a little before 3:30 this afternoon, Rhode Island Commissioner of Education Deborah Gist jumped out of an airplane 10,000 feet over Middletown.

Less than a minute later, she was gliding to a stop amid cheers from more than 80 students, parents, and staff from Blackstone Valley Prep who had come to Newport State airport to see her join their math teacher, Drew Madden, in a "dive into a book" celebrating the students' summer reading success.

Gist had never gone skydiving before, but wanted to do something memorable for the kids at BVP. "They smashed their summer reading goals," Gist told reporters. "I wanted to show them how accomplishing their goals could be celebrated in a special way."

"I'm a math teacher," Madden told harddeadlines, "But I'm doing it to show my dedication to literacy."

The two educators had been attentive students as Skydive Newport owner Marc Tripari delivered a pre-jump briefing, explaining how they would be harnessed to an experienced instructor who would take care of everything. "Just fall out of the airplane," said Tripari.

On the other side of the hangar, technician Joe Church was packing their parachutes -- a bright blue and yellow one for Commissioner Gist, and a red and yellow for Madden. Instructor Nicky Sergi had a few last minute words with Gist, then it was time to climb aboard the Cessna 182 for the ten minute climb up to altitude.

There was a blue sky and light winds, with scattered clouds at 5,000 feet. "Beautiful weather," said Tripani.

Kids, parents, and teachers from BVP craned their necks, watching the sky, until they saw the tiny red and blue chutes appear almost directly overhead. There were some gasps and cheers as both the skydivers did loops and turns above the crowd.

Just a few seconds apart, Madden and Gist skidded to safe landings on the grassy area near the hangar, and the crowd burst into cheers and applause.

The two educators were all smiles as they talked to reporters. "It doesn't really feel like falling," said Gist. "It feels like there's some control to it."

Madden agreed. "It feels like diving into water."

Before the jump, Gist had mused aloud to reporters. "How are we going to top this," she said. "What are we going to do next year?"

More photos up on Flickr.

Portsmouth Prevention Coalition newsletter.

In an e-mail sent to parents this afternoon, Portsmouth interim Supt. Barbara McGann highlighted the importance of "open, honest family conversations" around the use of drugs and alcohol, and shared the inaugural issue of a newsletter developed by the Portsmouth Prevention Coalition.

Said McGann, "I am providing the first issue of Reaching Out, developed by the Portsmouth Prevention Coalition, to you, our families, with a personal appeal that you join this conversation. I hope use of this and each subsequent issue become a ritual in your home for conversations about this important life changing issue. Together, we can make Portsmouth a safer and healthier place for every one of our students and their families."

The newsletter draws on research conducted earlier this year which assessed the prevalence of drug and alcohol use among Portsmouth students.

Full disclosure: Written primarily from the referenced materials.

Assassins (front to back) Brian Mulvey, Shannon Hartman, Patrick Saunders, Joshua Andrews, Jesse Dufault, Jon Dyson, Rae Mancini, and Dave Sackal. Photo by Seth Jacobson Photography.

Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins comes to the Contemporary Theater Company this October 4 through November 2.

The CTC production, directed by Jimmy Calitri with musical direction by Lila Kane, marks the company’s first large scale musical. "The beautiful music of Sondheim coupled with an honest and surprising look at fascinating historical figures led us to this show,” says Artistic Director Christopher Simpson, "and the talent in this cast is out of this world."

Assassins features presidential murderers (and attempted murderers) from John Wilkes Booth to Squeaky Fromme to Charles Guiteau. The show explores how each of these assassins was led to the ultimate act of killing a president – including mental illness, bizarre obsession, political disgust, and an upset stomach.

The Contemporary Theater Company is known for using local talent and for this show they have brought in some of the best talent from across Rhode Island with a cast that includes Rae Mancini, Matthew Royality-Lindman, Jesse Dufault, Patrick Keefe, Jack Ruscetta, Jake Kisseberth, Joshua Andrews, Hannah Van Meter, Dave Sackal, Shannon Hartman, Brian Mulvey, Denny Keohane, Jon Dyson, Patrick Saunders, Jim Foley, Sophie Kreyssig, and Corrine Southern.

Tickets for Assassins, running Oct. 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 24, 26, 31, Nov. 1, 2 at 7 p.m. and Oct. 20, 27 at 2 p.m. are available on the CTC website at thecontemporarytheater.com, by calling the box office at 401-218-0282, or at the theater at 327 Main Street in downtown Wakefield.

Editorial note: Written from a press release.

Full disclosure: I contributed to the indiegogo campaign for this show.

Two Bob. Photo courtesy CTC/Seth Jacobson.

Saturday was the closing night of the Contemporary Theater Company's production of "Bob," Peter Sinn Nachtrieb's absurd existential comedy, and if you're not nodding and smiling at the memory, you missed one hell of a show.

The CTC always seems to pick ideal shows for their cozy space in Wakefield -- and for the well-honed talents of their regular players -- and "Bob" was no exception. A backdrop, a handful of props, a few well-chosen bits of costume, and the audience is whisked from birth in a White Castle bathroom (a balloon and a squeeze bottle of water) through a cremation on the steps of the Art Institute of Chicago, a love nest at the William Burroughs memorial rest stop, yearning at Mount Rushmore, bad breakfast at every diner in the Midwest, Der Ringtraum with animal trainers under the big top, boozy connections in a whistling hobo boxcar, a nose full of brush cymbal in a San Simeon-style casino-turned-mansion, and wise twilight years in a flea circus in Mexico. Along the way, we learn much about the central character of Bob, a naif in whose apparent random walk lies the secret, coded heart of America. (Think Candide or Celebration -- or, well, Pippin with a better second act...)

Director Ryan Hartigan has made bold, theatrical choices, including a multiple casting that cycles the five members of the company through the role of Bob in the course of the show, and has coached pitch-perfect performances in every scene. The program note about the decision says it all: "We like to hunt as a pack and work as a company." In addition to their turns as Bob, the players also serve as a chorus, surfacing as needed as Bob's foils (mother, father, lover, butler, cop, lion tamer, Girl Scout, seeker) and they do it with the exuberance and grace of a well-oiled improv troupe.

James Foley plays the dewey-eyed baby Bob with openness and wonder, Amelia Giles brings authenticity and heartbreak to the teen, Christopher Simpson bravely fights the Weltshmerz of well-traveled middle age, Rico Lanni takes us from hope to heartbreak and back, and Tammy Brown offers the solace and wisdom of years. And no review would be complete without mention of the "Sixth Man," Matt Requintina, who provides absolutely spot-on incidental music. That he makes it seem effortless shows amazing skill: this is a much harder task than playing accompaniment for a musical; it requires the preternatural sensitivity of a jazz musician to the heart of the moment.

The cast and crew of the CTC deserve the fine notices they received in the Providence Phoenix and Newport Mercury. Hartigan and crew have captured the essence of Nachtrieb's picaresque, compressed palimpsest of the American Dream. As the folks over at the Church of the Subgenius like to say, "Bob is. Bob becomes. Bob is not."

And next in the pipeline is the CTC's first full-scale musical, Stephen Sondheim's Assassins. To help defray the costs of this major production while keeping ticket prices reasonable, they've launched an indiegogo campaign to raise $3,500.

If you know the show, you'll know why I'm excited. If you don't: it's a musical tour through the minds of America's Presidential assassins and wannabes. This is powerful, vintage Sondheim, and it delivers his unparalleled lyrical sensibilities and penetrating character insights in a package that's stripped down and minimalist, machined like a snub-nosed .38.

Right in the CTC's wheelhouse, and I literally can't wait to see what they do with it.

Full disclosure: After wrapping this review, I intend to contribute to the CTC's funding campaign. I hope you'll join me.