Pimpernels and ranunculus...

Just so I'm not following my once-a-week track record, here's a wee message from hump day. Pimpernel is plugging away. The cold/flu that has ravaged the cast seems to be mostly on its way out. It's amazing to see the effect of close backstage quarters and onstage contact when it comes to passing the germs. There are still a few that are battling, but hopefully the worst is in the rear view mirror.


It has been really pretty here in Escondido. Sunshine and moderate temperatures. I've particularly enjoyed the weekly routine of going to the farmer's market each Tuesday between shows with compadre Victor and whoever else wants to tag along. We enjoy a wealth of produce and all sorts of artisan foods. And this week I went especially nuts over the fresh flowers. I've discovered that I really like ranunculus! So I bought a few inexpensive bunches along with some sweet smelling freesia, and now my apartment looks like a florist. Really nice!

Anyway... that's all for now. I'm gonna hit the drawing board tonight and hopefully knock out a few projects as I go. Take care, all! Peace and love.

What's with the weekly posts?

Hey all! Sorry for being MIA all but once a week. The time just flies by when the ink is a-flyin' and the curtains are a-risin' and a-fallin'. This past week I've tackled a couple caricature commissions in addition to the weekly sketches (see below). The show is going well and it's been great to welcome some friends to the Welk to see the show. There's a nasty cold/flu going through the cast, though, so backstage is permeated in Purell and Lysol. Everyone has been a trouper, but it's a really great thing to have the day off tomorrow.



Here are tomorrow's postings on my "Squigs Knows His Lines" Facebook page. Above is Stephen Schwartz, composer of Wicked, Godspell, Pippin, and many more Broadway hits. His birthday was just this past Friday and the next day he opened his revised adaptation of Studs Terkel's Working at the Old Globe Theatre nearby in San Diego. I'm looking forward to seeing him in concert with special guests tomorrow evening. I've also featured Donna Lynne Champlin who is co-starring in Working at the Globe. I had the pleasure of seeing her work in 3hree at LA's Ahmanson and on Broadway in the recent revival of Sweeney Todd. An amazing talent.

So that's it for today. Maybe I'll be a bit more timely with my posts in the coming week. In the mean time, I need to get some rest. I'm fighting off the cast germs and I've gotta take the car in for servicing tomorrow. Thrilling to be sure. Take care, all! Peace and love!

Monday! More art...

Yes, it's Monday and I've posted new art over on my Facebook page, "Squigs Knows His Lines." And I present it here as well.



First (above), I've featured Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury in Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's Sweeney Todd. Yesterday was the 30 year anniversary of the premiere of this musical theatre masterpiece. Next, the long-running revue Forbidden Broadway (since 1982) closed yesterday. I've featured creator Gerard Alessandrini.

After catching a few winks, I'll be enjoying a day off and meandering back to the ol' Welk. (I'm currently at home in the Valley.) Pimpernel has been going well. Audiences are really eating it up. There's also a new feature on Saturday nights at the theatre... free cabaret. Cast members and musical director Justin Gray perform after the show. The inaugural event was really well received.

Well, I've gotta get some sleep. Take care, all! Peace and love.

New Monday art!

Hi all! Just a quick post today. I have the day off and have a whole lot of "doing nothing" to get to. But I wanted to show you the latest weekly sketch I've posted on "Squigs Knows His Lines."

I was a bit stumped this past week and then I got an e-mail from Eric Schaeffer, artistic director of Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA. (I had worked with Eric when he directed Snow White: An Enchanting New Musical at the Mouse House.) He offered a suggestion for a weekly sketch. Signature's re-envisioned production of the mega musical Les Misérables closed yesterday. I had been wowed by photos I had seen of the production, and so after Eric dropped a line I thought it would be fun to tackle a sketch celebrating the show. They also recently found out that the production was nominated for 13 Helen Hayes awards (the regional awards in the D.C. area).

I'm really enjoying the exercise of creating something each week. It's got me constantly on my toes with my eyes and ears open. I look forward to keeping this going for as long as possible, celebrating the many facets of the theatre. Yes, I may document a Broadway performance or a fab regional production, but I may also give a nod to Jr. in Alabama playing Marian Paroo at her high school or an amazing dresser making some actor's show a dream in New Mexico or one of the theatre's great forebears of the Golden Age. There's so much to celebrate in theatre. I have a lot of paper and plenty of ink, and I'm excited about all the possibilities.

But now I'm taking the day off. I typically draw every day, but I occasionally need to remind myself to take a break. I'm going to get in the car and head out to get some fresh produce. Then I'm having dinner with good friends. Onward! Peace and love, y'all!

Oh happy day...

I'm really enjoying today. On previous days off in this wild schedule preparing for The Scarlet Pimpernel at the Welk, I've driven home to pick up mail and touch base. Today is the first day (since I've been on this particular Escondido adventure) that I've felt like I've relaxed. Ironically, I've also accomplished more today than I have in a while. I finished off an illustration project, got started on the next "Squigs Knows His Lines" sketch, shopped for groceries, tidied my place at the Welk, and made some business and personal calls. I even bought some flowers to brighten up the living room. In this photo, you can see the dining/living room area of my place at the Welk. Nice view of the hills, yes? And now, I've got to hit the road to Vista. I'm meeting up with good friends for dinner and a show. Should be an incredibly lovely capper on a fabulous day.

Pimpernel is going well. We're hunkering down for our long run and seeing lots of happy people at the show. Folks keep standing at the end – and not just because they have to get to their busses. Ha! And we've already welcomed a couple members of the "League of the Scarlet Pimpernel" (those wonderful über fans of the piece). I'm having fun with the show, and I now look forward to my down time for all sorts of illustration projects – commissioned and self-assigned. Life is good and full right now, and I'm so grateful. Take care, all! Peace and love.

Another opening and more art...

The Scarlet Pimpernel at the Welk Resort Theatre is now up and running! Whew. The cast has worked hard and the crew has worked even harder. And after a long week, it's nice to have a day off. After our last show of the week, I hopped in the car and headed north to the home base where I'm currently putting the polish on a couple illustration projects. In the morning I'll gather the mail and say "hello" to whomever I can, and then it's back to Escondido to look ahead to the first regular week of our run. It's such a lovely group of folks that the coming weeks should be wonderful. (Photo by John Williford. That's our cast and a few of the crew. My fluffy wigged head is well down the line.)


I'm also getting ready to post my latest weekly sketch on my "Squigs Knows His Lines" Facebook page. This one honors Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tony-winning author and star of In the Heights, as he just ended his run in the show. The particular moment captured in the sketch is when he made young fan Nicholas Dayton dream come true in December... performing with the Broadway cast. If you haven't seen the video, you can see it here. I've got to admit that when I first saw it (okay... and every viewing since) I tear up.

So after I get the art posted everywhere, I'll hit the hay and sleep until I wake. It's been a long couple of weeks and I think I deserve a good rest. Take care, all! Wishes of peace and love are coming your way.

Quick recommendations...

I'm wiped out. Tech rehearsals are taking it out of me, but I thought I'd drop in quickly to give my wholehearted recommendation for a recent movie or two. First off, my roommate Rod Keller is in the new blockbuster hit He's Just Not That Into You. He plays one of Drew Barrymore's friends at work (the "pasty" white one). Kudos to Roddy!

I also HIGHLY recommend the amazing stop action animated 3-D Coraline. It may be a bit scary for super young kids, but everyone else should be in awe of this amazing movie directed and screen-written by Nightmare Before Christmas director Henry Selick (based on a book by fantastic writer Neil Gaiman) and executed at Laika Studios in the home state (Oregon). I am enthralled by this movie. It appeals to me on so many levels and so I highly recommend it.

And so, I really need to take a shower and hit the hay. We have another LONG day of rehearsal tomorrow. God grant us strength and stamina. Take care, all! Peace and love.