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| Cornucopia |
And now for something completely different.
Once a month, a half dozen or so actors (or just plain folks with something to say,
or sing about) take center stage at the Actors Workout Studio in North Hollywood
for Cornucopia, “an hour of storytelling and other delights.”
After a welcome to the standing-room-only audience by Cornucopia producer
Ellen Switkes, November’s hour began with a trio of songs by folk rocker Lauren
Adams, strumming on her acoustic guitar and accompanied by the guitar
harmonies of Nick Kirgo. In her mellow voice, Adams sang songs from her CD
Secret Heart. The first told of a “sweet girl” who “had it all wrong.” Then came the
title tune: “I’d rather die than let you know it. This is my secret heart.” Finally a
song in which she confessed, “It ain’t easy being me. It’s a sad sad song.”
In addition to Adams' melodious vocalizing, the high points of Sunday’s show were
a pair of especially amusing and perceptive anecdotes from Matt Stevens and
Catheryn Brockett.
Stevens, a Southern screenwriter in search of fresh horizons, packed a U-Haul and
drove 2300 miles to what his sister refers to as, “that Godless city,” Los Angeles.
Hired by a soft porn channel to write “scene outlines,” to which the “actors” would
improvise their own “snappy patter,” Stevens was soon offered a “non nudity role,”
which he thought would be his “shot at showbiz,” and a “gay boy’s only chance
to star in straight soft porn.” When the makeup lady looked at this average Joe,
she exclaimed in disbelief, “You’re talent?” Stevens’ role was that of the male
porn star’s best friend, who talks his buddy into having an extramarital affair.
However Stevens soon realized that he was “porno non grata.” This porn shoot
was “yet another place where I didn’t belong.” Ultimately, though, Stevens took
pride in knowing that he had “stepped out of my comfort zone,” which was, after
all, “what I set out to do!” A funny and inspiring tale!
Brockett, a pretty blonde, told of volunteering for a pre-brain surgery procedure, a
research project for a friend from UCLA, which paid $65. The procedure turned up
something unexpected (and not at all pleasant) for Brockett. Though fortunately
not a tumor or cancer, test results still showed an AVM (arterial vascular
malformation). Brockett’s brain specialist (the hottest of the four she had to
choose from) explained to her the various options. Because of the location of the
AVM in her brain, if anything untoward were to happen, “if I weren’t dead, I’d be
really really boring.” Apparently all went well, or the cute and perky Brockett
wouldn’t have been there at Cornucopia to tell about it. Extra points to Brockett
for her excellent timing and delivery.
The other story tellers were:
Robin Reiser, who told of her ambivalence about having children either naturally
or via adoption. What if she adopted a cute Cambodian only to have her grow
up and run away with her adoptive father, like Woody Allen’s Soon Yi did?
CeCe Antoinette, who entered chompin’ on a plastic watermelon purse,
performed an excerpt from her one woman show, “Watermelon—Git it While it’s
Hot.” “I love watermelon," she confessed. "I love spittin’ the seeds,” Antoinette’s
Cornucopia tale was of her first date, at senior prom, and some Kotex troubles she
had at the time. “If you’ve ever used a tampon, the instructions will do you no
good,” she explained, which was news to me, and probably to the other males in
the audience. (I learned something.)
Finally, Panama-hatted Geoffrey Lee Tozer (“a man who has the gift of gab”), told
of his entry into showbiz in hepcat lingo.
Each month’s Cornucopia promises a new array of stories. In addition, each
performance sells out, so those in the mood for a theatrical change of pace should
mark their calendars. The next Cornucopia is Sunday January 13th.
(See picture above for theater address and other information.)
--Steven Stanley
November 11, 2007
Once a month, a half dozen or so actors (or just plain folks with something to say,
or sing about) take center stage at the Actors Workout Studio in North Hollywood
for Cornucopia, “an hour of storytelling and other delights.”
After a welcome to the standing-room-only audience by Cornucopia producer
Ellen Switkes, November’s hour began with a trio of songs by folk rocker Lauren
Adams, strumming on her acoustic guitar and accompanied by the guitar
harmonies of Nick Kirgo. In her mellow voice, Adams sang songs from her CD
Secret Heart. The first told of a “sweet girl” who “had it all wrong.” Then came the
title tune: “I’d rather die than let you know it. This is my secret heart.” Finally a
song in which she confessed, “It ain’t easy being me. It’s a sad sad song.”
In addition to Adams' melodious vocalizing, the high points of Sunday’s show were
a pair of especially amusing and perceptive anecdotes from Matt Stevens and
Catheryn Brockett.
Stevens, a Southern screenwriter in search of fresh horizons, packed a U-Haul and
drove 2300 miles to what his sister refers to as, “that Godless city,” Los Angeles.
Hired by a soft porn channel to write “scene outlines,” to which the “actors” would
improvise their own “snappy patter,” Stevens was soon offered a “non nudity role,”
which he thought would be his “shot at showbiz,” and a “gay boy’s only chance
to star in straight soft porn.” When the makeup lady looked at this average Joe,
she exclaimed in disbelief, “You’re talent?” Stevens’ role was that of the male
porn star’s best friend, who talks his buddy into having an extramarital affair.
However Stevens soon realized that he was “porno non grata.” This porn shoot
was “yet another place where I didn’t belong.” Ultimately, though, Stevens took
pride in knowing that he had “stepped out of my comfort zone,” which was, after
all, “what I set out to do!” A funny and inspiring tale!
Brockett, a pretty blonde, told of volunteering for a pre-brain surgery procedure, a
research project for a friend from UCLA, which paid $65. The procedure turned up
something unexpected (and not at all pleasant) for Brockett. Though fortunately
not a tumor or cancer, test results still showed an AVM (arterial vascular
malformation). Brockett’s brain specialist (the hottest of the four she had to
choose from) explained to her the various options. Because of the location of the
AVM in her brain, if anything untoward were to happen, “if I weren’t dead, I’d be
really really boring.” Apparently all went well, or the cute and perky Brockett
wouldn’t have been there at Cornucopia to tell about it. Extra points to Brockett
for her excellent timing and delivery.
The other story tellers were:
Robin Reiser, who told of her ambivalence about having children either naturally
or via adoption. What if she adopted a cute Cambodian only to have her grow
up and run away with her adoptive father, like Woody Allen’s Soon Yi did?
CeCe Antoinette, who entered chompin’ on a plastic watermelon purse,
performed an excerpt from her one woman show, “Watermelon—Git it While it’s
Hot.” “I love watermelon," she confessed. "I love spittin’ the seeds,” Antoinette’s
Cornucopia tale was of her first date, at senior prom, and some Kotex troubles she
had at the time. “If you’ve ever used a tampon, the instructions will do you no
good,” she explained, which was news to me, and probably to the other males in
the audience. (I learned something.)
Finally, Panama-hatted Geoffrey Lee Tozer (“a man who has the gift of gab”), told
of his entry into showbiz in hepcat lingo.
Each month’s Cornucopia promises a new array of stories. In addition, each
performance sells out, so those in the mood for a theatrical change of pace should
mark their calendars. The next Cornucopia is Sunday January 13th.
(See picture above for theater address and other information.)
--Steven Stanley
November 11, 2007
