Wonderland ex-Press

Posted on March 12, 2017 by Salley Mavor

I am happy to report that the Wee Folk Players (They’re a Stitch) have been pressed into service once again, with this special edition of a Lewis Carroll classic, set in the White House rose garden.

The lead, playing the Red Queen, delivered a brief quote-worthy headline, all in caps. As the story unfolded, more than a few questionable members of the press pool found themselves on the cutting room floor.

With an eye toward accuracy, the costume department used a variety of media and some anonymous sources to make articles of clothing.

They produced this corresponding video, too.

Other costumes were thoroughly researched and authenticated.

Kellyanne, the Royal Apologist, painted the roses red, in accordance with the Queen’s wishes.

Backstage, the cards shuffled around aimlessly when Seven, after calling his bluff, decked the Ace of Spades.

Strictly off the record, it was a challenge for the cast to stay on script while the cameras rolled. However, they pulled through with few revisions and even made the deadline!

The Wee Folk Players (They’re a Stitch) formed after the 2016 election and have performed a string of episodes in the American Drama Series.

To keep up with new posts, please subscribe to this blog. Your contact info will not be sold or shared. If you’d like to see more frequent photos tracking the projects in my studio, please follow me on Facebook, Instagram and BlueSky.

Tap dance

Posted on March 7, 2017 by Salley Mavor

PUN ALERT!: The Wee Folk Players have been tapped to perform a new episode in the American Drama Series. The troupe has listened in and answered the call, even though they’ve been busy working right down to the wire. This impromptu tableau stars two leading men, who’ve both been clamoring for a role that puts them in the center ring.

For the set, the crew reused old furniture and costumes that have been through the ringer more than a few times! For props, they dialed back to the cold-war era and spied a previously untapped resource – a vintage Barbie princess phone.

Backstage is looking a bit worn and disheveled these days, but spirits are high and creativity abounds! Now if only the wee folk would help out and move that tub and couch, so the show can go on!

The Wee Folk Players (They’re a Stitch) formed after the 2016 election and have performed a string of episodes in the American Drama Series. To keep up with new posts, subscribe to this blog (top right column on the home page). For a wide ranging look at new and old material from my studio, please follow along on Instagram and Facebook. And to find out about Salley Mavor’s post-election satire, please read her this interview.

Little Red, White and Blue

Posted on March 5, 2017 by Salley Mavor

The Wee Folk Players (They’re a Stitch) turn to the classics to tell an age-old cautionary tale about hidden danger and hoodwinking, which is as relevant today as it was in the time of the Grimm Brothers. In this latest installment of the American Drama Series, Little Red, White and Blue meets Big Bad Bannon.

The backstage crew scoured the storeroom for furniture and props to enhance the indoor set, including hints at Big Bad Bannon’s hidden persona. An article from his distinct wardrobe hanging on the bed post is an obvious clue, as is his instruction manual.

Also, you can tell a lot about someone by what they keep on their bedside table. Explosive rhetoric (c/o GI Joe) could come in handy when “blowing up the establishment”.

Pausing on a cliff hanger, this episode begs for a sequel. Will Little Red, White and Blue succeed in her quest for truth and survive being tested to the limit by Big Bad Bannon and his front man?

And now for a glimpse behind the scenes: Make Up and Costuming devised Big Bad’s convincing guise for the scene in Grandma’s house.

The part of Little Red, White and Blue is played by a child star who relished the idea of stepping out of her previous roles and into a more edgy drama.

Here’s an overhead view of the wooded snow scene in the studio.

The Wee Folk Players (They’re a Stitch) formed after the 2016 election and have performed a string of episodes in the American Drama Series. To find out about Salley Mavor’s post-election satire, please read this interview.

Hanging by a Thread exhibit

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Salley Mavor

This month, Hanging by a Thread: Needle Art of Salley Mavor will be shown at Gallery 65 on William in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The owner, Nicole St. Pierre has graciously agreed to hang five large pieces in her gallery’s changing exhibit space. The show will be there until April 1st, 2017. Gallery open hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11:00 – 5:00.

Opening Reception: Thursday, March 9th, 5:00 to 8:00 pm, during New Bedford’s monthly AHA! Night. This month’s theme is “All Sewn Up”, a celebration of the city’s rich textile history, as well as its current day love affair with the textile medium. The streets and venues of downtown New Bedford will be alive from 5 to 9pm with performances, art exhibits, lectures, and much more.

The following works will be shown: (click on title to find out about each piece) Face Time, Whiskers, Cover Up, Birds of Beebe Woods and Displaced.

: Face Time

: Whiskers

: Cover Up

: Displaced, 24″ H x 22″ W, 2016

If you’re in the neighborhood, you can also take in the Excellence in Fibers exhibit, which is at the New Bedford Museum of Art until March 19th.

Coffee break

Posted on February 26, 2017 by Salley Mavor

The Wee Folk Players (They’re a Stitch) are back with another installment in the American Drama Series. This week’s episode is set in a cozy mid-century style kitchen and stars the Leading Man and his Alt-Right Hand Man.

Opening Scene: The morning sun streams in the window, as two men have a heart-to-heart over percolated coffee. Waxing philosophical about the meaning of life, they discuss their favorite books and share hopes and dreams for the future:
Leading Man: “Is it all going according to plan?”
Alt-Right Hand Man: “Yes, the deconstruction of the administrative state is underway.” (quote by Stephen Bannon, Conservative Political Action Conference, 2017)

During the break, the actors complained about the stale white bread, remarking that they prefer a healthy diet of fresh multi-grain and pumpernickel slices.

The prop team scoured second hand stores for nostalgic items to dress the kitchen set, evoking an earlier, simpler time. To complete the scene, they also procured a copy of Alt-Right Hand Man’s instruction manual, The Art of War.

Here’s a reflective candid shot through the window…

and here’s one of the Leading Man’s understudy, during a pensive moment, while he waited in the wings (below).

To find out about my post-election satire, please read this interview .

Galapagos adventure

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Salley Mavor

As promised, here are a selection of my husband Rob Goldsborough’s beautiful photographs from our recent trip to the Galapagos Islands. The one above of a Galapagos finch is one of my favorites. These finches played an important role in the development of Darwin’s theory of natural selection.

We went on daily excursions in inflated pangas from our mother ship.

Sea lions were a common sight…

as were Blue-footed Boobies – the bluer their feet, the healthier they are.

This young sea lion was almost oblivious to my presence.

We saw many giant tortoises lumbering along. The islands were named after the Spanish word for tortoise, “galapago”.

This iguana species is the only extant (or still existing) marine lizard on Earth.

We saw one flamingo in a shallow pond.

Magnificent frigate-birds dominated the sky..

and showed off their red throat pouches on land.

Sally Lightfoot crabs danced over the rocks at the sea shore.

This Black-legged Stilt waded, while an iguana crawled ashore.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed the tour. Polly went along, too and you can see her travel log here. The trip was a truly remarkable experience!

Strategy session

Posted on February 19, 2017 by Salley Mavor

Trying their best to avoid being distracted by real life dramatics, the cast and crew of the Wee Folk Players (They’re a Stitch) focused their nervous energy into producing this new skit.

Backstage, the mood was hectic, as all hands worked to stage a war room scene that looked like a “fine-tuned machine”. The prop manager located a portrait of Andrew Jackson, though the poor old fellow is in jeopardy of losing his standing as the worst president ever.

Despite rushed and competitive auditions, the newest actor was cast without incident. He/she wasted no time practicing lines and getting into character.

There was even an opportunity for product placement on the set.

Here’s a candid shot (below) of a rare lull in the action, as viewed from the wings. The troupe will take a very short break before starting rehearsals for the next episode in the American Drama Series. They must keep up their stamina because there’s sure to be a lot of exciting and compelling theater ahead!

Well suited

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Salley Mavor

The Wee Folk Players (They’re a Stitch) have recently added a new cast member who will play the part of councilor to the leading man. To stay in character, she keeps up a grueling maintenance schedule of peroxide touch-ups and has reserved every size 2 crimson costume available. And the hair and makeup takes forever!

The costume dept. made special pumps because the boss prefers his girls to look lady-like.

There’s always some drama happening on and off the set and she’s learned to avoid upstaging the Twitter Bird star, like in this bathroom scene below.

An experienced improvisational actress, she’s making use of her natural talent for telling tall tales. She explains her method this way, “It’s really very simple. In theater, we create the illusion of truth. If we do it well, the audience suspends belief and enters our alternate reality. You have to stick with fantasy over fact, or the spell is broken.”

The down-filled blue collar suit was first introduced in Fireside Chat and the leading man is so attached to it that he wears it all the time, way into the wee hours of the morning.

Polly in the Galapagos

Posted on February 12, 2017 by Salley Mavor

Polly just returned from a fascinating trip to the Galapagos Islands, off the coast of Ecuador. She dressed in an outfit suitable for a Charles Darwin expedition in the 1830’s. The excessive heat and humidity were a challenge in her long skirt, but at least she didn’t have to put sun screen on her wooden face. In this photo, you can barely make out the piles of sun bathing sea iguanas on the black volcanic rocks. A brown baby sea lion nestled in the rocks and slept through the photo session, while another looked on from the water’s edge.

Having nothing to fear, the animals were oblivious to humans. We were told that they don’t sleep close together because of affection, but to keep themselves warm. Polly took along a collection bag and straw hat for protection from the equatorial sun.

This is as close as she got to some land iguanas.

She hiked up to a high lookout on one of the islands…

and climbed cactus plants.

The giant tortoises were impressively old and slow.

While the Sally Lightfoot crabs were gaudy and fast.

This young sea lion slumbered on a bench. Polly resisted the temptation to tickle its whiskers.

Polly got a kick out of posing in front a photo collage of Charles Darwin, who was in his 20’s when he visited the Galapagos Islands in 1831. His theory of evolution, The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, based mainly on his observations there was published in 1859. More photos of the trip, with closeups of the animals go here.

To keep up with new posts, please subscribe to this blog (top right column on the home page). Your contact info will not be sold or shared. If you’d like to see more frequent photos tracking the projects in my studio, please follow me on Facebook and/or Instagram

Civics lesson

Posted on February 8, 2017 by Salley Mavor

The Constitution of the United States divides the federal government into three branches (Legislative, Executive, Judicial), to ensure a central government in which no individual or group gains too much control.

Behind the scenes at Wee Folk Players: Mirrors (but no smoke this time) were arranged to create a three way reflection on the minimalist set. Being a one man show, the scene didn’t require extra cast members.

Resident tech wizard Rob, promptly processed the documenting photo. The drama troupe is busy trying to keep up with script changes and a grueling rehearsal schedule. New cast members are being auditioned and needles are flying in the costume department. Stay tuned for more episodes in the American Drama Series!

The Wee Folk Players (They’re a Stitch) formed soon after the 2016 election and have performed a string of episodes in the American Drama Series. To find out about Salley Mavor’s post-election satire, please this interview.