The Way They Left When They Did
Words — Kathleen Cramer
Music — O-Lan Jones

An evening of two short original myths that explore the forces we all are living with, struggling against and attempting to enter.

In The Man Whose Brother Was Eaten by Wolves a famine has resulted from all the Real People having been eaten. The wolves are starving even to the point of considering eating what has been strictly forbidden. In a circus like atmosphere we are caught up in all the forces that consume us from the outside.

In The Woman Who Forgot Her Sweater a woman arrives too late to be with her dying mother. But the shock allows her to find what she has for so long avoided. In this world we find that something more is ahead of us now; we must contend with those forces of our own making that consume us from within.

String of Pearls

A new look at old myths. Establishes Overtone's interest in exploring how and why we live and the stories we make to explain them and sing them to each other.

The Pearls: Diana Goddess of the Hunt, Modesto, Heracles and the Hydra, Happy hour Becomes Electra

The String: Between each of the pearls, four short operatic myths, a wooden Mermaid, the figurehead from a ship, comes to life and sings the Introduction to each. Near the beginning she sings:
"Old myths are old men
tapping the new man on the shoulder,
If he feels nothing, he will go on,
If he feels something he will also go on,
But it will be a different sailing."

SEE: Heracles fight himself and all the Hydra's heads beside the "Lake of all our dreams." The old post card come to abstract life and feeling, showing our ancestors building an immigrant, American life in Modesto.

HEAR: Diana, Goddess of the Hunt, calling: "Howl every beast of the woods! Wild women come to me, let your hearts beat like little drums". And Her human husband, Bud: "You goin' out again tonight, honey?" Teenaged Electra accusing her mother, Clytemnestra: "You dropped the bomb on my head, and it hurts."

It's a Pretty Good Life
(A wildly original holiday play with fabulous songs)

The Set up: Three Wise Women, badly in need of a job, accept to put on a Production of A Christmas Carol in a far off city.

What Happens: They arrive in an empty theater on the afternoon of what should be opening night without resources, knowing no one and, as it turns out never having read the story! People show up. There is a crash-landed lower level angel, a wheelchair bound actor/singer named Screamin' Stephen J.Hawking, his nurse, a tap dancer and a theater critic... all of them found to be perfect for the night's performance and to sing the classic Overtone songs "Why do I have to do everything?" and "What's in a dress?" Not to mention Mr. Hawking's rendition of "I'm a Star, I'm an Old Star, and the Never to be forgotten anthemic "It's a pretty good life."

See it with someone you love!