“Love Loss and What I Wore” on Stage in Bigfork

A comedy about how women’s clothes dress up life’s events is what makes “Love Loss and What I Wore” special. The Edge Center, known for presenting the unusual and uncommon, presents a play that explains that, to really understand women, one needs to understand what they wear and why. By adding St. Paul’s Linda Kelsey with her well-known acting talents to a dynamic mix of local performers plus a new-comer,  you have an unforgettable cast-mix and play. Performances are at The Edge Center in Bigfork on November 16-18 at 7PM on Friday, Saturday and 2PM Sunday. Admission is $12 for adults.

The stage waits for "Love Loss and What I wore".

Rehearsals are in progress.

Written by Nora and Delia Ephron, it is based on the 1995 book of the same name by Ilene Beckerman. A cast of five principal actors performs a series of monologues discussing topics like relationships and wardrobes and the interaction of the two. The production won the 2010 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience as well as the 2010 Broadway.com Audience Award for Favorite New Off-Broadway Play. Nora Ephron (Academy Award nominee for Silkwood,” “When Harry Met Sally”, and “Sleepless in Seattle”) and her sister, Delia Ephron, with whom she co-wrote “You've Got Mail”, “Hanging Up”, and “Bewitched”, collaborated on this show. Nora has said that it “is not about fashion; it is about what clothes really are to us, those moments when we are constantly trying to find our identity through them"

The cast is made up of two close theater friends, Linda Kelsey (above) and Patricia Feld (below), along with a team of medical professionals from the Bigfork Valley Hospital and Clinic, Heidi Korstad, MD, Kimberly Powell, RN and Paula Taylor, Pharmacist.

Linda and Patty have been friends for decades meeting at the University of Minnesota while performing in the play “Tom Sawyer”. Linda was Becky Thatcher and Patty the minister’s wife. They have remained close friends ever since. The first time Linda performed in Bigfork was in “The Bell of Amherst”, then in “The Lady With All The Answers”, directed by Patty. Returning the favor, Linda directed Patty in “Wit”. This will be the first time they will be on stage together since college.

The Bigfork Valley trio includes Dr. Korstad (above), a physician in Bigfork for over 20 years, who will be making her on-stage debut. However she has been an indispensable talent for The Edge Center from its beginning as Technical Director and lighting expert. Kimberly Powell was an EdgeWild player in “Mary, Mary” in 1998 and many other plays including, “Circle Mirror Transformation” and “The Laramie Project”. Paula Taylor has appeared as an EdgeWild player since 1997 in “Ah, Wilderness!” and many others since then including “Three Tall Women”, “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Circle Mirror Transformation”.  The following picture is from "Three Tall Women" showing left to right, Paula Taylor, Patty Feld and Kinberly Powell.

Patricia Feld, Artistic Director of The Edge Center says, “It was time to do a comedy, but it had to be a smart, sophisticated one that met The Edge criteria of being different. This play was recommended by Linda Kelsey and passes all the tests wonderfully. It’s a hoot of a play that’s a series monologues and one-liners just like women chatting together. It has been shown on six continents in over eight countries. This is one you should see because it is unforgettable and you will keep it with you for a long time whether you are a man or woman.”  Below is another view of rehearsals for The Edge performance of  "Love, Loss and What I Wore."

In case you have not heard enough to encourage you to come to Bigfork and see this play here is part of a review by the New York Times when it included Rosie O’Donnell in the cast.


THEATER REVIEW
'LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE'

Spandex Agonistes: Why Don’t You Try It On?

Below is the cast in New York with Rosie O’Donnell.

By CHARLES ISHERWOOD
Published: October 2, 2009

I have always been happy not to have to carry a purse, but I am happier than ever at this lifelong good fortune after hearing Rosie O’Donnell describe the soul-scarring humiliation of possessing a messy handbag in “Love, Loss, and What I Wore,” a new show about matters of the heart and matters of the closet that opened on Thursday night at the Westside Theater.

Written by Nora and Delia Ephron and based on the book by Ilene Beckerman, the show is a scrapbook of stories about unfortunate prom dresses, the traumatic lighting in fitting rooms, high heels, short skirts and the existential state of having nothing to wear. Accessorizing these tales — which are mostly comic but often sad or sentimental too — are the mothers who disapprove, the men who disappear, the sisters who’ve got your back.

If there are chick flicks and chick lit — derogatory though some might find those terms to be — “Love, Loss, and What I Wore” should clearly be classified as chick legit. (In old-school parlance, legit is shorthand for the legitimate theater.) Breezy and perfectly enjoyable for the stray men in the room, it’s like a big bowl of buttered popcorn (but calorie-free!) for the women who can share deeply in the particulars of experience dissected and discussed…

For more see the whole review at:

http://theater.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/theater/reviews/02love.html?_r=0

Below is a final view of The Edge Center cast.

So many New Ways to Say Happy Holiday

This year’s holiday gift sale at The Edge Center Gallery in Bigfork helps make giving different. Everything is handmade by over 20 local artists providing a way to give a gift that’s affordable and special. Special means that no one else will get the same thing, that someone local has made it, and that the person receiving it knows you care about what a gift says. There are many more affordable treasures than in the past and if your purchase early, it will include a discount coupon for the upcoming Edge production, “Love, Loss and What I Wore”. This 8th annual gift show is open in The Edge Center Art Gallery November 1 through December 16th on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday each week from 10AM to 4PM. The opening reception is November 2 at 5PM.

This year’s show is really full! You won’t be able to see everything in a quick pass though. And, you will be able to find a lot more that is priced to sell. Too bad the gallery is not bigger for this year’s event.  The following is just a part of the gift show's delights.  You will also see paintings, cards, wild rice, handmade soaps & bath products, knitted & sewn gifts, rustic arrangements and more.

Starting with decorating for the season, you can add a unique look with some really matchless items that can catch anyone’s attention. It is amazing how many ways one can make a wreath look beautiful.

Home made jellies and jams, handmade potholders and cards all can add a very personal and warm touch to saying “you are special” with a gift.

This wood burning took an artist’s talent and the plenty patience to turn ordinary wood into something superb to hang on a wall or stand-up on a table.

There are so many jewelry items in one case here that you will be hard-pressed to choose the one for your loved one or special friend. All hand-made they show a style and beauty that says “you are distinctive”.

These gems are hand knitted chatelaine purses with glass beads and take days or weeks to complete. Patience, skill and commitment go into each one. Certainly anyone who receives one of these will feel loved.

An art that goes back thousands of years is well represented here with colors and beauty that will decorate anything anywhere. The artist who did these certainly shows what this art form can represent.

If you make a purchase in time from the gift show this year you will get a discount coupon for a ticket to “Love, Loss and What I wore” being presented this month by The Edge Wild Players on stage at The Edge Center. The coupon is for $2 off of a $12 adult ticket or $1 off of a children’s ticket. The dates of the play are Friday November, 16 through Sunday, November 18. So come and buy your gifts early.

Here is a little bit about the play. The show is performed by a cast of five women. It is a scrapbook of 28 different stories, which usually have a strong emotional component and that seek to illuminate the female identity. The subject matter includes women's relationships, their wardrobes, and at times the interaction of the two; unfortu-nate prom dresses, the traumatic lighting in fitting rooms, high heels, short skirts and the existential state of having nothing to wear!

Edge Center Gallery wouldn't be possible without the help of our generous volunteers. Volunteer opportunities include: Gallery hosting, Opening Reception Assistance and Show Set-Up or Take-Down. This photo only shows some of the volunteers who set up this show over two days. Thanks to all the volunteers who work very hard all year to make visiting the gallery a special occasion.