February 19, a gray stone house on a quiet street, a gravedigger’s tale. These sound like necessary ingredients for a murder mystery, but instead they were parts of our cozy, bright Victorian Happy Hour Salon to benefit the upcoming mainstage show, Gravedigger: The Plays of Mark Borkowski.
L-R- Actor Kenneth MacGregor, playwright Mark Borkowski, and Board President Marne Castillo.
Marne Castillo, the newly elected Board President for B. Someday Productions, the resident company of Walking Fish Theatre, opened her new home to us for delicious beverages, snacks, mixing and mingling. Monsieur Thujone of The Absinthe Drinkers was our master of ceremonies and bon vivant and Melissa Santangelo of The Oubliette Ensemble provided lovely harp music. Raffle prizes were provided by El Quetzal, The Music Fountain Cafe, Historic Philadelphia, The Aramingo Diner, The Philadelphia School of Burlesque, and many more.
Mistress Vicky performs a tarot reading for a guest.
Most importantly, excerpts from our upcoming show were read by the cast. The plays in this show- A Gravedigger’s Tale, The Mutilation of Saint Barbara, and Twilight’s Child, were all inspired by things that Borkowski witnessed while growing up in Kensington.
Salon guests enjoy dramatic readings in Ms. Castillo's foyer.
The stories in Gravedigger are not for the faint of heart. They are spellbinding tales with unique characters, and every one has their own exclusive version of a happy ending. Surrounded by the luxury and kindness in Marne’s home, seeing and hearing these excerpts of these gritty, gripping plays was like having a visitation from a ghost.
The plays will come to life in full this May, the 5th through the 23rd, 2010. We’re proud to say that thanks to the help of Marne Castillo, our board members, and all of our supporters, we did make our goal for this fundraiser. To those of you who helped us, we are grateful for your support of our programs and mission.
If you missed this fantastic party, don’t fret- keep your calendar clear for The Spring Blues Soiree on April 10!
Managing Artistic Director Michelle Pauls and longtime supporter Dr. Bob Wallner.
We’ll have entertainment by New-Orleans-style blues band New Pony, in the garden-cottage setting of the Angler Movement Arts Studio in Fishtown. Wear your best party dress and kick off your shoes to dance! keep your eyes on walkingfishtheatre.com to purchase tickets with no handling fee.
