The Snake in the Garden is a collaboration between two women -- one Black, one white -- that delves into the minds of both Black and white characters. The result is an explosive depiction of racism in 20th-century America, and a powerful story of transcendence over the scars of the past. It's a riveting novel of love, racism and justice that resonates in our time and should be part of any discussion of racism in America today. The story is based on Brenda Sutton Turner's experiences growing up as a Black girl in Texarkana, Arkansas, where she witnessed the flagrant abuses of young Black men under the justice system. It's told through four generations of interracial relationships, and pays homage to Kate Chopin's brillant and devastating depiction of racism in her short story, "Desiree's Baby".

 This new adaptation of the beloved prose-poem by Dylan Thomas closely follows the original work. In Act I, the “Adult Dylan” is reading his story out loud in a comfortable chair on the side as the words are acted out, and sometimes spoken, by actors on the stage.  Act II is the Christmas party, with the Uncles snoozing after their turkey dinner,  “present-giving time,” games, songs and ghost stories. Except for one song, which is licensed with the play, the music is all in the public domain and easily downloaded from the internet. Instrumentation can be a piano, or fiddle and guitar, along with other folk instruments if desired.  The cast includes children and any ages of adults.

 

Independently Yours is a gentle, life-affirming comedy about one of the major issues of our day. The play is based on the paradox that sometimes, like our country, you need to join together to be truly independent.
    Four residents of the High Haven Senior Living home in San Diego want to rent a house together. Each has a reason they are not able to live alone, but together, they hope to achieve independence. They encounter two problems: Their adult children at first are against the plan, and strict zoning laws 
that restrict housing to a single family. Will they be able to prove they constitute a family and so have a right to keep their independence – together?
 

This program was produced and performed by the Celtic Band, Paint a Rose, for the 2006 Kern County Scottish Society’s Burns Night supper. The band had 5 members – 2 women, 3 men. The instrumentation was fiddle, guitar, cello/tenor banjo, keyboard/accordion, whistle/bodhran. 
     The program will be downloaded as a full-page word document that can be freely adapted to suit the performing group. It requires a minimum of one man and one woman, and at least a fiddle, with guitar or keys. Two singers, a man and a woman with a backup band could also work.