I am thrilled to say that"The Ballad of Downtown Jake," a music drama based on my collection of poems High Notes--and for which I wrote the book and lyrics--has two nominations for the 2015 ariZoni Awards.
Nominations:
Original Script--Adult--Play or Musical (Lois Roma-Deeley)
Original Music Composition--Adult--Play or Musical (Christopher Scinto)
http://www.arizoniawards.com/
from website:
The ariZoni Theatre Awards of Excellence
About Us
The
ariZoni Theatre Awards is a not-for-profit organization devoted to
promoting the visibility and growth of theatre in the Valley of the Sun
& Maricopa County. Each year at its annual awards ceremony, the
Board bestows an outstanding contribution award and a distinguished
service award to deserving individuals or organizations for their
contributions to theatre. In addition, the ariZoni Scholarship
Committee will award one or more scholarships to selected, qualified
students.
Most
importantly, after completion of an exhaustive judging process,
(involving close to 100 Adjudicators) awards of excellence are
presented to those individuals who have excelled in performance and
production during the just-completed season.
These awards represent true celebrations of EXCELLENCE IN THEATRE.
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Monday, July 20, 2015
Roma-Deeley's poem "Otherwise"--The Good Men Project
I am thrilled my poem "Otherwise" is on The Good Men Project webpage!
http://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/chb-otherwise/
http://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/chb-otherwise/
Otherwise
From this distance, my husband seems so
small.
Like water over mill wheels, he moves
Through dreams in one direction. If I call
To him from this great height: we
Had a life no one thought practical,
Will he look up and will he answer me?
Love and work will kill him. I've seen his eyes
Study the clouds, heavy with ridicule,
Too late.
But what if there were better lives,
Some way we always think that it should
be? Our days
Filled with a furious constancy,
Rise through the rain. We are not what we became.
I have looked into the palm of his hand
Cupped under the well-pump and don't know
why
He doesn't scream out loud. The farmer
And his wife--Tom and Jane--two marks
Over one grave. Now he sees my face
In the light on a pool of standing
water...
From a whisper of dark,
Honeysuckle in the meadowland,
I breathe out the last of my heart--
We have lived as if this is commonplace.
(first published on BestPoem.com
Otherwise
From this distance, my husband seems so small.
Like water over mill wheels, he moves
Through dreams in one direction. If I call
To him from this great height: we
Had a life no one thought practical,
Will he look up and will he answer me?
Love and work will kill him. I’ve seen his eyes
Study the clouds, heavy with ridicule,
Too late. But what if there were better lives,
Some way we always think that it should be? Our days
Filled with a furious constancy,
Rise through the rain. We are not what we became.
I have looked into the palm of his hand
Cupped under the well-pump and don’t know why
He doesn’t scream out loud. The farmer
And his wife–Tom and Jane–two marks
Over one grave. Now he sees my face
In the light on a pool of standing water…
From a whisper of dark,
Honeysuckle in the meadowland,
I breathe out the last of my heart–
We have lived as if this is commonplace.
***
(first published on BestPoem.com)
- See more at: http://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/chb-otherwise/#sthash.JT9B3VlV.dpuf
From this distance, my husband seems so small.
Like water over mill wheels, he moves
Through dreams in one direction. If I call
To him from this great height: we
Had a life no one thought practical,
Will he look up and will he answer me?
Love and work will kill him. I’ve seen his eyes
Study the clouds, heavy with ridicule,
Too late. But what if there were better lives,
Some way we always think that it should be? Our days
Filled with a furious constancy,
Rise through the rain. We are not what we became.
I have looked into the palm of his hand
Cupped under the well-pump and don’t know why
He doesn’t scream out loud. The farmer
And his wife–Tom and Jane–two marks
Over one grave. Now he sees my face
In the light on a pool of standing water…
From a whisper of dark,
Honeysuckle in the meadowland,
I breathe out the last of my heart–
We have lived as if this is commonplace.
***
(first published on BestPoem.com)
- See more at: http://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/chb-otherwise/#sthash.JT9B3VlV.dpuf
Otherwise
From this distance, my husband seems so small.
Like water over mill wheels, he moves
Through dreams in one direction. If I call
To him from this great height: we
Had a life no one thought practical,
Will he look up and will he answer me?
Love and work will kill him. I’ve seen his eyes
Study the clouds, heavy with ridicule,
Too late. But what if there were better lives,
Some way we always think that it should be? Our days
Filled with a furious constancy,
Rise through the rain. We are not what we became.
I have looked into the palm of his hand
Cupped under the well-pump and don’t know why
He doesn’t scream out loud. The farmer
And his wife–Tom and Jane–two marks
Over one grave. Now he sees my face
In the light on a pool of standing water…
From a whisper of dark,
Honeysuckle in the meadowland,
I breathe out the last of my heart–
We have lived as if this is commonplace.
***
(first published on BestPoem.com)
- See more at: http://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/chb-otherwise/#sthash.JT9B3VlV.dpuf
From this distance, my husband seems so small.
Like water over mill wheels, he moves
Through dreams in one direction. If I call
To him from this great height: we
Had a life no one thought practical,
Will he look up and will he answer me?
Love and work will kill him. I’ve seen his eyes
Study the clouds, heavy with ridicule,
Too late. But what if there were better lives,
Some way we always think that it should be? Our days
Filled with a furious constancy,
Rise through the rain. We are not what we became.
I have looked into the palm of his hand
Cupped under the well-pump and don’t know why
He doesn’t scream out loud. The farmer
And his wife–Tom and Jane–two marks
Over one grave. Now he sees my face
In the light on a pool of standing water…
From a whisper of dark,
Honeysuckle in the meadowland,
I breathe out the last of my heart–
We have lived as if this is commonplace.
***
(first published on BestPoem.com)
- See more at: http://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/chb-otherwise/#sthash.JT9B3VlV.dpuf
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
The Ballad of Downtown Jake, based on HIGH NOTES, by Lois Roma-Deeley, World Premiere March 12
THE BALLAD OF DOWNTOWN JAKE
(a contemporary music drama - for mature audiences)
Created by PVCC Faculty members Dr. Lois Roma-Deeley and Dr.
Christopher Scinto
Directed by PVCC Faculty member Andrea Robertson
March 12th, 13th, 14th @ 7:30pm; Sunday March 15th @ 2:00pm.
$8‐$15 Admission.
Video Preview:
THE BALLAD OF DOWNTOWN JAKE is
set in the shadowy jazz scene of the late 1950’s. On the road to success, Jake
Delmonico, once crowned the greatest saxophonist America has ever heard, takes
several dark turns, which threaten his life and, ultimately, his music. Each of
the main characters—hustler, jazz man, singer, waitress—and even the one
hovering Angel—struggle with themselves and the world they find themselves
living in. Jake’s addiction to drugs has resulted in the deaths of his children
and the near ruin of his music. Harry Jones tempts Jake, again and again, with
heroin. Sugar Baby’s unrelenting grief and emotional overdependence on Jake has
pivoted her life toward drugs, alcohol and prostitution. As the Civil Rights
movement is stirring, Jasmine is beginning to confront her own anger over
injustice. At each and every turn, the Angel refuses to give up hope for these
souls of “the imperfect now.” The spirits of Johnny Dae, Charlie “Bird” Parker
and other jazz greats appear in various ways to offer comfort and not a small
amount of warning. Lust, betrayal, longing and love make the journey these five
characters take a treacherous one, marked by addiction, redemption, hope and
one last shot at fame.
"What a journey this has been!" says Lois
Roma-Deeley, who wrote the lyrics and book for the show. “After nearly 10 years
of collaborating with composer Christopher Scinto on this project and now
working with such outstanding artists, I am thrilled to see the fusion of music
and poetry, story and character, struggle and hope, come to life on stage. The
total effect is pure magic!"
Composer and musical director Christopher Scinto says, “The
musical score for JAKE is heavily influenced by the blues and small combo jazz
of the 1950s, which are fused together with musical conventions found in opera
and musical theater.”
“The opportunity to direct a new work is a rare and
wonderful one,” says Andrea Robertson. “Having the chance to turn to the
playwright and composer and say ‘what if we tried this?’ or ‘can you clarify
this character choice?’ is amazing; usually as a director you are feeling
around in the dark, guessing as best you can what the playwright meant or
wanted.”
--
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