- Shoalwater Storytellers
I often think of Robert Burns’ words when I see an un-posed photograph of myself. Had the Bard of Ayrshire lived 100 years later than he did – until after the advent of cameras – he might never have written his wonderful “On Seeing One on a Lady’s Bonnet in Church.”
The “one,” of course, was a louse, and it prompted Burns to write an eight stanza poem about those things about ourselves that others see and about which we are thankfully oblivious. It is the first two lines of the last stanza that most of us remember:
O wad some Pow’r the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!
The poem came to my mind just a few weeks ago, when Steve Rogers, President of the Pacific County Historical Society, emailed me some photographs of Nyel and myself. As the Shoalwater Storytellers, we had done a performance for the Historical Society in early October and Steve kindly sent us some all-too-candid shots. Oh my! Double chin, sagging boobs, tight-fitting costume! There it all was. Nyel, of course, looked terrific!
Nyel has told me for ten years, “Time to retire.”
When I saw those photos, I finally agreed with him. Shoalwater Storytellers is history!
Shoalwater Storytellers was a readers’ theater group begun by Lawrence Lessard and myself in 1981. I wrote the scripts, taking the material from interesting historic incidents in Pacific County. Titles included “Chinook Indian Legend,” “The Burning of the Bruce,” “The Frederiksen Murders,” and “Kidnapping the County Seat.” Lawrence was the director, adding his amazing theatrical flair to produce the stylized, dramatic presentation that became our signature.
We developed more than four hours worth of material and were able to tailor a one-hour production to whatever the occasion demanded. We prevailed upon our friends Pat and Noel Thomas and Bob and Senta Cook to become Storytellers with us. By 1983, only Lawrence and I remained in the ‘group’ and by 1985, Lawrence, too, was gone. Nyel (bless him!) stepped into Lawrence’s big acting shoes, and he and I soldiered on.
Under the auspices of the Oysterville Restoration Foundation (ORF), Nyel applied for a grant from Humanities Washington for the Storytellers. The grant enabled us to perform, free of charge, in the Oysterville Church, giving our proceeds to ORF. We managed to renew the grant for two succeeding years and performed every Saturday of July and August from 1986 thru 1988. Since then, gigs have been sporadic, though we’ve ‘answered a call’ here or there for most years.
And now we are done.
Perhaps your startled/horrified look came from the knowledge that you’d be driving home that night in a monsoon! I know how busy you and Nyel are, but it would be grand if periodically you could tell stories at the church or community club or YOUR LIVING ROOM. I would personally love that.
Ok, darlin’, I’m calling a big bullshit on this Shoalwater plug-pulling idea of yours! If you want to stop doing it so you free up more time for other things you love, then fine, but if you’re quitting because you don’t like a picture of yourself, then hold on just a minute, there, girly! Who will be left to show us how to age artfully, gracefully, and with joy? Who will prove that we can appreciate how our bodies and facial expressions look regardless of what we “think” others are thinking? AAaaarrrggghhh! Give me another reason other than you got a photo you aren’t fond of! (Yeah, that’s a preposition dangling there on the end—sometimes I get really passionate and don’t stop to edit!) Sydney, you’re the BEST, and I don’t want you thinking any less of yourself. You’re a role model, a mentor, a hero to many of us. God gave us a valuable tool in the DELETE button! Press it when viewing the picture and carry on! 🙂 Lecture over. 🙂
Just chalk it up to “vanity, thy name is Sydney!” It’s as good an excuse as any, I say! I’m still here, older than dirt, to show everyone how to “age artfully, gracefully, and with joy” as you say. I just don’t have to do it while I’m portraying characters half my age and having to adapt the action to a body that can no longer bend, twist, jump, and climb with alacrity! The photographs made all that alarmingly apparent. But, you are right. They are not the only reason. They just made the reasons oh so obvious. My fondest wish would be to pass the baton to another couple who would carry on the tradition.
I wish I looked as good as you do, Sydney, and I know Ana thinks you are beautiful. As a public figure you have to expect for someone to freeze frame a nanosecond of time that looks ridiculous when taken out of context. I agree with Jan!
Great! Now I’m responsible for the demise of the Shoalwater Storytellers! Ouch!
I “heart” Nyel and Sydney!!!!