• • February 17, 2012 • •
Mary Stride, Myrtha:

Have you ever heard the saying "That gave me the Wilis", and wondered where it came from? From medieval Rhineland legend, described by the poet Heinrich Heine, Wilis are sylph-like vengeful ghosts of young maidens who've died of broken hearts before their wedding day. They dance about at night in the Bavarian forest, in their wedding gowns and veils, in hopes of ensnaring any man traveling in their path. They proceed to taunt and terrorize him to his death by making him dance till his heart ceases, and then toss him in a nearby lake. Heine's tale was later written into the romantic era ballet Giselle, about a peasant girl who falls in love with Albrecht. But, Albrecht is really a duke, betrothed to Bathilde, and the truth eventually surfaces. The betrayal causes Giselle to go mad, and her already weakened heart gives out. She dies, and assumes her fate as a Wili.

I was so excited to learn I was to do Myrtha, a role surrounding love, heartbreak, death, and revenge. In the past, I've always been the "good" fairy, The Sweetheart Rose, Sugar Plum Fairy, Lilac Fairy, The Fairy Godmother, and so forth--always the smiling, warm gracious persona, and often with a magic wand! I feel quite comfortable in that type of role, but always wanted to sink my teeth into something with darker emotions.

So who is Myrtha? She is the Queen of the Wilis, commanding her sisterhood of maiden spirits from their graves each night, to seek their male prey. Myrtha is pure dark energy: any emotional remains from her heartache are long gone, converted to bitterness and coldness, she is driven without any thought or awareness to seek revenge. She no longer remembers the love she once experienced, nor is she willing to witness it in Giselle and Albrecht. She is unyielding, unforgiving, un-human.

I teach ballet to 10 and 11 year olds, and their first question was, "Well, who broke Myrtha's heart?" I wish I knew what happened to Myrtha, and how she became Queen. Was it because her heartache the worst? Or has she simply been around the longest?

To prepare emotionally has been surprisingly easy, by allowing whatever dark matter may be lurking around to come to the surface--it seems to work for Myrtha rehearsals. At this point in my life at 42, there is usually something! Or perhaps I have simply become more aware and less affected by my dark side, so I can safely play with it, who knows. But we all agree that every woman has had her heart broken, and can call upon feelings of anger, frustration, disappointment, and despair. So, this is the perfect cathartic role!

To get through the technique is certainly more challenging. This is a most physically demanding piece of choreography. It is a role of big jumps, gliding bourrees where I will look like I am floating across the stage on the tips of my pointe shoes, and lots of arabesque--I'm still looking for "The Arabesque Store", or "an app for that!" All of this technique needs to appear swift and effortless, as we are ghosts. All classical ballet is extremely difficult when experienced from inside the dancer's body and mind, yet we make it look so easy...

Working with Associate Artistic Director Nell Shipman is always a rewarding experience. She brings to the studio her clear, strong vision and directorship, but it's always balanced by her sense of humor and flexibility. For Myrtha, I am split cast with Morgan Sanborn. We are two very different dancers, and it shows in how we are responding to the different possibilities for Myrtha's choreography. I've noticed American versions tend to be sharp and angular, while European and Russian versions are softer and more floating, especially through the arms. Morgan's technique and movement style is better suited to an American staging, while I gravitate more toward the Kirov's (Russian.) Nell intuitively understands these differences of her two Myrthas and tailors accordingly. We end up working to our natural strengths, which is absolutely necessary for a role this challenging. A split cast is a good idea for these types of role, not only to give two dancers the opportunity to grow, but also to keep us healthy. It's too much to do two runs of Myrtha or Giselle in one day. Albrecht....well, we only have one Albrecht, so it looks like he will have to suffer twice! It's all part of his character anyway, right?

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• • October 26, 2010 • •
Robert Lehmann, Conductor:

So who is the only person allowed to have his back to the audience during the WHOLE show? Well, that would be me, the conductor. That is because my audience consists of the musicians in the orchestra and the dancers on stage in front of me. My main job is to make sure everything holds together. I study the score and rehearse the orchestra in order to make sure that the composer's intentions are correctly recreated by the orchestra. Next, I aim to bring the music together with the action on stage, lending aural support to the choreographer's vision. Finally, I make sure the dancers and musicians have the support and flexibility they need to perform at their best.

I have enjoyed learning score to The Legend of Sleepy Hollow over the last few weeks. The story is very vividly depicted in the music. Individual characters and overall scenes are beautifully portrayed in the orchestration. From this vivid score, I can already 'see' the action and the characters coming to life on stage.

There is nothing more exciting than the premiere of a new work, and I have the privilege of being in the driver's seat! Bringing together the various elements for a work that has never 'been' before is truly an honor and quite a responsibility! I'm looking forward to having both the composer and the choreographer on site. It will be fascinating to see how the various strands of this 'triple helix' will come together in the space of a few rehearsals. There will never be another first performance of this work, but I know there will definitely be more future performances of this ballet.

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• • October 18, 2010 • •
Nell Shipman, Choreographer:

I remember first hearing Portland Ballet Artistic Director Genie O'Brien talking about The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in 2006. We were discussing programs and shows that would be unique to PBC and interesting to our audiences. My ears perked up immediately at the mention of this particular idea.

Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was an October staple in my childhood home. I have vivid memories of my father chasing my 4 siblings and me around the first floor of our house with a jack-o-lantern in front of his face. He had (and still has) the world's best spooky laugh. After the romp around the house my mom would gather up the kids and help us sort our Halloween candy, everyone happy and thoroughly entertained...everyone except their youngest daughter. I knew it was just my dad, I knew there was no such thing as a headless horseman, and if there were such a thing I was CERTAIN my mom wouldn't let us live in a place where he roamed free...but I was still scared. That was pretty much how I spent a majority of my young life - I was a scaredy-cat. OK…I still am a scaredy-cat. But it's not so bad, and it has drawn me closer to all things spooky and consequently most things revolving around Halloween.

Jumping back to the almost present, when we first started talking about Sleepy Hollow as a ballet I immediately had ideas. I knew the story and it had such ties to my childhood and that I felt responsible for making it as fantastic as my memories. Instantly I had movement running around my head. This isn't so unusual for me. Generally speaking, as a choreographer, when I am presented with ideas or a concept that peaks my interest I can start to 'see' it almost instantly. The difference with this project was that, also generally speaking, it is usually music that gets my juices flowing. Since this was going to be completely new, I had no reference for music and so I started my search.

I usually tell people that I choreograph because I'm a terrible musician, which at first doesn't make very much sense, but what I mean is that I love music so much and I'm so terrible at playing it (just ask my clarinet, recorder, mandolin, or any other instrument that has had the misfortune of crossing my path) that the closest I can get to it is moving with it and through it, which I have found is a very natural part of who I am. It is rare that I hear music and don't see movement to it. Sometimes it can actually be pretty annoying, but for the most part it's how my brain works and, much like being a self-confessed scaredy-cat, I now really enjoy it and know that's a part of what makes me. So, needless to say, I took this search to find the music very seriously. Everyday looking and listening and exploring different pieces and ideas. And one day the clouds parted and the ballet gods, or Google I can't remember which, pointed me in the direction of composer Kirt Mosier. I found a piece of his entitled "Two Scenes from the Hollow" and I fell in love with the music. I knew immediately this was it. I knew because as I was listening I saw it - Ichabod sitting on a stump reading a book when specters immerge from his imagination and dance around delighting in making his skin crawl with goose bumps and spooking him out of his seat and back into town. Clear as a bell. I contacted Kirt, who was interested and ready, and away we went.

I immediately reread the story and studied it and came up with a detailed play by play of what each scene would look and potentially sound like. I then sent the libretto and musical outline I came up with to Kirt and he started sending the music. Now the real work began. Every time a new piece of the score came in, which by the way was like Christmas morning each time I opened my e mail, I had to study it as well. I like this part. I play the music on loop and let it run again and again and again and again…you get where I'm going. I have always done this with music so it doesn't bother me like it does some people (my apologies to my college roommate). While the music is playing I count it out in my own special way which most times makes no sense to musicians but usually translates well to my dancers. A lot of times during this process I write the piece out, also in my own special way which I'm pretty sure doesn't make sense to anyone and probably won't to me in a few years time either, but it can be an important reference when dealing with a piece that has many parts. I have notebooks filled with mysterious phrases that once were the lifeline to pieces that have helped define my career. With this production, however, I decided to have a basic outline of what I wanted and then to create the in's and out's as we moved forward in the studio so I put nothing on paper besides my study of the music. This was hard for me because when I am choreographing, before I get it out either on paper or people, it lives somewhere inside of me. It's somewhat hard to explain. The piece lives behind my eyes and under my breath. It's with me everywhere I go and it consumes me in a peculiar way. Don't get me wrong, I function just fine in day to day life, but in small moments I work the piece and can easily get very lost in it. It can come across as absent mindedness or some sort of disconnect, but I'm just connecting to something else…for a moment. So, this choreography had been living for a quite a while before I started asking the dancers to give it another life.

Finally putting my movement on other bodies is a lot of fun and enormous amounts of work. Portland Ballet Company is full of incredible dancers, they are well trained, committed to their art, and all hilariously fun people to be around. But like every ballet company, each dancer has a style that is their own and every body moves differently. So the challenge comes in the rehearsals with not just teaching the choreography but getting it to look on them like it does in my head. One of my short falls as a choreographer, yep - I have one, is that I tend to teach the movement phrases really quickly and then move on right away. This opens the door to a lot of different interpretations and can lead to some confusion early on, but the dancers have patience with me and I have patience with them so rehearsals move smoothly and quickly. One of my favorite parts of the rehearsal process are the insane conversations that happen between choreographers and dancers. Dancers use lots of nonsense words to describe the phrasing of movement. Syllables, like dah, dee, teetum, braaap etc., that usually mean nothing take on great definition when spoken in the studio and conversations using nothing but these sounds can go on in earnest for quite some time. To passersby it may seem like a bit of nonsense but it is in these moments that the most understanding happens and the confusion cloud is lifted.

The corps work of the ballet moved quickly and the character of the story took hold immediately. The longer part of rehearsals comes into play with the lead characters, it's not because these dancers take longer to learn the movement, rather these dancers have to tell the story completely. Along with being outstanding technicians they also have to be fantastic actors…and that's exactly who we've got. Morgan Sanborn plays Katrina and she has the unfortunate task of being the most beautiful and most loved young woman in town. It's a tough job, but she does it well. Joseph Jefferies is new to PBC but a veteran in the dance world. He comes to us fresh from his tour with Ballet Trocadero, the comedic all male ballet company (if you haven't seen them yet...you NEED to). Joseph plays the young strapping Brom Bones and the speed at which he learned the choreography frightened me. I used to pride myself at picking up movement quickly, until I saw him learn an hour's worth of choreography in 4 short rehearsals. I'm waiting for him to step into a phone a booth and emerge in his super hero costume, but that hasn't happened...yet. Derek Clifford is a veteran to both the dance world and PBC and he plays the intelligent, if not slightly awkward, Ichabod Crane. Being the main character also means carrying the most responsibility in moving the story forward, and so it is with Derek I spend the most time rehearsing. Well, we spend most of the time laughing at the character development we come up with, but also a good portion of time rehearsing the steps. The hardest part for me is staying focused on the movement phrases, which I think can be frustrating for the dancers at times. I want so badly for the story to be true and believable that I throw out the steps and move on to how it fits together, and more often times than not I hear "Um...Nell...can you do that again?" or the also popular "I have no idea what you just did". But it is coming together even though I am forced to repeat a complicated movement phrase more than once no matter how furiously I try to press on.

I have designed the entire vision of this production, from the sets to the costumes to the choreography and like most world premieres I won't see everything all together until the dress rehearsal, and even that's pushing it. The level of confidence that it has taken to make decisions that 'this' way is the right way to go has been overwhelming. I usually carry a reasonable amount of confidence with me and by judging some of prints that I decide look good enough to wear together, some might say a bit too much confidence, but I find myself constantly reviewing decisions regarding this production. With other pieces I have created I find myself watching the rehearsals and knowing it is the way it should be, Sleepy Hollow has consumed me quite a bit more than that. It's generally around bedtime that I find myself reliving the day and the rehearsals, "will that movement work with the set on that side of stage?" "should I reverse the arms on that phrase or where the dancers are facing?"…these are the sheep I count at night. The good news is the next time I am in rehearsals I see why I set it that way in the first place, and all is right in the world. I think the best part about choreographing is that, much like life, it is alive and ever changing. The plan remains the same but every day, every rehearsal, every performance brings in something new, sometimes it may be something I wish I hadn't seen, sometimes everything goes exactly as planned and sometimes I feel blessed to be witness to the awesome moments this art form gives to those who participate in it.


In just a few weeks I will be in the theater with many of you as the lights drop waiting for the downbeat from the conductor and the curtain to rise on the world premiere of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. As you are enjoying the show and are lost in the story even of you don't remember some of the inspiration I have shared with you here, I hope that if you listen really carefully you are able to hear the world's best spooky laugh...and if you're real nice maybe my mom will help sort your Halloween candy.

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• • October 12, 2010 • •
Morgan Sanborn, PBC Member:

Morgan Sanborn will dance the role of "Katrina" in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. She dances the lead female role opposite Derek Clifford as Ichabod and Joseph Jefferies as Brom Bones. This is her second season with PBC. She trained at the Portland Ballet School CORPS program, then went to Point Park University and received a BFA in dance. After graduation from college Morgan did a several auditions but says, "I was really hoping to come home for a while. And here I am! Last year was an amazing season I was the princess in L'histoire du Soldat, Arabian Princess and Snow Crystal in Nutcracker, and a soloist in Mozart's Requiem!"

We sat down with Morgan to talk about her experiences in the creation of her role.




PB: What is it like to have a role created on you? What is easiest / hardest?
MS: It is so exciting to have this role created on me. I love being able to put my own style into the role - no one has done it before me. There is also a lot of pressure - I have to set the standard.

PB: What is easiest?
MS: In my first rehearsal for Katrina, Nell said to me "which leg would you like to do this on" I said, "leg? I have a choice?" Dancing is a lot easier when you can do steps on your 'good' side. Needless to say I am used to being told which leg I am going to dance on not asked if I have a preference. As a soloist, I also don't have to worry about fitting in with the other dancers.

PB: What is hardest?
MS: As the lead, you have to know the music and choreography really well - there is no one to watch if you forget a step. You also have to develop the character more fully - there is a lot more acting involved. The audience looks to the lead characters to see how the story is moving forward.

PB: Who is Katrina?
MS: After I was cast, I read the book, and it turns out that my idea of Katrina was a little different than the vision Nell has for Katrina. Katrina is being pursued by both Ichabod and Brom. She is the prettiest, richest girl in town. I saw Katrina as aware of her hold over these men, and as a bit conniving. Nell does not see her that way at all, so I have to concentrate on Nell's vision of Katrina. This Katrina is a very happy girl who is quite content to have two guys in love with her. She lives in the moment. She does not see the big picture or think about Brom's or Ichabod's feelings.

PB: Do you have any acting experience? How are you bringing Katrina to life?
MS: I don't have any acting experience per se. Nell has been really helpful with the acting aspect of this role. She has coached me to imagine what Katrina would be saying in each scene, and then say the words in my head. This helps the facial expressions and body language come more naturally. So I have a constant dialogue going on in my head as I dance. I also have to learn to slow everything down so that the audience has time to perceive the meaning of expressions and gestures. The hardest part is when I rehearse without the guys, it is more difficult to act when there is not a live person to react to.

PB: Joseph Jeffries is dancing the role of Brom Bones - his resume is quite impressive (Ballet Trockadero and Ballet Memphis). What is it like dancing with him? With Derek?
MS: It is really easy dancing with Joseph. He is very nice and not intimidating. I don't have to think about the partnering at all. I have been taller than many other guys, and had to really help them lift me. Joseph can hold me over his head and stand there asking Nell questions about the next steps. I love working with Derek. He and I danced together in L'Histoire du Soldat and he is so easy to work with. His character is strong and humorous and great to interact with.

PB: What is it like to work with Nell on this project?
MS: I find it easy to work with Nell. I pick up her choreography easily, her style of dance fits well on my body. She is tall like me, and she was one of my teachers in high school, so the movement comes naturally. We have a lot of fun in rehearsals.

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• • October 7, 2010 • •
Derek Clifford, My Ichablog:

I wasn't sure how to take it when friends said I'd make a good Ichabod. It's such a strange sounding name to our 21st century ears; sinister, I thought. Nell told me it means "the glory has departed". An early source of the name is a biblical era story of a Hebrew child orphaned on the day of his birth, when his mother died from the shock of hearing that her husband had been killed; and the Ark of the Covenant had been captured by the Philistines.It had been so long since I read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow that I remembered nothing of it. The plan was to read it before rehearsals started, but by the time I got around to it, almost all the choreography was done. I'm glad it happened that way.

When someone creates a new work based on a literary classic, the impulse to be true to the original can be stifling. Nell gave me direction on how she envisioned Ichabod: educated, a wit, vain, popular with the ladies of the town. After reading the story, I was so impressed by Irving's artistry in creating the character of Ichabod Crane. Rather than forcing ideas on us, the writing helped me flesh out the character we were creating. He can dance and sing well, he couch surfs his way around town without ever annoying his hosts. Yet his appearance is quite comical. He is a highly entertaining storyteller, being both well traveled and well read. Storytelling would have been the most popular and accessible form of entertainment in rural Sleepy Hollow. He loves food so much, it intoxicates him with delight. I found many of Ichabod's qualities in myself. How often do you hear a story, in our culture, of a goofy looking smart guy with no money or possessions who is loved and respected in his community? Somehow, Irving manages to make it believable.

Rehearsals are really fun. Nell and I have worked together for several years and have partnered each other on stage as well. We keep up a nearly constant stream of ribald and inappropriate jokes, both verbal and physical, while we work. Some of the running jokes have been going for several years. The mutual trust and respect between us is strong. She has great taste and is a master of choreography. I appreciate her musicality and respect her ability to choreograph to Stravinsky, which can be monumentally difficult. As a young dancer I was very resistant to contributing steps to choreographer's work. I felt it was their job to come up with the steps, and that my job was to do what they told me to do. Now, I really appreciate Nell's tolerance of my suggestions and contributions. She certainly doesn't need them, but she humors me. Most of my career I have learned parts that were made for other dancers, so when a choreographer creates a role on me, it is a rare privilege. I feel less insecure knowing that the choreography has been created to exploit my strengths using my favorite steps.

When I left New York nine years ago, I thought my dancing career was over. I was so lucky to find Portland Ballet, because for me, every minute on the stage or in the studio is a gift. Though my life is very full with family, job and various diversions, I am very thankful that I still get to create work I love with other artists, as I have for the past 25 years. I hope you like it too.

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• • September 27, 2010 • •
Composer Kirt Mosier:

Composing the music for the ballet The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was a great joy and the extreme gifts of choreographer, Nell Shipman, were immediately apparent. Nell sent me a script of the storyline and the action that she hoped to see on stage. She described the mood of scenes and the feelings of the characters involved. She also sent specific timing of scenes. I was able to capture the mood of the scene and fit it in the times she desired. When I compose music, I have to see a picture in my mind, and a musical story takes shape from this. I am what is called a "programmatic" composer. Nell's descriptions were so complete that the music seemed to pour out of me. I began scoring the music on April 15 of 2010 and finished the composition of the ballet on June 18th. This time period is very short, and the speed at which this ballet seemed to compose itself is a testimony to the incredible foresight of the choreographer.

I had specific instructions to score for a small orchestra that included 1 flute, 1 oboe, 1 clarinet, 1 bassoon, 1 horn, 1 trumpet, 1 trombone, 1 percussionist, 3 violins, 1 viola, 1 cello and 1 bass. These 14 players had to produce a full symphonic sound at points in the ballet and scoring was a challenge. The full orchestral sound had to be approached with caution, because doubling the wrong instruments in this chamber orchestra could easily offset the balance of weaker instruments and ruin the lines of movement.

I use percussion heavily in most of my compositions, and this ballet is very representative of this tendency. With only one percussionist at my disposal, I decided to write a part that would require a multi-talented virtuoso performer. The percussion part includes instruments from timpani to vibraphone. If one were to look in the orchestra pit at the percussionists' instruments, they might think more than one percussionist was called for. I am particularly happy with the Brom Bones Gang Theme that appears in the ballet. The percussionist performs an intricate rhythm on the dejembe that drives the entire movement.

I use Sibelius notation software to write all of my compositions. As I finished each scene of the ballet, I would export the music score as a sound file. I would then take the sound file and import it into recording software called Logic Pro. I would enhance the sound of the sound file by adding better percussion tracks and enforcing instrument sounds on different tracks.

After I was happy that the score could be represented with the sound file, I would export the sound file and insert it into a movie file using the program, Final Cut Pro. Once in Final Cut Pro, I would create scene titles, character entrance instructions and general information for Nell to see. Once the instructions were complete, I would export the movie in a file size that could be emailed her. When Nell opened the movie file, she could hear the sound and see instructions that indicated what action was supposed to be happening at specific points in the music. This system of communication worked beautifully and I'm proud to say that I believe Nell and I have created a special ballet that will bring many audiences joy. I look forward to future collaborations with the world of dance. I hope you enjoy, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

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• • August 24, 2010 • •
Company Dancer Jen Jones, who just joined PBC this summer:

I moved to Portland this summer as part of my never ending quest for Something Different. For the past four years I've been living and dancing in the little town of Fort Walton Beach, Florida (find Alabama on your map, look directly south). I had a steady job, a great director, fantastic friends and the sort of white sand beaches that almost demand that you enjoy them with a margarita in your hand. I consistently danced good roles, had earned the respect of my boss and co-workers, made enough money to live on and felt, on the whole, completely comfortable.

I hate comfortable.

It is my firm belief that comfort is the enemy of growth, and I'm not through growing yet - as a dancer or as a person. So I left my comfort zone and took a job with a little company in Portland, Maine. Incidentally, I'd never heard of Portland Ballet, and had very little knowledge of Portland itself. All I had to go on was the general feeling of well-being I'd had when I'd traveled up to audition in the Spring. This seemed like a company where I would feel welcome, but also challenged. (Make no mistake, reader, Portland Ballet may not be well known yet, but we have some truly lovely dancers. Though we be but little, we are fierce!)

Before I even arrived in Portland, I received an email with the cast lists for the first two shows we were doing, and a detailed rehearsal schedule that extended well into the first month. Okay, that was pretty different. Dancers, like many artists, are notoriously disorganized. We tend to put off making decisions, preferring to throw rehearsal schedules and such up on the board at the last possible minute. Was I entering a season with that elusive entity, the Well-Organized Ballet Company? The cast list itself held no surprises. For our first big production, Sleepy Hollow, I was cast as a Townswoman, which is a corps de ballet role. As a general rule, unless you are ridiculously good, when you start out in a new company, you start over at a lower spot on the ladder. The first couple of times I found myself in this position, it took me by surprise and rather upset me, but now I seek it. This is why I left Florida - I desperately needed to be somewhere new, where they did not know me, and where I would have to work my tail off to climb back up those rungs. And so began the next phase of my Dancer's Journey.

Step One: Get in class and get back in shape. This is a grueling, ugly, profane process, from which I will spare my gentle reader the details. Suffice to say there was pain, there was blood, there were tears and many, many bad words. This is always the way of it - we endure and push through because, in the end, it is SO worth it. It is also a long process. I'm getting there.

Step Two: First rehearsal. I was, I confess, quite nervous going into this first day. It's been a while since I did any real corps de ballet work, and it is such a different process. Obviously as a Soloist and Principle Dancer, you have the pressure of being out there on your own, or nearly so. All eyes on you, that sort of thing. It is terrifying and delightful. Corps work involves less pressure, in a way, but I find it much more difficult. You and the other dancers on stage are all part of one body. You move as one, you breathe as one, you think as one. This is such an important skill to have as a dancer, and I am finding that, just as with a foreign language, it is easily forgotten without frequent practice. Spacing is suddenly a huge issue. When long legs are flying in all directions, it is vital to be perfectly placed so that nobody gets a pointe shoe in the face. Music, which can become so fluid and malleable when you dance alone, is suddenly exact, unforgiving, finite. The task of a corps member is to blend without disappearing. Standing out from the crowd is distracting, but as the same time, at any given moment someone in the audience might glance at you, and you must always be a delight to look at, just in case. During this first rehearsal, I struggled with these concepts like a beginner, while simultaneously trying to pick up the choreography. It was wonderful. Like flexing a muscle you'd forgotten you had and feeling it sleepily respond.

Yesterday, in rehearsal number four, we were joined by Joseph Jeffries, who will be dancing the role of Brom Bones. Adding the principle dancers always starts to bring the story to life for us. Suddenly there's a reason, a purpose for our town scene. Can't wait to see this story unfold.

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