We had a great round of auditions at Morgan’s Wonderland yesterday, and saw a lot of great talent. Thanks to everyone who took part!
Now the decision process begins. And as soon as there’s an announcement from the park, I’ll share it here (with pics). So watch this space…
I go through a fair share of film music in any given week. Classic scores by the great composers. New works from the modern masters. And some unexpected gems. I’ll listen to scores from my favorite films, and scores from films I haven’t seen.
Of course, one of the things I love about this blog is that I get to go on about all this wonderful music. And maybe some reader out there will stumble upon a post and get turned on to film music too. At least I can hope for that.
With that in mind, it seemed a good idea to share some of the favorites I’ve been listening to lately.
Let’s begin… Continue reading
And while Morgan’s Wonderland is looking for performers, The Academy at Morgan’s Wonderland is looking for campers. Continue reading
You’ve likely figured out that my Morgan’s Wonderland posts (both for the park and for the school) are as much calls to action as they are fragments of my experiences there. So this post will be no exception.
I love being a part of that family. I’m proud of the things we’ve accomplished together. And I want all of you to share in that.
If you’re a performer, your chance to share in it could be this week. Continue reading
I’ve been listening to a lot of James Horner in the last couple of weeks. And I know I’m not the only one. The great film composers – the Herrmanns and Goldsmiths and Williamses and Bernsteins and Barrys – have that gift, that talent for finding the heart of a scene. And so they have that gift for finding your heart too.
That was James Horner. As Matt Zoller Seitz (one of the more thoughtful critics writing today – and his conversation with SI Rosenbaum pays far better tribute to Horner than I could) said, “The films [he] scored were often sentimental, but his music was always emotional, and he understood the difference.” And I think that’s why his death hit so hard for so many fans, like me.
I knew I’d have to write something. And I thought long and hard about how I would pay tribute to the man. Would I draw on the themes and motifs he carried with him throughout his career? Would I choose a favorite score or cue and focus on that? Could I even choose one?
It turns out that I could.
Hi everyone. As I might have vaguely implied last time, I took a couple of extra days to recover from the 4th of July. It was a work day for me, as I was stage managing Leon Valley’s celebration for the second year in a row.
As you can see, it was pretty huge.
Continue reading
So it’s the 4th of July weekend. And you’re looking for something to do other than see Terminator Genisys and imagine Matt Smith with his head in his hands saying “I left Doctor Who for THIS?” (Not that you were planning on doing that in the first place. I’ve just been looking for an excuse to use that joke.)
I might be able to help. Continue reading
I don’t typically go in for online events like this, where everyone gets together and plays a song or a video for a common cause. But this one was different. This one was a little more personal.
There’s a very good reason the butterfly is the sigil for Morgan’s Wonderland and The Academy at Morgan’s Wonderland. Think of its life cycle. A butterfly starts out as a caterpillar, trying to make its way in the world. Then it builds a cocoon for itself so it can stay safe as it grows. When it’s ready, it emerges from the cocoon, spreads its wings, and flies away as its truest self.
It’s a good metaphor for the mission of the park and the school. Give children and families a place where they are safe. A place where they’re included. A place where they can grow into the people we know they can be.
And it’s been my honor to see all of that in action. Continue reading
… I’m fairly sure I owe you an apology right now.
Probably several.
It’s not that I’ve had nothing to write about. I’ve had SO MUCH. But sometime in the last few months I lost sight of the “writing about” part. I missed the windows, the times I should have been writing about the things I wanted to write about.
Things like my experiences with Monarch Academy (including another art show, and my first musical – yeah, there’s a whole story behind that)…
Things like the Texas Folklife Festival last week…
Things like my adventures in church drama (two plays written and produced, possibly another on the way)…
Things like the utter brilliance of Better Call Saul (though, to be honest, I kind of made a choice to let that go. Weekly recaps of a serial drama are not easy – I was running out of ways to express how utterly brilliant the show was – and I have incredible respect and admiration for anyone who attempts it)…
Things like more of my Favorite “Forgotten” Films…
Things like more gratuitous obsessing over film music and Doctor Who…
Things like… well, everything, I guess.
And I’m sorry.
I’ll try to do better in the future. I’ll try to be more current. I’ll try to better justify this URL I paid for.
So, stay tuned for a couple of posts in the near future. I have a LOT of catching up to do.
Thanks for sticking around…
Lee Hurtado, Writer 