Date: Fri 27-Sep-1996

By Previous Employees

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Illustration: C

Location: A10

Quick Words:

TheatreWorks-Fall-Festival

Full Text:

(rev The Theoretical Tin Whistle Band @TheatreWorks, 9/27/96)

Theatre Review-

Fall Theatre Festival Offering Is Exciting

BY JULIE STERN

NEW MILFORD - Driving to New Milford TheatreWorks last Saturday evening to

catch a performance of the Theoretical Tin Whistle Band in concert, we

listened to a segment of Garrison Keillor's "Prairie Home Companion" on the

car radio, and it struck me how much I enjoy that show, not just for its humor

- the interminable Lake Woebegon narratives, and the goofy ads for

establishments like Bertha's Kitty Boutique - but even more so for the musical

sets by performers from all over the country. Most of it is by aspiring

amateurs, and frequently it is acoustic music - guitars, banjos and other

stringed instruments played without benefit of electronic amplification or

computerized synthesizers - so the harmony, the voices and the words are what

you get.

The concert/presentation is the second production of TheatreWorks' 1996 fall

festival of shows. Theoretical Tin Whistle performances continue through this

Saturday evening.

That's exactly what the Theoretical Tin Whistle is: Craig Tichy's five-person

group made up of people who, like himself, are involved in various local

theatre groups both as actors and technicians, but who also like to sing and

play. The band includes Newtown resident Susan Lang; Bruce Hanson and Leif

Smith, who are normally involved with the Danbury Theatre Company; and comic

actor Chris Chamberlin, who has appeared on just about every stage in the

area.

The concert harkens back to the golden age of folk music, i.e. the Sixties,

when it became so popular you could actually get rich on it, as Pete Seeger

and the Weavers, Peter, Paul and Mary, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Harry

Belafonte, the Clancy Brothers and Bob Dylan all did, to name just a few.

Comprised of three forty-minute sets, the Theoretical Tin Whistle Band gig

draws on three separate types of folk music: protest ballads that make a

statement about some topical issue; songs noted for the charm of their melody

or harmony; and blues which reflect introspective personal sadness.

Thus, after the initial opener, "Uncle John's Band," Tichy pays homage to

singer-songwriter Phil Ochs, who was probably the best composer of protest

broadsides of his time, with a lesser-known student rebellion song, "I'm Gonna

Say It Now," followed by two songs dealing with issues of the Nineties, "Let's

Keep It Straight" (the military, that is) and "Going, Going Gone."

For music where the sound is more significant than the message, offerings

ranged from Irish melodies like "Wild Rover" to Stephen Foster's "Hard Times,"

sung by the group clustered around a piano.

There were comic pieces like "The Cat Came Back" and the Belafonte calypso,

"Man Smart, Woman Smarter," and above all there was my personal favorite, Bob

Dylan's "Tangled Up In Blue" as the penultimate number.

While this is clearly Tichy's band - and he performed many of the songs as

solos, I enjoyed it even more when the others got their turn as well,

particularly Bruce Hanson and Susan Lang. Mr Hanson's rendition of "City of

New Orleans" was riveting, and Ms Lang, who has a rich, lovely voice, reminded

me at times of Judy Collins, at others of Suzanne Vega, the latter in a piece

called "Mr Sellack," about the tribulations of an aspiring musician who must

work in a restaurant to pay the bills.

In the time-honored hootenanny spirit, the audience was invited to sing along

with many of the songs. Just in case they didn't remember them, the words were

included in the program. It was all very enjoyable and participatory; the kind

of thing we need to see more of. Good for Craig Tichy for having the energy to

get this group going.

TheatreWorks' Fall Theatre Festival continues with performances this weekend

by Theoretical Tin Whistle on Friday and Saturday, September 27-28, at 8 pm;

tickets are $12 each, $10 for students and seniors. The next, and final,

presentation of the fall festival will be Eric Bogosian's one-man play,

Pounding Nails in the Floor With My Forehead , October 4-13. Call 860/350-6863

for details.

Next HRRA Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Event Scheduled In Newtown

Genealogy Club's Next Program To Dig Into 'Dissecting A Civil War Pension Record'

Choral Society Planning ‘Voices Of America’ Performance

Newtown Earth Day Festival Was A Success

Local Fourth Grader To Host ‘Gaming For Change’ On May 16

The editorial took no position on the budget going up or down so you're reading things into the editorial that simply aren't there. The turnout is tied to the lack of passage, in that people who came out to vote last time did not this time, indicating a lack of support on their part. Perhaps it wasn't spelled out clearly enough, but that's what the editorial was driving at, people showing lack of support by not casting a vote. The editorial did address likely concerns among voters that may have led to lack of support and lack of turnout. This lower turnout also follows increasing turnout over the past four referendums in three years (meaning it is an aberration from that), and increased turnout is something that I do push for regularly in editorials. Any disappointment you might be seeing is at the break in that trend, not at whether the budget passed or not. I'd rather see more people come out and vote "no" then not vote at all.

Lower Turnout Results In Two Budget Defeats

Clearly, property owners no longer want to bear the burden of expenses while the state does not meet it’s responsibilities. Rising costs must be addressed by actions that do not include yearly increases of property owners’ taxes. The state of CT must meet its share of the educational costs, and other costs.

Town And School Budgets Fail At Referendum

This feels like an oddly misleading headline and narrative, particularly coming from the Editorial Board. The headline "Lower Turnout Results in Two Budget Defeats" pushes a misleading narrative regarding voter turnout, and then seeks to tie the outcome of the referendum to that misleading narrative. Sure, voter turn out for this year's referendum, 18%, was lower than last year's. However, last year's turnout, 25.4%, represented the highest turnout in the most recent 10 budget referendums. If you take the time to examine turnout percentages between 2017 and 2026 (2017: 19.9, 2018: 15.7, 2019: 17, 2020: 0, 2021: 8.98, 2022: 7.7, 2023: 8.8, 2024: 15.1/17.49, 2025: 25.4, 2026: 18), this year's turnout was actually the third highest in the past 10 cycles. Perhaps the headline of this article should say "Lower Voter Turnout Than Last Year", which is more accurate, rather than creating an impression that this year's turnout is some type of aberration - a narrative that the turnout numbers, in all their binary glory, simply do not support. Further, the headline of this article appears to tie the "lower turnout" to the defeated budgets. Sure, that could be true. But, perhaps, its more likely that Newtown residents are feeling the squeeze of multiple economic influences. In Newtown, we've experienced property revaluations and increased municipal spending. Eversource continues to raise rates. The state legislature gives PURA the authority to impose Public Benefit charges that benefit a tiny percentage of the public (and subsequently burdening the rest of us). At the national level, inflation has run rampant for years and many of those costs remain high to this day. In short, the data tells a far less dramatic—and far more honest—story than the headline suggests. This wasn’t an electorate vanishing in apathy; it was a fairly typical turnout delivering an verdict that, perhaps, some at the Editorial Board didn't like. At some point, it’s worth considering that residents aren’t confused, disengaged, or misled by turnout; they’re simply doing math at their kitchen tables and concluding that “no” is the only responsible answer left.

Enjoyed the forum which only confirmed my support for Brandon Moore as the Democratic candidate to run for the state representative position. Brandon Moore did not waiver about his duty to all the people, if elected, when an issue presents itself that requires that he voice a difference of opinion for the wellbeing of Newtown residents. If Michelle Ku’s 16 years have led to her loyalty being to other elected officials, as she implied, then Newtown is going to continue to witness actions that do not protect its residents. She could not unseat republican, Mitch Bolinsky, during a Blue Wave, and once again, will not do it now. Winning that seat is critical for all. That explains why her previous campaign committee now campaigns for Brandon Moore. It explains all the endorsements he has received from local elected democratic officials. It’s why we need Brandon Moore to be the democratic candidate to run for state representative.

Second Newtown DTC, League Of Women Voters Candidates Event Planned

Appreciated the opportunity to hear from both candidates as we were present for the College Dems forum but only heard from Brandon Moore. It was an opportunity to see who can unseat the Republican incumbent and there is no doubt that Brandon Moore should be the Democratic candidate. One concerned parent posed a question about discrimination unaddressed by the school district and interestingly enough, Michelle Ku, who proudly speaks of her Board membership years, said little, while Brandon Moore passionately addressed the issue along with his experience as an Apache Helicopter Commander. This family is supporting Brandon Moore. We need change and someone who is not afraid to disagree, especially about the rising costs of living in Newtown.

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Date: Fri 27-Sep-1996

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