What a magical Saturday evening at Alice's birthday celebration. Walking into her living room, it was immediately clear this wasn't going to be an ordinary birthday party.
The space was completely transformed, with cozy seating facing the stage, and intriguingly, a purple curtain closed off early arrivals like me, filling me with mysterious notions and anticipation.
Alice emerged glowing with excitement, ready to share something clearly personal: her first written play, "Flightless Bird", a love story adventure filled with charm. Alice's script came alive under her direction, elevated by each performer bringing their unique talents to her words. Costumes pulled together with love and ingenuity, resourceful props, and lighting effects proved you don't need a big budget to create atmosphere.
The whimsical, endearing nature of the whole production, combined with the genuine talent and heart everyone brought, created something special.
What made tonight truly extraordinary was witnessing how she had brought together this incredible ensemble of performers from across an artistic community. Seeing the Knee-Hi's and Jett Girls, Alice's sister, major talent from Winona Driver alumni and Foggy Notion Physical Theater, all gathered in one intimate space, meant watching separate creative worlds collide to celebrate Alice. This evening perfectly showcased the sheer brainpower and unlimited possibilities that exist within her fellowship.
Alice created an experience that showcased her power as a playwright and director and rising composer, and her ability to bring people together. She really gifted everyone present with something rare: a reminder of why we're all drawn to this artistic group.
Plain 'ol lucky to know someone like Alice, now also a playwright.