Lakeside Living

Carol D. Bradley

Email: cdbradleymex@gmail.com Phone: 33-2506-7525

“I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the heart’s affections, and the truth of imagination.” -John Keats

The Lake Chapala So-

ciety hosts Open Circle every Sunday at 10AM, a popular community gathering in Ajijic, to enjoy a diverse range of presentations.

For more information and to make reservations, see their website: opencircleajijic.org.

In order to follow State of Jalisco safety precautions, the presentations will be on the south lawn, close to the gazebo, the entrance will be by the side door on Ramón Corona, chairs will be socially distanced. Gate opens at 9:30.

During this period, we recommend bringing a hat and bottled water, and please remove containers upon departure. Attendance is limited to 80 persons, please make your reservation if you want to attend https://opencircleajijic.org/reservation_form.php

Use of masks is mandatory and temperatures will be checked on entry.

May 2nd, Michael Reason

A Melody for Change

Throughout history music has often reflected social and political change. However, since the beginning of the 20th Century and the advent of recorded sound, music has become a catalyst for change. Pianist and conductor Michael Reason will lead us on a journey to discover how music has become a driving force in shaping the world for the past 100 years. After leaving music college, Michael worked on numerous theatrical productions as Music Director in England during the 1980s and emigrated to Canada in 1991. Since then, he has had a highly successful career as a professional orchestra conductor working with orchestras across Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Asia. In addition, he has held the position of Music Director for the Prince George Symphony, the Niagara Symphony, and the Hamilton Philharmonic in Canada. He now lives in Ajijic where he helped found the Lake Chapala Community Orchestra in 2018 and has assumed the roles of conductor and artistic director. He is also the Music Director for the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Riberas.

May 9th, Kat Miller

That Aging Thing

With age we can see our life as from a great altitude taking in a panoramic landscape, with a deepening sense of how everything is connected, including all the losses. From here we can harvest the wisdom gleaned from our lives. We can also discover inner peace, love, compassion, and gratitude at the heart of our lives. We are all going to die, all of us. This terrifies most of us. When we make peace with death, we have a deeper appreciation of the ordinary small moments, surprisingly experiencing causeless joy, while also finding the magnificence of life ever more obvious. Join Kat for some ageist repudiation and reflections on how to live this stretch of life unimpeded by fear.

Kat Miller, MA, currently has an active therapy practice in Ajijic, as well as out of the country. This is her 4th presentation at Open Circle.

May 23, Ed Tasca

Gun Violence

Ed Tasca, local humor writer, novelist and playwright, will deliver a presentation, both comic and serious, on the complex story of gun violence, focused mainly on U.S. lust for possession of firearms and the psychology of their misuse, beginning with the U.S. Constitution’s 2nd Amendment. It includes a discussion of the psychopathology behind hyperrage and gun violence, regardless of race, nation, religion or culture. And offers a view of the mental health awareness and treatment requirements that can help identify and treat those who act out violently using firearms, from pistols to militarygrade weapons. Because of the controversial nature of the subject, Ed asks that you bring questions only, and check all guns at the door.

ART, Ajijic Readers Theatre, at Lakeside Little Theatre on The Angel Terrace presents MARJORIE PRIME by Jordan Harrison.

Show Dates - May 28 – 30, 2021.

All shows at 4pm, tickets 150 Pesos

Directed by Lynn Gutstadt

Staged by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. A futuristic story surrounding the love and tragedy of a deeply committed family and the themes of loss and memory. This 2015 Pulitzer Prize finalist asks us about the limits of our interaction with technology, and how we shape and retain our identities in a world where artificial intelligence can be more reliable than our own memories. It is also a wonderfully moving, human drama about the fear of aging and obsolescence, and our inability to let go of the past.

Tickets can be purchased and paid for by credit card at lakesidelittletheatre.com or by visiting LLT’s box office Wednesdays and Thursdays, 10am to noon or one hour before showtime on performance days. Covid 19 protocols will be in place, including socially distanced seating on the Angel Terrace and mandatory masks.

Taking and Giving Direction, the newest workshop presented by BRAVO! and Bare Stage Theatres, under the tutelage of Bernadette Jones, will begin on May 7th and there still may be room if you want to develop your craft.

Bernadette brings decades of professional experience to share with our local actors and directors interested in furthering their theatre arts endeavors. Her ability to communicate is almost magical, according to those who took her last workshop, which introduced acting techniques through monologue work. Students praised her with statements like; “Thanks again for taking time and care to help me develop as an actor”; “I really enjoyed the whole process.”; “I have learned a lot from this workshop and I very much enjoyed working with you”; and “As an observer, watching her directing the actors and watching the actors ‘take’ her direction was beyond fascinating.” This is a wonderful opportunity to raise the bar for our local theatre community. When our theatres are open, all scenes will be showcased along with the work of the actors in the previous Monologue Workshop given by Bernadette. Each class will be 2 hours / 1 day per week. (16 hours total) via Zoom. Start date will be May 7 – June 25, 2021 (Fridays 11:00 am – 1:00 pm) Class size will be limited to a maximum of 8 actors and 4 directors. The fee for this exciting workshop is 3,200 pesos but register by May 1st and pay the ‘early bird’ price of only 2,900 pesos.

Register NOW online via mymytickets@gmail.com or roswilshere@gmail.com. Payment will be arranged individually.

See our Facebook Page for more information and updates; https://www.facebook.com/ barestagetheatre2018 ***The total fee will be donated to help with rent for The BRAVO! and Bare Stage Theatres.

Musical Theatre Alive and Well in Lakeside!

The performing arts have become very dormant worldwide over the past 12 months. Closely packed theaters and concert halls are not conducive to pandemic safety. However, many organizations and individuals have used the situation to discover new and safe ways of presenting plays and music. Michael Reason certainly falls into that category. As the conductor of the Lake Chapala Community Orchestra, he was able to present 2 chamber orchestra concerts last Fall. The chosen venue was the Unitarian/Bare Stage venue in Riberas which is open on 2 sides providing excellent airflow. With socially distanced seating, 50 people were able to enjoy live music at each of the four performances.

Michael Reason Kat Miller Ed Tasca

Reason has now turned his hand in creating a new Broadway revue featuring three of Lakeside´s most talented performers. On May 20, 21 and 22 area residents will get the opportunity to experience Back to Broadway with Amaranta Santos, Laura Medina and Doug Voet in a carefully designed show featuring songs from hit musicals such as A Chorus Line, Kiss Me Kate, Wicked and Follies.

“Before I had a career as an orchestral conductor in Canada I spent many years as a theatrical Music Director in England” says Reason. “Creating this revue is taking me back to my roots” What will make this revue different and exciting is that instead of just a piano accompanying the singers the audience will experience the songs as they were meant to be heard – with a full orchestra! “As much as I would like to have a real live orchestra, we can´t due to pandemic protocols. Instead, I have arranged all the songs for a virtual orchestra!” comments Reason. “The results are backing tracks that sound just like the real thing!”

All of the performers have extensive backgrounds in musical theatre especially Doug Voet who played Joseph in the original Broadway production of the Lloyd Weber/Tim Rice hit show “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”

With many people Lakeside now having been vaccinated more of us will be comfortable getting out and, once again, enjoying live performances.

Performance dates are Thursday May 20, Friday May 21 and Saturday May 22 all at 4pm. The venue will, once again, be the Unitarian/Bare Stage venue at 261 Hidalgo (Carretera) in Riberas and full pandemic precautions will be adhered to including wearing of masks etc.

Tickets are $200 pesos and there are only 50 available for each performance.

Reservations must be made in advance by emailing mjrmusic01@gmail.com. Please state the number of tickets required and the date.

The Ajijic Writers Group is soliciting submissions for a new regular column in El Ojo

del Lago.

It will be a human-interest column focused on the Mexican unsung heroes and behindthe-scenes workers that make our lives here more pleasant. It will be to feature their contributions, life histories, challenges, difficulties they overcame, and so on. The working title at this time is “Unsung Heroes.”

The column will not be one-person’s column. Each month’s featured personality would be written by a person familiar with the subject, a favorite maid, gardener, waiter, taxidriver, medical assistant, bartender, or mechanic.

We would like to test this idea from April’s issue through December’s. If it works, it would continue indefinitely.

Potential topics include:

Juan, the waiter - Lily, the manicurist - Diego, the plumber - Elena, the taco maker, etc. Submissions would be 700-900 words and in publishable form and would include a hi-resolution photo of the subject. Scheduling for publication will follow. Contact: VictoriaASchmidt@gmail.com El Gato Feo Café will be re-opening soon at a new location: 16 de September #18, a short distance down the block from their old location. They will, once again, be hosting readings by local writers and have a bookcase for book purchases of many local authors. Stay tuned here for more information when a schedule for re-opening and readings is published.

Amaranta Santos, Doug Voet and Laura Medina

By Bernie Suttle

There is an old saying, “In the land of the blind the

one-eyed man is king.” During this time of COVID my quest is for some “one-eyed” truth. My wife and I have been stuck in Ajijic for over a year wanting to return to our Shell Beach, California home. We are Americans of Canadian ancestry and are therefore planful people who want “for sure,” not “maybe.” I heard that the Brits have a vaccine that only requires one jab. (We Americans call it a shot.) The Brits are still smarting over the Concord cheer, “The shot heard round the world.” Is that why they call it a jab? “The Jab heard round the world.” That sounds silly.

Initially we were confused by the mistaken thought that we would have a choice of vaccines but we forgot we were in Mexico and that one would be chosen for us. It was to be the Chinese Vaccine. We were happy to get it. The night before the day of the shot we were entertained by a streaming of the city council meeting from our California hometown, Pismo Beach. They discussed planning of water reserves for possible, future shortages. We noted how planful this was compared to the Mexican way.

The shots (or jabs) were to be given at the Ajijic malecon. Our bilingual daughter would go early to save a place for us. It seemed like a good plan to save us from a long wait in line. We got there with our folding chairs about 10:30 a.m. The lady behind us told us, “We got here at five a.m. and haven’t moved an inch since.” We decided it would be best to take the hint from our Mexican friends and try to enjoy the process. For the Mexicans in the crowd this was to be a fiesta to be enjoyed like everything else in their lives. They visited old friends and soon-to-be friends in line making plans for get-togethers after the shot while the Gringos stood like they were on a one-way trip to Auschwitz.

The Brit behind us exclaimed, “The line is so long I can’t even see where it begins.” She asked the Señora behind her, “Can you see the end of the line?” The Señora responded, “There is no end. Why do you care about what is behind you?”

Looking forward I spied a Pittsburgh Steelers, souvenir, picnic cooler. I had no doubt it was filled with bottles of Corona beer. I imagined the cooler was set in our path as a place-saver for a beefy, Steeler defensive tackle. I knew I was mistaken when a beautiful Señorita came up to the cooler bag, opened it and had a drink of water from the jug inside. “Hi,” she said, “I’m Rebecca Ramirez. I’m here to assist the people in wheelchairs.” She gave us a broad smile and exclaimed, “Isn’t it a beautiful day?” Joan and I admired her bi-lingual skills, her continuous smile and her charming, delightful company. I wondered if she continued to smile like that even when she was asleep.

For those of us who had been in the military and had experience with a large number of people being serviced by a small number of specialists we were prepared for the “Hurry-up and wait” pace. We enjoyed the Rose Parade atmosphere as we had on January Firsts in Pasadena, California. Happy crowds, vendors selling BLT’s, apples, bottled water and bubble wands. It was a fiesta.

After four hours in line we were moved en masse into large tents. A soldier dressed for combat, armed with a submachine gun and other lethal weapons stood partially hidden in the shade of a tree. His half-lidded eyes continued to scan the line. His presence assured the Canadians that order would be maintained. We were briefed regarding this last phase and the purpose of the whole, damn thing. They gave out numbers. Mine was 38. We waited, seated in a row of folding chairs still hoping to get shot.

Our long wait was rewarded when our shots were professionally administered by a doctor-led team of three experienced medical assistants. We were so happy, almost giddy. At the end, Joan said, “I wish that they would have given us a certificate of completion or a merit badge we could flash. We have accomplished something akin to the evacuation of Dunkirk.”

Our COVID-shot day ended with a perfect conclusion. We saw our new friend, Rebecca seated on the Pittsburgh Steelers cooler keeping herself busy with her Smartphone. As we walked to the waiting car, Rebecca, still smiling, softly wished us, “Que vaya Bien, Señores.” Bernie Suttle