Matthew pippin

Stepping up for the pac LOCAL actor hits the pavement to raise funds

Ain’t he just golden? Matthew Pippin out hoofing it for the Numerica PAC. Photos provided.

by ron evans

Matthew Pippin is a well known figure of the local theatre community with too many roles and crew credits to list here. In between plays and musicals he can be found dazzling audiences as Mr. Pip - and sometimes the enchanting Melba Jean - with The Radar Dames burlesque troupe. To Pippin, the stage is life and as we hopefully draw toward the reopening of theatres and performance venues he has taken to the streets to raise funds for one of his favorite stages, The Numerica Performing Arts Center. I caught up (it took a lot of stepping) with Pippin to hear about this fund raiser/awarenessraiser and why the PAC is so important to him and to this community. me. I’ve been really lost. Depression and bread were getting the better of me, so I put my FitBit back on a few minutes before midnight on December 31st, 2020. Low numbers made me move and I got myself walking again. The first full week I had it on, I was 12K steps short of 200,000. I posted about it (on social media) asking if anybody wanted to bet that I could make 200K in the few remaining hours of the week. A pal of mine commented that she would give me $100 if I could hit 275K. That wasn’t going to happen in those few hours, but I couldn’t stop thinking of the idea of getting some cash for walking 275,000 steps in 7 days. That’s about 40,000 steps a day. If I could get that cash and possibly make a little more, why not donate it to a place I’ve missed so much? So, I chose the week of March 21st - 27th (the 27th being World Theatre Day). A good performer knows all about timing.

The Numerica Performing Arts Center is a delightful place and I’ve had some wonderful memories there and put in hard work on a number of theatrical productions there (both on and backstage). I’ve been lucky enough to be in all the Hot August Night productions since they began in 2013, and my depression really kicked in when 2020’s production of Pippin was cancelled. Those shows are real work. Rehearse for two and a half to three weeks, perform for a month, then get paid. It’s a rush, it’s hard work, and it is worth it with every fiber of my being. For anyone who thinks it’s easy to be in a show, that’s a compliment to the performer.

At the time of this writing, I am happy to report that I not only hit the 275,000 step goal, I reached 300,000 steps (29 hours and 1 minute before the end of the week) which also inspired a few more donations. Also, at the time of this writing, my journey has raised over $3,000 (through Facebook, Venmo, CashApp, and people going straight to KeyBank... remember just walking door to door with an envelope?), which totally surpassed the few hundred I thought I might be able to pull off (I unfortunately won’t have a final tally until after this publishes, but I will have that posted along with my step count from each day to show my work and what I have done on my Facebook and Instagram pages). Donations can still be made by sending a check straight to the PAC. It doesn’t even have to be about my walk, it could just be done to support a nonprofit organization that has been dark for over a year. If the PAC isn’t your thing, donations could also be made to Music Theatre of Wenatchee.

Supporting the performing arts and shedding light on that was my goal throughout all of this. The Grand Dame of the theatre may be resting, but she will be back in all her former glory (she has survived worse). Plays, Musicals, Burlesque, Drag, Crew... it’s my life. Performing is my life. I miss the audience so much. Our job as performers and crew is to help people forget their troubles. In a year filled with them, and not being able to help... it’s been a difficult year to be “living”. If it all opened up tomorrow, I’d be working on something to entertain and hit the boards as fast as possible. I do apologize if I moan the first time when I am back onstage... it’s been a while.”

boobees...

by Loni McKenzie

What kind of bees make milk? BOOBEES!!

Teach a 3-year-old that joke and watch the joy it brings every time they tell it. Kids know the difference between a pity laugh and a real laugh, and this joke gets the real ones. Especially from old guys standing in line at the grocery store (ask me how I know).

Anyway, boobies. Boobs. Breasts. Gazongas. Whatever you like to call them, let’s talk about them. Not in a sexualized way, a food-for-babies way, or a cancer/ avoid cancer way, but in a breasts-cansay-a-lot-about-your-health way. We live in a culture where weird things going on in your body are considered totally normal until they become bad enough to be treated with medication or surgery. BUT THERE’S ANOTHER WAY!!!

The wisdom of old medicine, prescientific medicine (that is now VERY heavily backed by ALL THE SCIENCE) used indicators to catch issues before they become big problems. Like breast health, fibroids, cysts, lumps, bumps and irregularities of all sorts are not necessarily cause for concern but are early indicators of imbalance in the body.

All ancient forms of medicine use constitutional models. This means they look at the constitution of each individual person and develop a treatment plan based on their unique expression of life. Ayurveda uses the three doshas (vata, pitta, kapha), Toaist and Traditional Chinese Medicine use the 5 Elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), Alchemist traditions use 4 Elements (Earth, Water, Air and Fire) and Western traditions use the 4 humors (melancholic, choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic). This means that if a teeny, tiny, dry skinned, pale woman came in for medical help, she’d have a completely different treatment approach than a big, loud, oily skinned woman with the same problem.

If you have abnormalities in breast health, the girls are trying to tell you something and alert you to something going on that needs to be balanced. Going to a healthcare provider whose practice is rooted in a constitutional model (Acupuncturist, Herbalist, Naturopath, among others), will help you learn what YOU need. Maybe your lymphatic system is sluggish and you need to stop wearing a bra with under wires or too tight of a band (seriously, it’s terrible for you). Maybe your liver is having a hard time metabolizing hormones and you have more estrogen than you need. Maybe your yin/ yang balance needs a reset, or your shoulders are too tight, or you have a hard time saying ‘no’…. the body is mysterious, and it takes commitment to learn its language.

The good news: it’s easy to support your own safe plants that are great for boobies, growing wild in our yards like violet leaf, dandelion, chickweed and cleavers. Harvest some (properly ID them first, let’s not find out the hard way something’s actually poison oak…), mash them up and rub the goo on your breasts. Maybe mix it with some honey. It really is that easy.

De-colonize your healthcare and recolonize it with wild, radical, empowered health.

Loni McKenzie, LMP - Licensed massage therapist, structural integration specialist, and flower essence practitioner at Mission Health & Wellness