Laurel Arts Festival Photos

Idylls in Action at the C Street Arts Festival in Laurel, Maryland              

June 9th, 2012

              The following are pics by Lew Lorton Photography, taken during the midday Idylls Sequence featuring Stephen Mead and Sue Struve.

Stephen Mead in "A Bandit Plots a Murder by the Road"
Sue Struve in "A Native Chief's Captive Woman Guards One Freshly Caught" 

(vide Jorge Luis Borges)

Stephen Mead in "A Reveler Walks Home to his Family by Moonlight"

              On that Saturday, I had the somewhat strange pleasure of being two places at once, for the first time.  In the flesh, in Philly, doing a reading for Furniture Press, publisher of my Heraclitean Pride and the forthcoming book-length poem, The Re-echoes.  Also, here at the Laurel C Street Arts Festival, in spirit, and through the presence of wonderful performers who've given great time and energy towards mastering the idylls form.

Sue Struve

                Sue introduced the set;  with a copy of Idylls for a Bare Stage in hand, she conveyed to the Theatre Tent audience her experience of the book, the theatrical piece, and the overall concept of the idyll as a form, and as an approach to acting and theatre.

Stephen Mead as the Bandit

Since I wasn't there,  I can only extrapolate based on rehearsals and the suggestion of the gesture, and his facial expressions, where Stephen might be in the piece.  I'd say, near to hearing the screech of an owl. Or, somewhere within the delivery of lines such as "Other people's money.  They'd have me slave and scrape for it all my life's worth, when I can steal it with self-respect."

"...with that dumb, complacent smirk of contentment I loathe - that type deserves to be victimized."

? Maybe?

And then, Sue Struve as the Captive Woman...

"I'm recovering them, these dream words..." perhaps?

"Don't be so scared!"

                Stephen also performed earlier in the day, and Harlie Sponaugle did "A Mother Feels her Estranged Daughter's Labor Pains" (vide Colette) later that afternoon.  Here's a shot of Harlie from one of the many outdoor rehearsals we did along the way.  Photo by Jeanne Cherner.

Harlie Sponaugle

IDYLLS FOR A BARE STAGE Now Available at SPD books

New Arrival this week at Small Press Distribution:   Idylls for a Bare Stage 

SPD page for the Idylls

Congratulations to publisher Douglas Mowbray and twentythreebooks;  the press expands into national distribution.  check out twentythreebooks' offerings on the SPD website.

twentythreebooks on SPD

Here's where you'll find all of my books currently available through SPD, including
Idylls for a Bare Stage

Magus Magnus on SPD

Coming June 9th: Idylls at the C Street Arts Festival in Laurel

Weekend after this!
The Inaugural C Street Arts Festival
 (on C Street, in Laurel, Maryland 20707)


Laurel's new street festival includes a theatre tent, along with artists' exhibitions, music, food, and poetry.


Several Idylls will be presented throughout the day:


11:15 am.    Stephen Mead
in "A Street-Merchant Imagines his Riches to Come" 

(after an anonymous author of The Arabian Nights)

1:30 pm Idylls Sequence
Stephen Mead in "A Bandit Plots a Murder by the Road"
Sue Struve in "A Native Chief's Captive Woman Guards One Freshly Caught" 

(vide Jorge Luis Borges)

Stephen Mead in "A Reveler Walks Home to his Family by Moonlight"


 3:30 pm.  Harlie Sponaugle
in "A Mother Feels Her Estranged Daughter's Labor Pains"

(vide Colette)

Deborah Randall, founder of Venus Theatre, runs the Theatre Tent for this event;  many thanks to Deb for including the idylls in the line-up!