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Saturday's Internet Edition, July 31, 2010.
RMWC brings stories of womanhood to members
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Photo by Sheri Barile
StoryVoices performs their original production, 'Honestly, Woman' for attendees at the Rancho Murieta Women’s Club luncheon on March 24 at RM Country Club. Making up the ensemble are (from left) Jan Ahders, Marni Webb, Claire Lipschultz and Cynthia Mitchell.
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By Sheri Barile
River Valley Times Reporter
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March was National Women’s History Month and Rancho Murieta Women’s Club enjoyed their March 24 luncheon in a very fitting way. About 150 members and guests gathered at RM Country Club to be entertained by StoryVoices, an ensemble of four women who presented their humorous and insightful program titled “Honestly, Woman.”
The program wove a rich tapestry of experiences unique to women across centuries and various cultures. Through humor, song, poetry and prose, the ensemble shared stories of motherhood, identity, love and maturity in this original production.
Program director Jude Gaither, who booked StoryVoices last October, said that the timing of the program was serendipitous. “I wasn’t even thinking of Women’s History Month at the time, and it honestly was a coincidence," “Gaither said. "But the program was a terrific connection to the history of women.”
Throughout the program, hardy laughter broke out numerous times as the performers illustrated the humor found in the everyday lives of women and the people they love. Some of the vignettes and songs were based on the performers’ personal stories, and some were the writings of others such as Gloria Steinem’s “If Men Could Menstruate.”
The ensemble demonstrated a brilliant use of props and accessories during various vignettes and songs, at one point folding laundry while telling a story and sweeping the floor with brooms at another.
While “Honestly, Woman” ignited much laughter from the audience, there were serious and touching moments as well. “A couple of the vignettes they performed were so poignant they moved a lot of us to tears,” Gaither said. “Their material covered such a broad range of women’s issues and roles in the world. It was very socially conscious.”
Gaither spoke in particular of a vignette in which a family took in an elderly mother who was causing housekeeping problems during mealtime due to uncontrollable shaking, which caused her to spill her food. After growing impatient, her son and daughter-in-law built a special table for their mother that solved the housekeeping issue, but in the process it isolated and demeaned her. It wasn’t until the couple’s own young children role-played the elderly woman’s circumstance that they realized the error of their ways.
According to feedback Gaither received, there were many women in the audience who could relate to this and other stories presented in the program. Gail Lewandowski was one of them. “That program connected with everybody at every age level in that room,” Lewandowski said. “It ran the gamut – from birth through death – and it felt like nothing was left uncovered.”
Lewandowski said she attended the luncheon with a friend whom she has known for 30 years and that the program was the perfect venue for remembering all of the connections a woman has with a girlfriend. “We burst out laughing so many times,” she said. “We just kept looking at each other, remembering all of the experiences they were describing. There were lots of laugh-out-loud moments.”
Jean Schwin, who also attended the program, agreed. “I absolutely loved it,” she said. “I think everyone did. Afterwards, I felt it was kind of like finishing a good book – you don’t want it to end.”
At the conclusion of the program, the women enjoyed a gourmet lunch. Entrée choices were a chicken and havarti crepe with champagne cream sauce, or bay shrimp with a lemon-béchamel sauce. Both entrees were served with fresh asparagus. “I continue to be thrilled with the chef,” Gaither said. “What’s really wonderful is I can work with him to put together a variety of lunches that really please everyone. The menu never gets stale.”
RMWC plans to invite StoryVoices back to perform at a future luncheon, according to Gaither. “All four women are award-winning actors, and they’re so good,” she said. “We were really lucky to get them. We definitely want them back.”
Gaither said the next program StoryVoices will perform for the club in the future is called “A Voice of My Own.” It’s described as an uplifting collection of stories and songs about women authors who found their creative voices despite society’s obstacles. The stories are based on the lives of writers including Charlotte Bronte, Jane Austen and Virginia Woolf.
The next RMWC luncheon will be held May 26 and will host Brightman Courtney Bowles, a soprano who will perform an eclectic program of classical songs with piano accompaniment.
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