Page 11 - Sanger Herald 6-21-18 E-edition

Lifestyles
SANGER HERALD • 3B • THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 2018
'Guys and Dolls' plays in Sanger
Sanger
By Mike Nemeth
Sanger Herald
Brandon Villabos had changed into a pair of bright red plaid pants he’d used in a past production.
The scene change in the Blossom Trail Players’ production of “Guys and Dolls” enabled the costume swap. The play’s setting in 1950s New York and Havana encouraged the flourish in color and wardrobe snazziness that pervades the musical about a gambler, missionary and a clandestine bet that drives the plot.
“I like the energy,” said Villabos, who plays the Greek and supplies the off-stage voice of Joey Biltmore. “The costumes, the themes, the sets. It’s all colorful. (And) everybody’s getting along, and that doesn’t always happen.”
The show includes the debut of the players’ Junior Company, which will perform for a half hour prior to the 7:30 p.m. curtain raising of the main show. Performances are planned at 7 p.m. June 21, 22 and 23 and again the next weekend June 28, 29 and 30 in the Sanger High multipurpose room, 1045 N. Bethel Ave.
Mike Nemeth / Sanger Herald
Greg Guerra, front, plays Sky Masterson in "Guys and Dolls," which opens tonight in Sanger High's multipurpose room.
“They’ve been taught well by their teacher,” Fiester said.
Fiester said the production “holds up amazingly well. It’s just about the relationships of these offbeat characters. And she pointed out that David Yazbek, who won the Tony this year for original score and lyrics in “The Band’s Visit,” identified “Guys and Dolls" as a favorite.
The most enduring version of the musical is the 1955 film starring Marlon Brando as Sky Masterson, Jean Simmons as Sarah Brown, Frank Sinatra as Nathan Detroit and Vivian Blaine as Miss Adelaide.
Greg Guerra, a Sanger performer who’s had his share of lead roles, plays Masterson and said he’s pleased to be a part of the show. “This is the greatest director I’ve ever worked with,” he said. “You’ll see tonight. It’s a bunch of people who care and can bring a show to heights unimaginable.”
Guerra said Masterson was a challenging character to take on, but the “moments where it clicks are extremely rewarding.” He said Brando’s performance
Elizabeth Fiester, a veteran of the stage and
“Let’s build on what we did last night,” Fiester said.
She said many are students or former students of Sanger High drama teacher Erica Mardirosian, who appears in the play as General Cartwright.
a teacher at Clovis West, helms the players’ fourth season, directing “Guys and Dolls.” Fiester gathered the cast together after Kopi Sotiropulos, co-anchor of Fox 26’s Great Day morning show, got everybody to do a promo spot. Rehearsal was about to start.
“And do it again tonight. All right, up on stage.”
The cast then launched into their various scenes, hitting their marks and further refining their lines and movements. The musical is an American staple, returning frequently to the stage. Key musical numbers include the horse racing “Fugue for
Tinhorns,” “Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat” and “Luck Be a Lady.”
Fiester and Dan Husak, now in charge of creating the sophisticated sets, go way back in their days at the Mercedes Edwards Theatre in Clovis. Husak said, “It’s going to be a really good show.”
fun.” Then she added, referring to the cast, “They’re very hard- working. They’re eager to get it right. And there’s a lot of talent.”
See Guys, Page 4B A changing of the guard takes place in the Interact Club
By Mike Nemeth
Sanger Herald
Leaders of the Sanger High Interact Club and Sanger Rotary met in the small gym on campus the end of the school year.
The gathering brought together some of the hardest working service- minded individuals in the tight-knit community of Sanger, those who put in the hours and did the work at events, including the Blossom Trail Festival, Raider Nation Blood Drive, Veterans Day Parade, National Night Out and a rather robust list of others.
This was a summit of sorts. And a changing of the guard.
Greg Tarascou took the gavel, in this case completely symbolic, from Gina Cuevas in one of his first acts as new Rotary president. “We really couldn’t do these projects without you,” Tarascou said to the gathered students, among Sanger High’s finest.“Youguysareahuge part of Rotary.”
A Word About Forgiveness — Part 3
We are in a series about forgiveness.
Last week, we discovered that people try to bury their sin and guilt. Proverbs 28:13 says this: “You’ll never succeed in life if you try to hide your sins.”
Blaming is another way people try to deal with their guilt. We blame others. This tactic is as old as Adam and Eve, the first couple. When Adam sinned, he blamed his wife. And husbands have been blaming wives ever
Mike Nemeth / Sanger Herald
one of the biggest movers and shakers in Sanger. As he and Ochs and another Interact Club member walked from the school’s administrative offices to the gym, he began talking about the importance of history and brought up World War II hero Audie Murphy, his highly decorated counterpart Sgt. Alvin Cullum York from World War I and John J. “BlackJack” Pershing, who led American forces in WW I and helped settle the Armistice.
“I was surprised at the stuff on YouTube,” Delap said, rounding a corner of the big gym. “You can get a pretty good education on a wide variety of subjects.”
And about the Interact Club members, he added, “We’re very fortunate.”
And Cuevas, who ends her term leading Rotary as president, said they staged the end-of-the-year meeting and cut the club a $1,500 check because of all the group’s hard work. “It’s a thankyou,”shesaid.
Delap, Tarascou and
even try to blame God for our mess like Adam did.
The Bible says in Proverbs 19:3, “Some people ruin themselves by their own stupid actions and then blame the Lord.”
God, why did you let me go bankrupt! And God says, “Wait a minute! I didn’t put all that stuff on your credit card. I didn’t tell you to buy a house you couldn’t afford. I didn’t tell you to take a risky gamble with that investment. You did that. Why are you blaming me? You made those decisions that got you into debt and now you’re blaming me saying, “Why did you let me
Cuevas were joined by fellow Rotarians Mike Hannigan and Gilbert Carrisalez.
Activities director Ronnie Scott also thanked the young club members. He singled out club president Matthew Castillo.
“A good general is there with his troops,” Scott said. “I called, he picked up.”
Castillo said it was a lot of work. “You volunteer a lot,” he said, addressing the rest of his crew. “Attendance is very crucial. I just want to thank you for making this year very (easy).”
Castillo and the rest of his administration chose their replacements as Cuevas and the other adults looked on. “This is like a Rotary meeting,” Tarascou said under his breath.
Incoming Interact president is Marissa Castillo, Ashley Zarasua is vice president, Jackie Mares is treasurer, Lexi Martinez is secretary and Maddy Mata is rep. The rest of the outgoing
See Interact, Page 4B
go into bankruptcy? I didn’t get you into that situation.” Some people ruin themselves by their own stupid decisions and then blame the Lord. We bury it, we blame others. Neither of
those work.
Next Week: Part 4 —
How do we deal with Guilt? Beating ourselves up.
Pastor Sam Estes is city advance director and facilitates the Sanger Community Task Force that meets the first and third Tuesdays every month. He can be reached at pastorsam51@gmail.com.
And Fiester said, “It’s
The Interact leadership helped choose their replacements before the end of the year.
And it’s true. Rotary is an international service organization, whose motto is Service before Self. But it needs the younger generations to be successful.AndtheApache Interact members give the
since.
And wives have been
blaming husbands ever since and on and on.
Parents blaming kids and vice versa.
Question: Who are you blaming for your unhappiness? Who are you blaming for your problems?
If I just had different parents. If I just had a different boss. If my husband would just get his spiritual act together. If my wife would stop doing this or that. If my kids, my brother, my sister, my boyfriend ...
Who are you blaming for your problems? Who are
30 or so Rotarians that boost, that shot of volunteer adrenaline.
Grace Ochs, outgoing Interact vice president, said being involved proved rewarding, especially her dealings with Rotary
members. “It’s interesting to sit and talk to these guys,” she said. “Character building.”
One of them is Lee Delap, a Measure C oversight committee member and generally
PASTOR’S CORNER
you blaming for your sins? Who are you blaming for your guilt? We accuse everybody else and we excuse ourselves.
me. Why? Because in your mind there is a scale between blame and guilt, and we can’t handle guilt. So when we feel too guilty, we start blaming other people to even the score.
Everybody
blames everybody
else for every problem, and nobody wants to accept responsibility any more. The reason why we blame other people is because we feel guilty. The more guilty we feel, the more we blame other people. It’s a sure sign of guilt.
Blame is always an indication that I don’t like
Pastor Sam Estes
“Well, you did this.” “Yes, but you did that.” “Well, I did this because
you act this way all the time.”
Blaming is always an indication of guilt. We try to justify it in our mind because we can’t handle the scale tipped in the wrong direction. Sometimes we