tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74688296018600314322024-03-04T21:51:40.617-08:00No Greater Love "No Greater Love" ... so begins the epitaph on the gravestone of Manus Duggan, a hero of the 1917 Granite Mountain-Speculator Mine Fire. With your help, we can commemorate the 100th anniversary of this event with live performances June 9-10 at the Mother Lode Theatre in Butte, Montana.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699695853867360710noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7468829601860031432.post-54913998660827922172017-06-04T12:16:00.000-07:002017-06-04T12:19:59.112-07:00'No Greater Love' cast visits Granite Mountain Mine<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Hallowed ground holds 168 souls</span></h4>
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<span class="s1"><i>Editor's note: The following is written by actor John Garic, who plays North Butte Mine Manager Norman Braley in next weekend's live production of "No Greater Love." He wrote the poem (see below) that was read aloud during the cast's visit to the Granite Mountain Mine headframe. The cast had special permission for its guided tour to the fenced off mine shaft. The visit was to give the actors a sense of place, a feel for the place 100 years later, as curtain approaches, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday-Saturday, June 9-10.</i></span></h4>
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<span class="s1"> Some of us got to spend some time on the hallowed ground at the headframe of and mere feet from the collar of the Granite Mountain shaft where so many perished. We could actually see the cages still hanging at the top of the shaft. It was an amazing and solemn and emotional experience. Below is the poem we read in that spot.</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>At the Headframe – A Reflection</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Tis all of us who grieve for them</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>They do not grieve now</b></span><span class="s1"><b><br />
</b></span><span class="s2"><b>They are not gone forever -</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Not really</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>They look upon us still</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>They walk in the shadow of the East Ridge</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>They stride upon the Great Divide</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Their smile is in the big sky of a Montana summer</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Their grace is in the northwesterly breeze</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Their memories whisper in the grass</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Their calm is in the trees</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Their joy is in every pasty consumed</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Their light is in the winter snow</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Their tears are in the gentle spring rain</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Their merriment runs in the mountain runoff</b></span><span class="s1"><b><br />
</b></span><span class="s2"><b>Their laughter is in the streets of Butte</b></span><span class="s1"><b><br />
</b></span><span class="s2"><b>Their gentleness is in the Montana wildflowers</b></span><span class="s1"><b><br />
</b></span><span class="s2"><b>They sigh in autumn leaves</b></span><span class="s1"><b><br />
</b></span><span class="s2"><b>They are not gone</b></span><span class="s1"><b><br />
</b></span><span class="s2"><b>Tis only we who grieve</b></span><span class="s1"><b><br />
</b></span><span class="s2"><b>If only we could see the splendor of the land</b></span><span class="s1"><b><br />
</b></span><span class="s2"><b>To which these cherished souls were called in 1917</b></span><span class="s1"><b><br />
</b></span><span class="s2"><b>We’d understand</b></span><span class="s1"><b><br />
</b></span><span class="s2"><b>If only we could hear the welcome they raised</b></span><span class="s1"><b><br />
</b></span><span class="s2"><b>For the familiar, loving voices who joined them –– later</b></span><span class="s1"><b><br />
</b></span><span class="s2"><b>We would not grieve</b></span><span class="s1"><b><br />
</b></span><span class="s2"><b>I think we all sense that they are okay … now</b></span><span class="s1"><b><br />
</b></span><span class="s2"><b>So we wipe away the tears that flow</b></span><span class="s1"><b><br />
</b></span><span class="s2"><b>And remember</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>And smile</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i> After serving Butte's Highlands College as dean for more than 8 years, John Garic has returned to the classroom as a full-time professor at Montana Tech. His coming performance in "No Greater Love" will be the 77th production of his theatrical avocation.</i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699695853867360710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7468829601860031432.post-58801636759187051492017-06-02T18:20:00.000-07:002017-06-02T18:22:57.942-07:00'No Greater Love' ticket sales briskMother Lode Theatre predicts sell-out; copper coins to be sold at theater during shows<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Combined ticket sales for the two performances of "No Greater Love" have almost topped 1,300.<br />
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An original musical production, "No Greater Love" commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Granite Mountain-Speculator Mine Fire that killed 168 miners, still the worst hard-rock mining disaster in U.S. history.<br />
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The Main Floor is nearly sold out. As of June 1, the Main Floor had 290 seats sold for Friday, June 9, and 286 seats sold for Saturday, June 10. The Main area seats 303. The Mezzanine, which holds 361 seats, has sold 279 for Friday and 257 for Saturday.<br />
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The Loge and the Balcony have the most seats available. The front three rows in front of the Balcony, The Loge holds 182 seats and has 21 sold for Friday and 45 sold for Saturday. The Balcony, which seats 346, has 46 seats sold for Friday and 72 seats for Saturday. Total seats sold as of Thursday, June 1, was 636 for Friday and 660 for Saturday, or 1,296 for both nights.<br />
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Advance tickets are available at the Mother Lode Theatre box office, 326 W. Park St. in Uptown Butte, phone (406) 723-3602. Advance tickets are also available online: <b><a href="http://www.buttearts.org/">www.buttearts.org</a>.</b> (A processing fee applies for online purchases.)<br />
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Commemorative copper coins for "No Greater Love" will also be for sale in the theater lobby during show times. The cost will be $6 per coin and another $1 for the plastic cover. The copper coins, –– now selling for $5 per coin and another $1 for the case –– are currently on sale at the Butte Archives, 17 W. Quartz, and at the Granite Mountain Bank, 605 Dewey Blvd.<br />
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Below are photos from recent rehearsals in the Pioneer Club Ballroom. The "Njo Greater Love" cast has also rehearsed in the ballroom of the Knights of Columbus #668, and the 10-piece orchestra is rehearsing at Butte Central High School Auditorium.<br />
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Playing Anka Janicich, Taylor Garrett holds her script binder </div>
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Delivering the eulogy as Father Barry, Don Scheidecker </div>
addresses the congregation at Manus' funeral.<br />
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Composer Dr. Gary Funk accompanies vocalists in "No Greater Love." </div>
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Angela Billadeau as Madge Duggan </div>
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sings at her husband Manus' funeral.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699695853867360710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7468829601860031432.post-2551333615709235392017-06-02T07:56:00.000-07:002017-06-02T07:56:43.384-07:00FREE shuttle service provided from MAC to theaterButte's Chamber of Commerce will provide free shuttle service from the Maroon Activity Center to the Mother Lode Theatre for both evening productions of "No Greater Love" on June 9 and 10.<br />
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Starting at 6:45 p.m. in the parking lot of the MAC –– next to the Belmont Mine on East Mercury Street –– the shuttle will make round trips to the theater before the 7:30 curtain time. After the two-hour musical, it will make return trips until after 10 p.m.<br />
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A reception will follow the performance on opening night in the adjacent Masonic Ballroom; enter from Galena Street just south of the theater.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699695853867360710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7468829601860031432.post-49660546831638656512017-04-17T10:30:00.001-07:002017-04-17T10:30:47.692-07:00Stage director featured in Butte's Montana Standard articleButte snags Americana director, playwright Edward Morgan for 'No Greater Love' production<br />
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Edward Morgan, <i>No Greater Love's </i>Stage Director and Co-writer<i>, </i>has been featured in the April 17, 2017, edition of the Butte newspaper. In an <i>Along the Divide </i>feature story, he talks about what drew him to the saga of the 1917 Granite Mountain-Speculator Mine Fire.<br />
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http://mtstandard.com/news/local/butte-snags-americana-director-playwright-edward-morgan-for-no-greater/article_3e33e4ca-cc27-5a86-b5aa-ba8f1d22de29.htmlAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699695853867360710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7468829601860031432.post-58589645109486917222017-03-16T08:07:00.000-07:002017-03-20T06:11:12.121-07:00Commemorative copper coins available<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Sales kicked off </b></span><b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">with great response </b><b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">on St. Pat's Day in Uptown Butte </b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: normal;"> These </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: normal;">1-ounce </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">coins of 99.9 percent copper sells for $5 each. An image of the Granite Mountain Mine is depicted on the front and "No Greater Love" Centennial Commemoration on the back. Regency Mint of Orem, Utah, minted the 2,000 coins. </span></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: normal;"> To launch the sales campaign, committee members sold the coins on St. Patrick's Day </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: normal;">on Park Street </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">at Gamer's Cafe and the Knights of Columbus #668 Hall. The coins are now available at the Butte Archives, 17 W. Quartz St., phone (406) 782-3820; and at the Granite Mountain Bank, 615 Dewey Blvd., (406) 533-0600.</span></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: normal;"> Checks should be made payable to No Greater Love LLC. The mailing address is P.O. Box 83, Butte, MT 59703. No Greater Love LLC is a nonprofit organization under the umbrella of Headwaters RCD. All contributions are tax deductible.</span></h4>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699695853867360710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7468829601860031432.post-21523893761059477322017-02-19T19:41:00.002-08:002017-03-19T22:12:46.589-07:00Some libretto for 'No Greater Love' comes from grandfather's poetry<div class="p1">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Joseph H. Duffy: From miner and laundry man to man of letters</span><a name='more'></a></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: normal;"><i>By Mike Duffy</i></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Some of the libretto for "No Greater Love" draws upon the poetry of Joseph "Joe" H. Duffy, my grandfather. Joe was born in 1878 in Virginia City, Nevada, to Henry and Jennie Duffy. Henry had come West to work in the gold mines, but changed professions and worked as a printer for the "Territorial Enterprise," the same newspaper that Mark Twain wrote for. </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><br />Joe came to Butte in 1898, and after spending a decade as a miner and coal hauler in the Mountain Con and Neversweat mines, he co-founded the Independent Laundry, which served the hotels and boarding houses, and later merged it into the C.O.D. laundry on East Galena Street.</span></span></h4>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">From his beginning days in Butte, Joe was also known for producing musical reviews and theatrical productions. He also wrote poetry about Butte, miners, and mining, that was published in several local newspapers, particularly, <i>The Anaconda Standard</i>. In 1941, Joe published a novel entitled "Butte Was Like That," which served more as a loose framework on which to muse about and comment on the personality and politics of early Butte.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Besides his business and artistic endeavors, Joe had a taste for politics: He served as a Butte alderman from the late 1920's to the early 1940's, and also served as a Silver Bow County representative to the Montana Legislature in 1916-1917.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">A forty-year member of the Teamsters Union, Joe passed away in September 1955, at age 77.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />In his novel, "Butte Was Like That," Joe sets out an epigraph from his own collection of poems: </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>Those old days are forgotten,</i></span><br /><span class="s1"><i>They'll never come again,</i></span><br /><span class="s1"><i>But memory has a habit</i></span><br /><span class="s1"><i>To revive them now and then.</i></span></h4>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699695853867360710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7468829601860031432.post-41043476867293580982017-02-10T17:26:00.000-08:002017-02-18T23:18:58.513-08:00East Middle School raises $2000<h4 style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cash donations now top $100K</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Give it up for EMS!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">East Middle School donates $2,000 on Feb. 10 </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to the production of "No Greater Love."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">East Middle School Principal Larry Driscoll, center, <br />join No Greater Love President Jerry Sullivan<br /> and Treasurer Mary McMahon with an oversized </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">$2000 check from fundraising efforts by the students. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699695853867360710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7468829601860031432.post-75039878798559832772017-02-08T06:43:00.002-08:002017-02-11T15:45:17.741-08:00Give it a shot! Audition!!!Tryouts slated for last weekend in February at Aldersgate Methodist Church<br />
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To those who are considering auditioning for what will be an historic event for Butte, it will be well worth your time. Only once in our lives do we have the opportunity to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Granite Mountain/Speculator Mine fire of 1917. We, therefore, have no choice but to produce No Greater Love. We also have no choice but to perform the piece at the highest level of which the community is capable and can be proud. Auditions are therefore required.<br />
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The purpose of the audition is to provide actors and singers interested in being on the Mother Lode stage on June 9-10 the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities. Sure...the process is unnerving. Sure...it is time consuming. Sure...there is a chance that a person who auditions may not get the role that was sought.<br />
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But if we tip this thing upside down, we can think of this whole opportunity as exciting, as something considerably better than watching television for a month or trying to untangle the U.S. political knots, and what if...just what if you are accepted as a member of the cast. Your life will be forever changed and you will never forget it. Butte's history and culture will also be improved because of your willingness to step out and do something extraordinary. <br />
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My advice: give it a shot. Audition.<br />
Auditions are from 1-5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 25 and 26, at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 1621 Thornton Ave., near the Racetrack Fire Hall in Butte.<br />
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<span class="s1">Audition information and character description, m</span>usic excerpts and script excerpts will also be available on Monday, Feb. 13, at the Butte Archives, 17 W. Quartz St. in Uptown Butte.<br />
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<b>T</b><b>hose interested in auditioning must schedule an audition time on Saturday, Feb. 25, by calling the Archives at (406) 782-3280. Call-backs will be set for Sunday, Feb. 26.</b><br />
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<b>Note: Rehearsals will run from May 15 through June 3. A more detailed rehearsal schedule will be set once the cast has been determined.</b></div>
Gary Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995381835365640482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7468829601860031432.post-16972798807297114462017-02-05T06:42:00.000-08:002017-03-19T22:11:08.885-07:00 No Greater Love: Shedding new light on history<h4>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Mining for the nugget of truth</b></span></h4>
<a name='more'></a>Creating "No Greater Love" is like excavating a mountain to find the mother lode. I'm not a miner per se but a writer and composer who mines relevant history, newspaper articles, stories, lectures, film, legends, myths, characters, conversations, triumphs and tragedies. The goal is eventually to reach the vein of veracity that runs through it all and then attempt to capture that essence on stage.<br />
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One version of what happened a half mile below the surface sometimes doesn't comport with others' stories. Eyewitness accounts in some ways contradict one another. Some of the questions asked of the survivors at the Coroner's Inquest –– how the questions were worded –– seemed intent on prying out answers that protected the North Butte Mining Company from fault. "Did you feel that Sullau (<i>the foreman who accidentally started the fire</i>) was competent?" The huge irony of the disaster is that the Company was in the process of making the Granite Mountain–Speculator Mine the safest on the Hill when the fire broke out.<br />
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Some books written on the topic were in such a hurry to get published that the whole story was never covered in enough detail. That resulted in yet another version of what happened beneath the Granite Mountain Shaft fire in 1917. Part of the information void is now filled because of a discovery of the transcript of the 1917 "Coroner's Inquest" in 2016. The document was found in a box stored in some dark, dusty corner on an upper floor of the county courthouse. The search for the whole truth will go on into perpetuity, however, because frankly the heroes of the disaster took their truths with them to their graves.<br />
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And so ... we, as creators of "No Greater Love," feel along the walls of an underground maze of mine tunnels, slog through the mud of information, get dirty, take criticism, get slapped down, lifted up, listen, rewrite, challenge, discard that and accept this. Finally, we make decisions to provide the best opportunity to peer straight into the dark, dark, darkness of "not knowing" for certain and light yet another candle on history to brighten with a different kind awareness what likely happened within the human beings themselves. <br />
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Gary Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995381835365640482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7468829601860031432.post-24099498567079627202017-01-29T10:03:00.000-08:002017-03-19T22:07:41.828-07:00Butte: A painted, old trollop waking up after a wild night<h4>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Despite 'gray mine dumps with faded cottages,' she's a Butte-y</span></h4>
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From a chapter called "Shacks, Shanties and Mansions" from a book titled <i>Copper Camp </i>(Riverbend Publishing), the reader can get a better sense of Butte, Montana, in the early 1900s. <br />
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The Chamber of Commerce's promotional folder stated: "Butte is not one, but really two cities, one above and one below ground. ... Beautiful by night and unique by day. Butte is literally a city set upon a hill which cannot be hid."<br />
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The story goes that "... two miners of the Marcus Daly-era aptly described Butte when on their way to work early one morning they paused on the top of Anaconda Road and gazed down over the awakening camp.<br />
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"'Butte's a great old town,' reflected one of them. 'There's none better. But, do you know, I've never looked down on her in the sun's light that, she doesn't remind me of a painted, old trollop waking up after a wild night.'<br />
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"'Aye,' agreed the other, 'a painted, old trollop –– but with a heart as big as a mountain.'<br />
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"The barren, gray mine dumps with faded cottages in clusters at their feet; the huge steel and wooden gallows frames of the mines; the smoke-belching stacks; the crooked, crazy dirt roads and crumbling sidewalks leading up the hill to the mines, the rickety, unpainted, bulging and leaning brick and frame buildings –– all look as if they had been there for generations. Yet Butte is relatively young. To quote an old-timer: 'If you had lived as hard and excitin' a life as old Butte has, you'd be a bit prematurely aged yourself.' That is Butte –– prematurely aged, but tough and defiant."<br />
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"Night or day, there are crowds on the streets. If the times are good and the mines are working to capacity, the stores will be packed and jammed. The silver dollar is king in Butte, and paper money is hard to find. Saloons dot the shopping district. They will be found next door to anything but a church or school, and usually they are crowded, with two or three bartenders behind every bar. The 'lounges' as many of them are now called, though ultramodern in equipment with stainless steel and chrome fronts, still present the old camaraderie of their sawdust-floored predecessors. Good fellowship predominates.<br />
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"Tell almost any resident there isn't beauty in the town, and he most probably will answer: 'Sure there's beauty –– have you ever piped more beautiful girls than walk our streets? ... Speaking of beauty of other types, he most likely would interrupt: 'Oh, you mean flowers and trees and things. Certainly, plenty of them. Have you been out to the West Side or the Flat? Have you been out to Columbia Gardens?'" (pp. 19-21)<br />
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<br />Gary Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995381835365640482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7468829601860031432.post-42866233142974858232017-01-28T11:39:00.003-08:002017-02-09T21:27:02.988-08:00East Middle School's Got Talent! <h4>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Students' abilities in spotlight </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">for 'No Greater Love' fundraiser</span></h4>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b> After hearing her named winner of the<br /> talent show, Lillian Koefelda raises her<br /> hand on the East Middle School stage<br /> Friday, Jan. 27. She won a trophy and $30.</b></span><br />
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<b> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Ella Wanamaker, grade 8, practices "Riptide" <br /> on her ukulele before the EMS Talent Show.</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b> Eighth-grader Layne Woodering gets ready <br /> to play the drums during the EMS Talent Show.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b> In the above and below photos, EMS Irish dancers <br /> work on their steps before the talent show.</b></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">Irish dancers watch modern dancers practice<br /> before the EMS Talent Show. </b><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">The modern dancers <br /> are from left, in white, </b><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">Kiersten Roth; </b><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">Olivia <br /> Stillwagon in purple; and,</b><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;"> in blue, Maiya Carpenter.</b><br />
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<b style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Ella Wanamaker plays her ukulele <br />and performs "Riptide" on stage.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>EMS Irish dancers, from left, Mia McCarthy,<br />Josclyn Cleveland and Kennedy Hepola <br />perform "Step About" at the talent show. </b></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">An EMS quintet plays "Seven Nation Army"<br />at the talent show. They are, from left, <br />Morgan Montoya on electric guitar, Garrett <br />Philpot on baritone, Elizabeth McNabey and<br /> Lily Brown on trumpets, and Nathan Montoya on piano.</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>EMS seventh-grade modern dancers demonstrate <br />their rhythm and flexibility in their dance routine<br /> at the talent show. The dancers are, in white, <br />Kiersten Roth; in blue, Maiya Carpenter; and, <br />partially hidden, Olivia Stillwagon, in purple. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b> Derek Bane-Parsons plays "The Black Pearl" <br /> and "He's a Pirate" on his violin on stage at <br />the EMS Talent Show.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b> An EMS string trio plays "Mountain County Fiddle" <br /> at the school's talent show. All eighth-graders, they <br /> are, from left, Tytan Rosencrans on viola, Skyler Waters <br /> on violin and Ella Wanamaker on violin.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b> In the last act of the EMS Talent Show, Layne <br /> Woodering, left, and Taryn Stratton play the <br /> piano duet "Heart and Soul."</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b> Some of the 30 students in the East Middle School <br /> talent show await the judges' decision.</b></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b> Lillian Koefelda plays "Cold Water" on guitar <br /> in the East Middle School Talent Show on Friday, <br /> Jan. 27. Twenty-nine other students joined in the <br /> fundraiser for the "No Greater Love" production <br /> on June 9-10 at the Mother Lode Theater in Butte.</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </b><b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"> Lillian Koefelda holds her trophy for winning </span></b></span><b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">the East Middle School Talent Show.</span></b><b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"> The judges' </span></b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">decision was unanimous on her first-place finish.</b><b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> </b></span><b style="font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Community service event brings out the school stars</i></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In 14 different acts, using</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> trumpet, trombone and baritone, violin and viola, piano and drums, ukulele and guitar, Irish hard shoes and ballet slippers, comedy and singing, some 30 students took to the stage January 28 to raise money for the "No Greater Love" production this June.<br /><br />The idea for the school's talent show came from teacher Kathleen Foley. The school chose "No Greater Love" for its community service project to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day.<br /><br />"I just pitched it to Principal Driscoll as our community service because I just wanted to help out the Granite Mountain Memorial," Foley said. "We contacted (NGL treasurer) Mary McMahon, and she gave us a head's up on what they were doing."<br /><br />"We're very lucky here with Mr. Driscoll," said Foley</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, who's taught at East for 20 years</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. "He supports us in everything we want to do. And it's nice, because these kids are only here for two years."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Every morning during the advisory period</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, the seventh-grade science teacher reads to the students about the Granite Mountain-Speculator Mine disaster from the book "Fire and Brimstone."<br /><br />"They love it," she said. "We hope we can</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> take a field trip to the memorial this spring so they can see what we're reading, what it looks like."</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699695853867360710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7468829601860031432.post-66603085728193243912017-01-27T15:40:00.002-08:002017-03-19T22:03:01.301-07:00An Uncommon Authority!<h4>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">'Rare souls' dig deep in face of disaster</span></h4>
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The 1917 Granite Mountain-Speculator Mine Fire is historic not only because it happened but also because of what occurred when rather ordinary human beings were forced, without warning, into unimaginable, life-threatening circumstances. An estimated 400 men had to do whatever it took to survive. The "No Greater Love" story about a hero of that disaster must be told, and it must be told well.<br />
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Certainly miners in 1917 were acutely aware that what they were doing a half a mile below the surface was fraught with danger. Even though the North Butte Mining Company's aggressive action to improve the conditions of the Speculator Mine had been quite successful, the odds were stacked against any person who dropped down into the mines of the "Richest Hill on Earth." But the money was pretty damn good.<br />
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Although we know ourselves better than anyone else can know us, it is impossible to predict our own natural responses to a disaster, an accident or a tragedy during which events beyond our control put our faces smack up against death. What we decide to do and how efficiently we act determines the rest of our lives and perhaps the lives of others. In these moments, some of us may become terrified and freeze up. "How's a body to know until then?" Others may give up fairly quickly. Still others may lose their minds. But there are those rare souls who have a capacity that resides deep within them –– perhaps even unknown to them –– to focus in an almost super human way to see through the smoke to a solution that provides at least a "gambler's chance" to make it through to another day.<br />
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Among those losing control of reason when the smoke and poisonous gases from the fire in the Granite Mountain chased the men into every corner of the mine, many may have concentrated on the worst possible death –– asphyxiation or being burned to death. Because of the preciousness of life, they all raged in their own ways against the dying of the light and did not go gentle into that good night (paraphrase – Welsh poet Dylan Thomas). Some may have even succumbed to fear itself. When facing dire circumstances, <i>who we really are</i> shows up. Everything we are is driven to the surface and exposed to ourselves;<i> everything we aren't</i> recedes into the blackness.<br />
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<i>Any light?</i><br />
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<i>Anybody there?</i><br />
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<i>Can't breathe!</i><br />
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Then a voice speaks with uncommon authority, competency, poise and vision –– the voice of a "nipper," a worker responsible for sharpening the miners' tools throughout the mine. It was the voice of a man who knew the mine tunnels well and rallied the miners –– a man named Manus Duggan.<br />
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The motto of the No Greater Love Board of Directors is "Failure is not an option!" And neither was failure an option for Manus Duggan when he reportedly said to some twenty-eight brothers, "Now's the time boys! We can make it if you muster all the strength you have left!" Under Duggan's leadership, the bulkhead they built together saved the lives of 25 miners. Manus Duggan, himself, along with 167 others, did not survive the disaster. Gary Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995381835365640482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7468829601860031432.post-41584119747226339312017-01-25T14:55:00.002-08:002017-03-19T21:56:52.937-07:00Break that Bulkhead Down!<h4>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With 'heart of gold,' Butte is central character in 'No Greater Love'</span></h4>
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During my interactions with Butte, Montana, and its people over the years, I've learned that there is quality there that is unique.<br />
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I recall playing little league baseball and being warned by the coach that on such and such a date we were going to be playing a Butte team in Butte. By the time, we boarded the bus to travel there as youngsters, we were quite intimidated by Butte's reputation. We were told that they will not slide into second base; they come in with spikes waist high. We were told that the baseball field was not clean from rocks and to expect that hard hit grounders would lurch unexpectedly away. In other words, the players there played "dirty," and Butte was not a friendly place to those not from Butte and that the pitchers were not hesitant to throw so-called bean-balls. There was not much conversation on the bus trip to Butte. The main reason we lost the game was because instead of playing aggressive ball, we spent our field time thinking about getting the hell out of Butte and back home. Winning didn't matter. In fact, the field did have a fair amount of cinders, and the players exuded an "our gang" attitude towards us. I recall that the Butte squad went undefeated over the season.<br />
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Butte people look directly into your eyes when they talk and expect the same from you. They are brutally honest and are not afraid to express their opinions about politics, religion, money and the great need to do something about Uptown. They make their own news by achieving things quite extraordinary. They don't just opine; they actually get involved with solving problems.<br />
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I've been amazed when I happen into town on certain holidays. I couldn't even drive down the street just before Halloween up at the World Museum of Mining because of the hundreds and hundreds of costumed children in the nearby streets. The Uptown Christmas Stroll is a hubbub of noisy pedestrian traffic with children dragging their parents here and there. Strangely, I haven't braved St. Paddy's Day in Butte yet. Maybe my baseball memories still haunt me but have heard that it is quite remarkable in many ways.<br />
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There are many summer festivals that bring the Butte revelers out and attract a total of more than 100,000 tourists. The festivals' busy streets hearken back to the early 20th century when the population was 100,000. Back then, there were mine strikes, political demonstrations. The town was under martial law on occasion. There were 14 active theaters in those days along with 8 libraries and six times as many saloons as churches. There were reportedly 1000 prostitutes, some of the most lovely women in the world they say, that roamed the streets. Buildings were blown up by striking miners or unions in competition with one another. At big parades, there were not just a few hundred or even thousands of people; there were tens of thousands who would line the streets to watch the long parades of bands and floats. People representing nearly thirty different nationalities were drawn to Butte to make their living working in the mine. Butte not only drove the local politics hard but both state and national politics. Supposedly the main character in the film "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" was based on a Butte attorney/politician named Burton K. Wheeler. In August of 1917, an I.W.W. strike organizer named Frank Little from out of town was forced from his apartment, dragged down the street behind a vehicle and hanged from a local railroad trestle. Butte makes all other towns seem vanilla by comparison.<br />
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I mean you can't make something like Butte up. There is no doubt that Butte, itself, is the central character in "No Greater Love." As the protagonist in the script, Butte demonstrates that it is not only tough, but it also has a heart of gold. Butte as a physical city has survived, but its population has evolved genetically as a people with an unbelievable passion for living life to the fullest, a people with guts and pride, and a people that no matter what is thrown in the way, will find a way, not <i>around</i> the barriers, but <i>right through</i> the barriers. They punch them down. The finale in our production is a testament to Butte's fortitude and resilience. It is called "Break that Bulkhead Down!"Gary Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995381835365640482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7468829601860031432.post-26421469752484714122017-01-24T14:03:00.002-08:002017-03-19T21:50:35.128-07:00Simple Questions<h4>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From 'Simple Questions' come hard decisions</span></h4>
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The creative team for "No Greater Love" owes Butte both a story that is inspired by history and one that is compelling and engaging. The history of the 1917 mine fire is there for our study in books, articles, documentaries and lectures. The <b>whole</b> truth, residing within the history, however, is more elusive than facts because we simply don't know what was felt, thought, said and prayed about when those directly involved underground and those above ground were confronted, in real time, with the chaos and calamity of the 1917 Granite Mountain-Speculator Mine fire.<br />
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There are certain times, therefore, when it is incumbent upon the creative team to slow the action and take it in a different direction by singing. Once the creative team had developed a reliable script for "No Greater Love," the challenge was to determine those points in the story that were the most fertile moments for a song. The story isn't stopped during the singing of the song, for it is through the song that the observers of the story gain insight into a character or the relationships between one another. This interaction between music, words, the storyline and the audience creates a reason for all of us involved to care about what really happened in 1917.<br />
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One such moment in "No Greater Love" involves Norman Braley, the mine manager. He has to make decisions that ensure the best possible chances for the survival of those miners trapped below. No matter the decision he makes, people will die as a result. How does he come to these decisions? What weighs upon his mind? How does he know that they are the right decisions? What will he say to the foks who wait to hear about the fate of their loved ones? Is he strong enough to brave it all or is he weak? Questions such as these are posed by Braley to himself in a song he sings titled "Simple Questions."<br />
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There are things universal in musical productions. Don Quixote in "Man of La Mancha" sings about the imperative ".... to dream the impossible dream." Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof" asks his wife Golde after 25 years of marriage, "Do you love me?" In "A Little Night Music," the audience is confronted with the valuelessness of the glamourous, frivolous life, the rich life of parties and the falling apart of relationships in "Where are the Clowns?"<br />
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One of the universals in "No Greater Love" is brought to the fore in the song "Simple Questions." The song asks us to contemplate our own lives by asking ourselves such questions as: Who are we really when we are faced with life-altering decisions? Do we, in fact, have the courage to make what we feel are the right decisions even though it might fly in the face of the opinion of others? Do we have the fortitude to deal with the possibility that the decisions may be wrong? Can we live with ourselves? Are we the kind of people we think we are, that we want others to believe we are, that we want to be?<br />
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Gary Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995381835365640482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7468829601860031432.post-62798995844692881212017-01-23T12:11:00.001-08:002017-01-28T12:43:48.197-08:00Invitation to Audition<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">'No Greater Love' Auditions: February 25-26</span></h4>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Auditions</span></b></div>
<b>Saturday, February 25 and Sunday, February 26, (1-6 p.m. both days)</b><br />
<b>Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 1621 Thornton Avenue, Butte</b><br />
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<i>Audition packets will be made available to the public beginning on Friday, February 10, 2017, at the reception desk at the Butte-Silver Bow Archives (17 W. Quartz Street). Audition materials will also be available for download via our website: nogreaterlovebutte.com</i><br />
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Roles open for public audition:<br />
• Madame McGinnis runs a Butte brothel<br />
• Norman Braley, Speculator Mine Manager<br />
• Teddy Mostoski, a 10-12 year old newspaper boy<br />
• Jimmy O'Reilly, a young miner<br />
• Zoe, a young prostitute<br />
• Lulu, a middle-aged prostitute<br />
• Six Ladies of the Line (prostitutes)<br />
• Reverend Michael O'Dea Barry, catholic priest<br />
20 voice chorus (soprano, alto, tenor, bass)<br />
A small group of children<br />
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Interested people are invited to become involved in everything from sewing costumes to constructing sets, from playing one of the stage roles to performing in the orchestra. We look forward to meeting a large group of interested actor/singers on February 25-26.<br />
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<br />Gary Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995381835365640482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7468829601860031432.post-16798044612937347592017-01-22T09:02:00.002-08:002017-01-28T13:42:15.423-08:00Balancing Fact and Fiction<h4>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fictionalized 'No Greater Love' filters history to present the truth</span></h4>
<a name='more'></a>Museums and history books are charged with archiving history. I was, therefore, surprised at the university history professor's answer to my question about the best book to read to learn about 19th century Russian history. I was expecting to hear that I should obtain a specific university level textbook. Rather, the recommendation was to read Tolstoy's "<i>War and Peace" </i>– a book of fiction.<br />
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Can fiction actually enlighten history? Yes, because excellent historical fiction often expresses history from the inside-out in the present moment rather than from the outside-in ex post facto.<br />
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To compose a musical work for the stage such as "No Greater Love," the story is told from the inside-out by inventing conversations, scenes and characters to frame actual events. The process begins by establishing a story line that presents the critical essentials. Much of what will happen on the stage must be invented because, in fact, the characters on the Mother Lode stage on June 9-10, 2017, will not really be working in the Granite Mountain/Speculator mines in 1917; the people playing the roles are acting, pretending to be someone who lived in 1917. The actor playing Manus Duggan, for example, will not look at all like the photos of Manus Duggan. The clothes he wears are not the same.<br />
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We know what may have happened at the 2400-foot level during the Granite Mountain/Speculator Mine fire from the recorded statements made by the disaster survivors at the coroner's inquest. There are so many stories there; in fact, there are too many stories to include in one two-hour production. Through lighting, make-up, stage movement, scenic design, sound effects and music, a compelling story-line will be presented that requires the trust and investment of the imagination from the audience members and from all those involved in producing "No Greater Love." Although inspired by history, "No Greater Love" involves filtering that history down to tell the best story and finding the proper balance between what we know happened and what must be invented to present the truth of the matter.Gary Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995381835365640482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7468829601860031432.post-12863555745760240362017-01-21T05:36:00.001-08:002017-01-28T13:38:05.808-08:00A Heart that Shines Like Copper<h4>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The alchemy of tragedy renders the elixir of love</span></h4>
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The true events that inspired "No Greater Love" are important and colorful threads woven into Butte's historical fabric over the past 100 years. It is events such as the Granite Mountain/Speculator Mine fire that have played a role in forming the unique character of this gritty city. The people featured in "No Greater Love" are quintessential Butte. They don't take "crap" from anyone.<br />
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In writing the script and music of "No Greater Love" over the past many months, we have concluded that the Hill is Butte, itself, with its tough, hard rock surface. The copper ore that was mined out of the "Richest Hill on Earth" serves as a beautiful metaphor of the powerful love between miners themselves and among Butte families. People who get to know the citizens of this remarkably unique town eventually dig down deep enough to uncover the motherlode: Butte's deep and tender heart that shines like brilliant copper.Gary Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995381835365640482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7468829601860031432.post-6609102429893684822017-01-20T19:18:00.002-08:002017-01-28T13:40:06.237-08:00No Greater Love: the 'rest of the story'<h4>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Original production to mine the depth <br />of history to tell tale through arts</span></h4>
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To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Granite Mountain-Speculator Mine Fire, the No Greater Love LLC Board of Directors is producing a new musical called "No Greater Love." Those familiar with the 1917 mine fire know that there are many heroes and many events associated with the disaster. The value in producing this piece for Butte is that "No Greater Love" tells a story that is a "mile high" and a "mile deep."<br />
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To avoid producing something that is a "mile wide and an inch deep," decisions had to be made about what to include in the story and what not to include. Many folks are aware that the tragedy began near midnight on June 8, 1917, that there was a three-ton cable that crashed and that an accidental fire trapped 400 miners about 1/2 mile below the surface killing 168 miners. We can only imagine the terror and helplessness the miners must have felt in these circumstances.<br />
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History, however, is not comprised of facts alone because facts –– as expressed in numbers, graphs and words –– are limited. The whole truth of history is partly revealed by expressing what might have been going through the minds, hearts and souls of those above and below ground before, during and after the disaster. This critical aspect of the Granite Mountain Fire cannot be explained without the arts. Therefore, we are producing "No Greater Love" that contains the "rest of the story" as Paul Harvey used to say on the radio years ago.<br />
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We hope that those reading about "No Greater Love" will come and join us on June 9-10 at the Mother Lode Theater to be moved and captured by the "rest of the story." Gary Funkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995381835365640482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7468829601860031432.post-22353361495650689842017-01-20T14:03:00.001-08:002017-01-28T12:45:22.384-08:00New board member for 'No Greater Love'<h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dave Curry welcomed to NGL board</span></h4>
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<span class="s1"><b>DAVE CURRY is a new board member with "No Greater Love." </b>He was raised in Butte and graduated from Carroll College. He holds a Master's degree in Philanthropy and Development, has served on the BSB Council of Commissioners, worked for 30 years at Northwestern Energy, and has been involved in community service with Kiwanis for the past 27 years. His father drove truck in the Berkeley Pit and previously owned Butte Business College.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.nogreaterlovebutte.com/staff.php">Read about our steering committee.</a></div>
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