Hello, Reader.

Today I’m in Vancouver, on the cusp of opening night at Deep Cove Stage Society’s production of Diamond Girls.

For those of you who are not familiar with this play, I wrote it nearly eight years ago. Diamond Girls tells the story of the AAGPBL, as experienced by three Saskatchewan women: Mary “Bonnie” Baker, Arleene Noga Johnson, and Daisy Junor. In total, sixty-four Canadian women traveled south of the 49th parallel to play in this league, which existed from 1943-1954. Diamond Girls had two iterations as a one-woman, one-act production, first with the brilliant Malia Becker and secondly with the talented Amanda Trapp. Both productions were under the direction of the fabulous Kenn McLeod. Thanks to the support of the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame, Diamond Girls toured four provinces (and two countries!) and was a joy from beginning to end.

Last fall I was approached by Laura Wallace at Deep Cove Stage Society about performing this show with an expanded cast (only six women and six men!) as a two-act. I reworked the script, adding a scene at the end which had been cut from the original production. Part of the charm of the original show was watching Malia or Amanda so ably and swiftly switch roles. It was magical. I have no idea how Diamond Girls will fly as a full cast production, but I am eager to see the hard work these performers and their director Val Mason have done.

The original show was designed to travel, so set pieces and props were basic. The Deep Cove set, designed by Laura Wallace, is breathtaking. What an amazing space for storytelling! In the photo below, Laura and I are seated next to a backstop constructed from PVC and garden trellis. It is a work of art!

If you saw the original show or will be attending the production at Deep Cove, or have anything to say about the magnificent phenomenon that is live theatre, please leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you!

#diamondgirls #communitytheatre #amwriting #livetheatre #inspiration #blog #dirtintheskirt #aagpbl #womensbaseball

1. 

   Thank you, Ashley!

2. 

   Welcome to the blogging world, Maureen!

3. 

   lol indeed!!

4. 

   I think you need to add the hash tag neverhome lol

5. 

   Thank you so much, Gerry. Yes, Malia and Amanda were incredible. And I am so glad Amanda is working with…

6. 

   Congratulations, Maureen. How exciting for you and the team there. I enjoyed the show with Malea a few years ago.…

7. 

   How exciting to see your work succeed and evolve! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts afterwards about seeing it as…

8. 

   Thanks so much for letting me know!

9. 

   Hey Maureen, I enjoyed reading about your journey with “Diamond Girls”. Congrats on the blog – it seems to be…

Here we go. I haven’t blogged for quite a while, but I’ll do my best to post here at least once a week. Share a few pics. Drop a few book reviews. Try to stay upbeat and out of trouble.

Speaking of reviews, I just finished The Mythic Adventures of Samuel Templeton:Peanut Butter and Chaos by Winnipeg author Anita Daher. This is a terrific summer read for a Middle Grader whose interests include science (specifically quantum physics), Icelandic lore, or magic. PB and C is the first book in the series. The second instalment is aptly named Peanut Butter and Pandemonium.

I’m about to jump into Magicked Born, a debut novel from Saskatoon author Ashleigh Mattern, whom I met at the Prairie Horizons/SK Canscaip conference a few weeks ago. The tagline reads: “In a world hostile to magic, three young mages must find a way to destroy an evil force.” Oh golly, at least I know they will likely find a way to succeed. Ashleigh is currently at work on the second book in this YA fantasy series. And don’t we just love a great fantasy? They are chock full of fascinating characters, plot twists, rich settings, and relevant themes. So much to explore.

But YA and Middle Grade is definitely not all I read. I’m currently midway through Essex Dogs by Dan Jones. Think Band of Brothers meets Braveheart. I was drawn to the one because it’s set in fourteenth century France at the inception of the Hundred Years War. This historical fiction novel is funny, bawdy, bloody, and profane. Love it! I bought the ebook for less than a dollar on Bookbub. What a deal.

Maybe you have a book you’d like to recommend? I’d love to hear from you. Don’t be shy.

#bookreviews #indiebooks #amwriting #amreading #inspiration #blog