Fling Chronicler: Grace Marie Lambert
Fling Photographer: Sarah Kuznitz
Wednesday, June 20th
As the sun rolled out of bed on the morning of June 20th and gazed at the earth something caught her eye – a glimpse of joyful laughter, friendly hugs and sweet smiles. Her keen eye narrowed in on 2634 Bernardo Ave, Escondido, California, home of Mr. and Mrs. Hinrichs and Escondido Tutorial Service. There she distinguished young men and young woman crowded into the lawn in front of the ETS hall exchanging hugs and laughter with old friends and handshakes and names with the new.
I stood among this crowd, joining in the mayhem, while also collecting my play ticket, lunch ticket and name tag. Yet all was hushed as Mr. Hinrichs mounted the hall steps calling all to attention. Welcoming us to the Summer Fling he reviewed the rules and assigned jobs such as sweeping, water duty etc. etc. After being led on a stroll through the Hinrichs property, the always-entertaining name game was next on the agenda. After attempting to squeeze into the hall we formed a circle of gargantuan proportion around the lawn. Fun ensued as we attempted to recollect all the names of the faces in the circle – while not without a few mishaps it was carried out largely with success. As the sun showed no sign of relenting we were all grateful to clamor back to the shady hall for Mr. H’s music talk.
Mr. Hinrichs enlightened us on why we delight in well-sung, well-played music, expounding that while harmonizing together we are participating in the basic rules of geometry. Following the music talk were Greek lessons where we attempted to master the Modern Greek pronunciation as opposed to the classical Greek learned by previous GBT-ers. Stomachs growling and alpha, beta, gamma ringing in our ears we all made our way to the delicious pot-luck lunch prepared for us by the lovely mothers (not to mention some very nice fathers who grilled up some wonderful hot dogs and hamburgers). Yet, before being allowed to partake we were ordered to silently arrange ourselves in alphabetical order in the lunch line. With food as our reward this was quickly accomplished (whether silently or not remains debated) and we stood in line from A to Z.
Myself and the other actors gathered our lunches together and assemble near the home Mr. and Mrs. Hinrichs senior to practice for Saturday’s play while the others dispersed for various activities throughout the property. Two o’clock came swiftly and with it the ringing of the bell calling all to reconvene at the hall for the annual Homeric-Read-A-Thon. Mr. Hinrichs started us of with a thrilling oration of the first book of the Odyssey. Cyclops, Kirke, Penelope and Telemachus all joined us in the hall as myself; Leah, Brett and Tammy read some of the most famous books of the Odyssey. Chelsey Nygarrd brought the read-a-thon to a close with an awe-inspiring reading of book 19 and we were dismissed to free time and dinner.
Back at the hall with stomachs filled we commenced the evening festivities: DANCING!! We kicked off the dancing with the Newcastle circle dance, a new dance for most, and followed it up by learning Mr. Beverages Maggot (or the “Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth dance”). A cacophony of sound and laughter issued from the hall as we swirled and twirled and kicked up our heels to the lively music. The night ended with the usual singing and as we lifted our voices to the heavens in song I could feel the warmth of friendship surrounding the hall. And while the sun had long surrendered it’s eyes to sleep the moon gazed on at the little hall in Escondido and listened to the last lovely notes of the Doxology drift up to the stars while new and old friends gathered their belongings and wished each other good night.
8:30 - arrival time
9:00 - 11:00 Fling introduction, group photo, name game, coin cleaning, Greek lesson
11:00 - 12:00 Music talk by Mr. Hinrichs
12:00 - 2:00 Lunch- Potluck
2:00 Homeric read-a-thon
Volunteers needed to read books from the Odyssey. If you volunteer to read a book, please practice your book so that you can read it with good interest for the listeners.
Contact coordinator: Mr. Hinrichs gbt@gbt.orgMr. Hinrichs I, GraceMarie IX, Leah X, Brett XI, Tammy XII, Chelsea XIX, Mr. Hinrichs XXIII
7:00-10:00 p.m. Dance Practice: Feel free to dress semi-formally or casual for this event. We will be teaching: country dances (i.e. Virginia Reel), swing, polka, German dances, Regency dances and any other dances we forgot to mention but have time for.
Thursday, June 21st
Thursday morning got underway with the group picture. Smiles abounded and our cheekbones were nearly worn out as we all swarmed into the hall for the reader’s theater of “Two Gentlemen of Verona.” The cast included Will Craddick as Valentine, Twyla Elhart as Sylvia, Leah Lombardi as Proteus and Julia played by Amanda Johnson. A funny supporting cast joined the pairs of lovers. The morning slipped by quickly as we tried to untangle Shakespeare’s language (Mr. H’s intro helped!), practice our singing and clean roman coins – which had been forgotten in the melee of the day before! Dismissed to lunch, the actors once again flew away to practice “The Clouds” while ultimate Frisbee and other sports related activities raged around us.
Mid-afternoon we were all summoned back to the hall by the clanging of the bell for the reader’s theater of Agamemnon. Bringing Aeschylus’ masterpiece to life was Elizabeth Nichols as the scheming Clytemnestra, Emilie McDonald as her lover Aegisthus, and Chelsey Nygard as the prophetess Cassandra (whose scream was heard in three counties!! Bravo!) and our multi-talented teacher Mr. Hinrichs as the plotted-against Agamemnon. Joining the cast list was myself, Amanda Johnson (also the coordinator of the play), Emilie Mcdonald and Sandra Nguyen as the watchman herald, chorus leader and chorus. The drama came to its apex as Agamemnon took his dying breath and Clytemnestra gloried over him! In closing Mr. Hinrichs compared Shakespeare’s style in “Two Gentlemen of Verona” to that of Aeschylus in Agamemnon. ‘Agamemnon’ was written so that the drama of the play could fit within a 24-hour time span or less, while the plot of ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’ fits more accurately into a time span of months. This difference highlights not only the difference in the two plays but in the style of play writing in two different time periods. With that we were off to dinner and (for some of us) Balboa park and The Old Globe Theater to attend “Two Gentlemen of Verona.” The play was exquisitely done with lots of attention given to detail and costuming. Admittedly, some scenes left questions as to their good tastes but notwithstanding it was a wonderful production with brilliant performances. Until tomorrow was echoed by all and we hopped in our cars and headed home for a much-needed night of rest – short though it may be.
8:30 - arrival time
9:00 - 12:00 Reader's Theatre - Two Gentlemen of Verona
12:00 - 2:00 Lunch- Potluck
2:00 Greek reader's theater- Agamemnon
Clytaemnestra-- Elizabeth Nichols
Agamemnon-- Mr. Hinrichs
Cassandra-- Chelsea Nygaard
Aegisthus-- Emilie Mcdonald
Watchman-- Amanda Johnson
Herald-- GraceMarie Lambert
Chorus Leader-- Sandra Nguyen
Chorus-- (1) Amanda, (2) Grace, (3) Emilie
8:00 Old Globe Theater - Shakespeare - Two Gentlemen of Verona
** Optional **
Friday, June 22nd
Friday morning came – a little too soon for most of us – and a sleepy (but happy) group was gathered at the hall. We began the morning by discussing the previous evening’s play and the significance of its costumes and sets in the presentation of the play. Then ‘twas more Shakespeare as we all gathered to watch the star studded screen version of “Much Ado About Nothing” starring Emma Thompson (my favorite!), Denzel Washington, Kate Beckinsale and Keanu Reeves. With pithy performances and the sharp wit of Shakespeare I soon found myself intertwined in the plot of the innocent Hero and the headstrong Beatrice and their respective lovers. Applause, discussion and comparisons of “Much Ado About Nothing” and “Two Gentlemen of Verona” followed. One of the more debated questions was whether Claudio (from Much Ado About Nothing) and Proteus (Two Gentlemen of Verona) deserved forgiveness. The discussion ended only with the lunch bell.
With a free afternoon before us, the thespians took advantage of a little extra practice time. Others sped home to prep for the Ball while others opted to stay and practice instruments or play sports in the hall or on the lawn. At three o’clock, play practice was called to a close and we made our way home to (hopefully) catch a nap before the all important ball preparations and more important Ball.
Seven o’clock found a large group of handsome young men and beautiful young women gathered on the grass outside the hall. An astute observer might have been able to distinguish the same sleepy faces that had gathered at the hall that very same morning! The evening commenced with the introductions of the families and Mr. Hinrichs’ letter to the young men and women – which this year made a surprise appearance in poetic form! The stately Grand March followed which led us around the hall and down onto the path passing the home of Mr. and Mrs. Hinrichs senior and up again to the lawn were we ended with a bow and a flourish. More dancing ensued – dances such as The Virginia Reel, Mr. Beverages Maggot, The Patti Cake Polka, The Gay Gordon, The Newcastle circle dance, waltzing and swing!!! Laughter encircled the hall as ladies dresses twirled round, men’s feet tapped on the wooden floors and couples marched and swung and right-hand-turned and left-hand-turned their way through the dances. All good things must come to an end – and the ball was no exception - before we knew it the last dance was called and music books were passed out. We all gathered round Mr. H as he lead us in song, chorusing together in “Lo’ How a Rose Ere Blooming”, “Angels We Have Heard on High”, “Dona Nobis” and the powerful “Dies Ere” along with other ETS favorites. Music swelled in the room. And then silence as the last enchanting notes of the Doxology died out. Mr. H closed the evening in prayer thanking God for the joys of fellowship. Good-byes were said – but truly who could sleep? So off to Denny’s! And while most of us could’ve “Danced all Night” we contented ourselves with eating, laughing and chatting until the early hours of the morning.
8:30 - arrival time
9:00 - 12:00 Movie and Discussion. Much Ado About Nothing- Shakespeare (Editing by Mr. Hinrichs :-) )
12:00 - 2:00 Lunch- Potluck
2:00- 4:00 Free Afternoon
4:00 - 6:00 Portrait time
Each family and each student will receive one free portrait.
7:00 – 10:00 Ball
Saturday, June 23rd
An exhausted group huddled at the hall the next morning. We rubbed sleep out of our eyes as Mr. Hinrichs kicked off the morning with Greek lessons while some sleepy stragglers made their way to seats. Yet exhaustion could hardly keep us pinned down and by mid-morning eyes and brains were awake as the annual debate raged on. The resolve stated: The war in Iraq is a prudent national endeavor for the purpose of spreading the democratic form of government to the Middle East. Pros and cons quickly gathered in discussion groups outside. Twenty minutes later we filed back into the hall to present the first arguments. Leila Pedraza was up to bat first for the pros arguing for the value of freedom and democracy – followed by Amanda Johnson for the cons whose arguments focused on the national resources being wasted in the war. After a short debrief outside, the teams brought in their next batters for the rebuttal. Swinging for the cons was Eric Dowling, while Zack Lucia was called in for the pro team.
“Stand and Shoot” was the next segment of the debate. The teams arranged themselves on opposite sides of the hall and readied their guns (figuratively speaking of course). A representative from each team took their turn presenting an argument – guns loaded, the other team attempted to counter the argument. As long as the stander had a shred of his/her argument remaining he/she was free to stand. Gun power was thick in the air as the “Stand And Shoot” was called to a close.
The verdict was near. Being forewarned that lunch would wait for a decision – prayers were being sent up for a quick conclusion. Adria, Nicole, Leah, Sydney, Sarah and Nathaniel formed our jury of GBT IV students – in whose hands the fate of the debate lay (and our lunches!). The initial vote put us at an even tie. The jury huddled in the middle of the room to debrief - second vote: 5 to 1. The sweet aroma of hamburgers infiltrated the room. More deliberation - third vote: 5 to 1. More discussion. The crowd leaned in closer – fourth vote: 5 to 1. Stomachs growled - fifth vote: 4 con 2 pro. Hung jury! Court dismissed! LUNCH!
Lunch, play practice and preparation for the afternoon’s recital followed. Mothers and sisters, fathers and brothers all started to flock in to see the brilliant artistic skills of our ETS musicians and vocalists not to mention two lovely dancers. As I was not numbered among the performers I was given the benefit of sitting and listening to the enchanting performances. Piano, cello, recorder, guitar, violin and dance all graced the hall with their lovely melodies as the fresh air from the beautiful day wafted in through the open doors. Mr. Hinrichs brought the recital to a close sharing that our gifts should always be used for the glory of God, highlighting that we can truly glorify God when we present to Him our gifts with excellence; that when we write a beautiful paper, play an exquisite piece of music or sing a breath-taking song we are using our gifts to exalt Him.
The rest of the afternoon was spent either in preparations and practicing for the play or enjoying the free time and the lovely (if a little hot) afternoon. Evening arrived and found costumes straightened, lines memorized (well…mostly!), sets in place, our amazing director, Amanda Helland, perched on the porch of the house in case of an catastrophe (none occurred!) and audience eagerly awaiting the beginning of “The Clouds” by Aristophanes. (Imaginary) curtain was drawn and the play began. “The Clouds” is the story of Strepsiades (John Keller), a middle age Greek man, determined to escape the debts of his horseracing son (Zack Lucia) by learning rhetoric. Where to learn rhetoric? Where else but “The Thoughtery” home of Socrates (Austin Hinrichs) and his pale-faced disciples? Hilarity ensues as Socrates introduces Strepsiades to his gods, The Clouds, a gang of supreme goddesses with a tendency towards the dramatic. All this plus a cockfight between just and unjust discourse, Charlie’s Angels (uh, clouds?) and for the finale the burning of The Thoughtery by an angry Strepsiades! Bows and applause abounded as the (imaginary) curtain closed! One big thanks to Amanda Helland for making the play so much fun!!!! Q&A along with discussion followed on how much a resemblance this caricature of Socrates bore to the real Socrates.
Yet, the night was hardly over. More swing dancing and the signing of pictures and exchanging of e-mail addresses were necessary final ingredients for the recipe of our delightful and unforgettable week. And what a recipe! Into the mix had gone lots of reading and Greek lessons, a fabulous teacher Mr. Hinrichs, his lovely wife and wonderful discussion. Added were a splash of dancing and a smattering of singing, a touch of Shakespeare and many friends. Finally it was peppered with ideas and sprinkled with laughter! What a feast!
The End
8:30 - arrival time
9:00 - 12:00 Debate
Resolved: The war in Iraq is a prudent national endeavor for the purpose of spreading the democratic form of government to the middle-east.
12:00 - 2:00 Lunch- Potluck
2:00 Music and Poetry Recital
“Sing!”
From A Chorus Line
Adria Hinrichs, voice
Austin Hinrichs, voice
“The Swan”
Saint Saens
Austin Hinrichs, cello
Waltz in C Major, Op. 77 No. 1
Schubert
Leah Lombardi, piano
Introduction and Variation I of Variations in D Minor
De Beriot
Annie Sierra, violin
Stevie Jackson, piano
“Away in a manger”
Ben Hinrichs, Recorder
Fritz Hinrichs, Piano
Orphan Girl
Christy Hinrichs, Guitar/VoiceBobbie Helland, Guitar/Voice
“Toxicity”
System of a Down, Zach O’Brien, & Kanan de los Santos
Kanan de los Santos, piano
“Tender Reproaches”
Tchaikovsky
Zachary Lucia, piano
“Le Coucou”
Daquin
Emilie McDonald, violin
Nicole LaSalle, viola
“Doxology”
Attributed to Louis Bourgeois
Arranged by Mark Hayes
Chelsea Nygaard, piano
“Alle Breve, Fuga de capella
Vivaldi
Steve Jackson, Harpsichord
Fritz Hinrichs, RecorderAustin Hinrichs, Cello
“Bring Me to Life”
Evanescence
Katherine Najor, voice
Nicole LaSalle, viola
Zach O’Brien, piano
Prelude in c# Minor
Rachmaninoff
Zach O’Brien, piano
Sonata Pathetique Op. 13, Grave Allegro Di Molto E con Brio
Beethoven
Matthew Nunez, piano
Impromptu in Ab Op. 90 #4
Schubert
Nikolas Nunez, piano
“Rain”
Amanda Johnson, dance
Meghan O’Brien, dance
Accompanied by Zach O’Brien, piano
7:00 - Theater Night
Play: Aristophanes- The Clouds
