Vol. II, No. 28 - February 16, 2012
Words Are Not Enough is published every Thursday at San Diego, Calif. for the benefit of the city's theater community and its supporters. It's designed as a forum for discussion of plays and current theater-related topics; more important, it seeks to help define local theater's place as a public service. It's chosen Capt. James Hook (above), of Peter Pan fame, as its icon—Hook's ship was said to take him between worlds both real and imagined, and ideally, his performing-arts counterparts will do the same for you.
Meanwhile, it occurs to us that we haven't been properly introduced as a group just yet—so without further ado:
Martin Jones Westlin, founding publisher of Words Are Not Enough, is the former theater editor at San Diego CityBeat (sdcitybeat.com) and an award-winning writer and speaker in his own right. He's been involved in theater (his major at the universities of Toledo and Michigan) in one way or another since Lyndon Johnson was president, has 12 years' classical piano training on the side and thinks cottage cheese and ketchup is the greatest dish in the history of the universe. People say he should be on the stage himself—in fact, there's one leaving in 10 minutes, and some local actors were just spotted futzing with the brakes.
Exposed to live theater and music during her Chicago childhood, contributing writer Charlene Baldridge is an award-winning journalist, book author, poet and lyricist. A member of the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle, she writes her own musical/theatrical blog at charlenebaldridge.blogspot.com and for Performances magazine, North County Times and La Jolla Village News. Formerly a singer, arts administrator and banker and mother to midlife children, she has yet to decide definitively what she wants to be when she grows up.
Jan Gunyon's vocation is banking and finance, but it so happens she knows more about film than anybody in the history of the universe, except maybe Roger Ebert. The Encinitas freelancer asked if she might lend some of her expertise to Words Are Not Enough in light of The Livin' End's recent departure—and since we're covering film now, we thought her worth a try. Besides, we sorta have to let her play. It's her ball.
Contributing writer and native San Diegan Jean Lowerison has been watching theater for (mumble, mumble) years–since the days that Starlight and the Old Globe were all San Diego had in theater companies–and writing about film and theater for the past decade. A member of the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle, a UC-Berkeley graduate and a college librarian for (mumble, mumble) years, she is an enthusiastic chorister, currently singing with the La Jolla Symphony Chorus (a favorite appearance was a chorus role in the opera Dido and Aeneas). She reviews theater (and sometimes film) for the online San Diego Gay and Lesbian News (sdgln.com).
Art director Kay Jones is always experimenting with new techniques, which makes finding the perfect expression in art a lifelong pursuit. She's designed show logos and more for Solana Beach's North Coast Repertory Theatre for the past three years and has designed for Scripps Ranch Theatre's 2010-11 season. She's also the senior designer and IT consultant for Image Printing and enjoys rural life in Riverside County with her husband Gus and some very spoiled pets.
Simon Dukes is the Words Are Not Enough webmaster. With more than 20 years in the graphics industry (mostly in his native England), Simon has a wealth of knowledge in all aspects of graphics and the web. Recently married, he enjoys the wonderful San Diego climate and exploring his new hometown and its theatre (the correct spelling!) scene.
All good things,
Marty