We all struggle on a daily basis, and yet overcome many obstacles that seem insurmountable at the time. However, there are also those moments when we don’t persevere, the ones that mark our soul. For me, writing this blog provides daily solace during challenging times. I am able to escape into the past and share challenges faced by others. Somehow, telling their stories brings peace to my own.
It is especially comforting for me when voices from the past share fears of the present. Ninety-nine years ago, scenic artist Thomas G. Moses (1856-1934) wrote a passage that is applicable for many today.
In 1923 he wrote, “While I realize what one short year will do for one’s business, I cannot help having a chill from what has happened to us all during that time. When I look forward and wonder what is apt to happen, I try to be optimistic and see nothing but silver lining and feel that the turning point has been passed and the road is cleared, and the travel will be comparatively easy.”
To be continued…
Author: waszut_barrett@me.com
Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett, PhD, is an author, artist, and historian, specializing in painted settings for opera houses, vaudeville theaters, social halls, cinemas, and other entertainment venues. For over thirty years, her passion has remained the preservation of theatrical heritage, restoration of historic backdrops, and the training of scenic artists in lost painting techniques. In addition to evaluating, restoring, and replicating historic scenes, Waszut-Barrett also writes about forgotten scenic art techniques and theatre manufacturers. Recent publications include the The Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple: Freemasonry, Architecture and Theatre (Museum of New Mexico Press, 2018), as well as articles for Theatre Historical Society of America’s Marquee, InitiativeTheatre Museum Berlin’s Die Vierte Wand, and various Masonic publications such as Scottish Rite Journal, Heredom and Plumbline. Dr. Waszut-Barrett is the founder and president of Historic Stage Services, LLC, a company specializing in historic stages and how to make them work for today’s needs. Although her primary focus remains on the past, she continues to work as a contemporary scene designer for theatre and opera.
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