Day: December 13, 2012

“Come in, come in! and know me better, man!” – Celebrate Charles Dickens with Storyfests SL

Posted on by Inara Pey
The Dickens Project - gates open on the 14th December
The Dickens Project – gates open on the 14th December

Friday 14th December will see the The Dickens Project open its gates for a two-week long celebration of Charles Dickens and his work as a part of the festivities which have been taking place around the world to mark the 200th anniversary of his birth.

The Dickens Project is being organised by Storyfests SL and will taken place on land donated to the project by the Community Virtual Library at their home region of Info Island. It will comprise daily presentations (in Voice) of Dickens’ seasonal classic, A Christmas Carol and encompass some of his other works in an inateractive, immersive setting.

The schedule, as it stood on Thursday December 13th is as follows – but please make sure you check for the latest details on the Storyfests blog.

The Dickens Project
The Dickens Project

Friday December 14th, 14:00

  • Caledonia Skytower presents The Opening Story!

Saturday December 15th, 17:00

  • Avatar Repertory Theatre presentation, adapted by Ada Radius (with Singing!)

Sunday December 16th – TBA

Monday December 17th – Stave One ~ Marley’s Ghost

  • 12:00 noon – Ixmal Supermarine
  • 16:00 – Corwyn Allen

Tuesday, December 18th –  Stave Two ~ The First of Three Spirits

  • 12:00 noon – Dubhna Rhiadra
  • 17:00 – Brokali

Wednesday, December 19th – Stave Three ~ The Second of Three Spirits

  • 12:00 noon – Ixmal Supermarine
  • 17:00 – Kayden Oconnell

Thursday, December 20th – Stave Four ~ The Last of The Spirits

  • 12:00 noon – Dubhna Rhiadra
  • 17:00 – Caledonia Skytower

Friday December 21st – Stave Five ~ The End of It

  • 12:00 noon – Elrik Merlin
  • 19:00 – Shandon Loring & Caledonia Skytower

Saturday December 22nd – OTHER DICKENS! TBA

Sunday December 23rd and Monday December 24th

  • 15:00 – Caledonia Skytower reads the novella in two 90-minute sittings

Tuesday December 25th – CHRISTMAS DAY

Wednesday December 26th – OTHER DICKENS!

  • 12:00 noon – Klannex Northmead with a selection from Little Dorrit
  • 15:00 – Caledonia Skytower with a selection from Great Expectations

Thursday December 27th – Closing Day and “Alternate Versions Presentations”

The Dickens Project
The Dickens Project – presentation stage

That’s not all!  There’s more!

As mentioned above, The Dickens Project site also features places to explore as part of the celebration. These allow you to:

  • Visit Scrooge & Marley’s, and the Poulterer’s Shop  (“You mean the one as big as me?”)
  • Enjoy roasted chestnuts on the street, or an apple or a candy stick from the Grocer’s Shop
  • Get the texts of the Staves of A Christmas Carol from the Bookseller and follow along with the readings
  • Enjoy three “Gardens” celebrating visual artists inspired by Dickens Christmas Classic: Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come
  • Explore the second level and enjoy the Galleries: Notable Scrooge’s, Dicken’s London, and of course The Works of Charles Dickens.  Don’t forget to click!  There’s links a plenty in the galleries, which is accessible through the Bookseller’s Shop or on either side of Scrooge & Marley’s

Ever wonder what inspired the creation of the character Ebenezer Scrooge?  Ever wonder why Dicken’s wrote “A Christmas Carol” and then followed it up with a Christmas novella a year for the next five years?  You can discover all these things at The Dickens Project!

The Dickens Project stands as a remarkable, immersive collaborative project, bringing to life the world of Srouge, Bob Cratchit and all in word and in all three dimensions. So come one, come all and enjoy a festive treat and celebrate the life and works of Charles Dickens and the power of great literature.

The Dickens Project
The Dickens Project

All gratuities received during the event will be donated to the Community Virtual Library in SL.

Related Links

The Dickens Project
The Dickens Project

Treat yourself to the best Christmas gift in SL

Posted on by Inara Pey

Last week I paid a visit to the 2012 SL Christmas Expo, which features fund-raising efforts for Relay for Life. Proceeds from special vendors in the Expo stores as well as donation to the familiar RFL kiosks will be going directly to RFL SL.

One of the things you can get at the Expo is a CD containing 39 Christmas songs and bonus track. This is available from special vendors at the Expo, with all proceeds again going to RFL SL.

The RFL Xmas CD
The RFL Xmas CD

The album showcases some of the finest musicians and singers performing in Second Life, and is a veritable tour-de-force of the talent on offer through the medium of the platform. The songs, ordered by track / artist(s) are:

  1. Away in a Manger – Grace McDunnough
  2. Sleigh Ride – Voodoo Shilton
  3. Where are you Christmas – Shaye Dezno-Jonstone
  4. Christmas is the Heart – Jon and the Anonymous Virtual Orchestra
  5. Mr. Grinch – Damian Carbenell
  6. I Want Things – Sara Tiemogo (Saramarie Philly in SL)
  7. Jingle Bell Rock – Gina Stella
  8. Noche de Paz – Eliz Watanabe
  9. I’ll Be Home for Christmas – Kitty Zeddmore
  10. Christmas Waltz – Nad Gough
  11. White Christmas – Lyrica Acoustic and PT Beardmore
  12. Destiny Christmas – Quantamis Navarathna
  13. Silent Night – Amereth Popstar
  14. Happy Xmas – Clairede Dirval, Dixie Silverweb and Tristan Silverweb
  15. O Holy Night –  Laura Savio
  16. The Christmas Song – Jean Munro
  17. Little Drummer Boy-Peace on Earth – David Csiszer
  18. Joy to the World – Louis Landon
  19. All I Want For Christmas is You – TerryLynn Melody
  20. Ave Maria – Antonio Galloway
  21. Santa Baby – Sassy Nitely (Barbie Horsley)
  22. Deck the Funk – Gweeb
  23. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen – AMForte Clarity
  24. Blue Christmas – Starrfish Ohmai
  25. The Perfect Gift – Anek Fuchs
  26. Jingle Bells – Tamra Hayden (Tamra Sands in SL) and Eugene Gwozdz
  27. Fairytale of New York – Maximillion Kleene and Stella Silvansky
  28. Who Put the Dick on the Snowman – Mandoaa Dragonash
  29. Please Come Home for Christmas – Hogan Baily
  30. Mary Did You Know – ScarlettLa Roux
  31. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – Savannah Coronet
  32. Winter Wonderland – Carah Nitely
  33. Let it Snow – Joaquin Gustav
  34. Jesus, Joy of Man’s Desiring – Tamra Hayden (Tamra Sands in SL) and Handarido Optera
  35. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas –  Kristina Helene (Therese Nightfire in SL)
  36. Merry Christmas from the Family – Karter Stonecutter
  37. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – Damian Carbenell
  38. It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year – AMForte Clarity
  39. Feliz Navidad – Jase Branner
  40. Winning – POL Arida (Bonus non-Christmas Song)

(And yes, you did read the title of track 28 correctly!)

The cost of the CD is L$500 – but you can donate more if you want.

The package includes an in-world media player and download system which ensures a very smooth playback of all tracks (if you use the media filter common to many TPVs, you might want to turn it off or ensure you trust the CD domain in order to enjoy uninterrupted playback). The player itself allows you to shuffle back and forth through the track and play tracks randomly rather than in order. There is also a link to a webpage where you can download the tracks outside of SL and take them with you wherever you go.

For those unfamiliar with RFL and RFL SL, there is also a short history of both included in the package, which highlights the fact that SL users have, over the years, raised in excess of $1 million for cancer research and treatment.

All of us have more than likely been touched by cancer in one way or another, either directly or through a family member or friend. As such, this CD provides a very special way of helping in the march towards finding a cure – so why not take a jump over to the Christmas Expo and treat yourself to a copy?

Related Links