Category: Events

Giving Voice to five years of storytelling & readying a festival

Posted on by Inara Pey

It’s  a very special week at the Seanchai Library SL. Things kick-off with a celebration of five years of fabulous story-telling, and continue through the week with celebrations marking St. Patrick’s Day and stories from around the world. This week also sees the final preparations for Storyfest SL’s upcoming Third Annual Storyfests event at Bran, and the preliminary schedule is here!

As always, all times SLT, and unless otherwise stated, events will be held on the Seanchai Library’s home on Imagination Island.

Sunday March 17th

12:00 Midday – The Birthday Bash

Seanchai Birthday BannerIt has been an amazing journey of 5 years since Derry McMahon opened the West of Ireland Library & Cultural Center, and Shandon Loring told the very first story.  Here we are, five years later with hundreds of stories told by dozens of storytellers, and thousands of dollars raised for worthy charities all over the world!  What a wild ride!

Come join Shandon and Derry, along with Caledonia Skytower, Dubhna Rhiadra, and Crap Mariner as we celebrate five wonderful years of brings stories to life in Second Life!

18:00: Magicland Storytime – More Irish Tales

Join Caledonia Skytower, as she kisses the Blarney Stone and brings to life more tales from the Emerald Isle to mark St. Patrick’s Day at Magicland Park.

Monday March 18th, 19:00: The Celtic Twilight

yeatsW.B. Yeats was not only a poet, he was a dedicated teller of Irish folklore.  In this collection, he brings together stories rooted in myth, occult mysteries, and belief in magic, populated by a lively cast of sorcerers, fairies, ghosts, and nature spirits. The title draws on those pre-dawn hours, when these “wee folk” were most abroad, and is also a reference to the time when Druids would perform their own rituals, something Yeats himself was also familiar with, as he was also a ceremonial magician and leader in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, one of the most important esoteric orders in the Western magical tradition.

“This handful of dreams,” as the author referred to the collection, first appeared in 1893, and consists of stories recounted Yeat’s friends, neighbours, and acquaintances, and faithfully transcribed and brought together in a volume which also includes Yeats’ own visionary experiences. Read by Caledonia Skytower.

Tuesday 19th March, 19:00: Island Tales

With Kaikalani (“Lani”) – see the Seanchai Library SL’s blog for updates on this event.

Wednesday 20th March, 19:00: A Newbery Zoo

Martin Greenberg brings together a dozen stories by Newbery Award-winning authors.

Animals — enter their magic kingdom. From cuddly puppies to ferocious lions and every beast in between, children are forever drawn to animals and to stories about their adventures. And who better to tell these stories than authors who have won the John Newbery Medal for distinguished contributions to literature for children, as read by Gina Pralou-Maven.

Thursday March 21st, 19:00: Hilo Tales

hilo“The charming legends associated with landmarks around the town of Hilo have been retold in words and pictures in this compilation of favorite stories. Included are “How Hilo Got Its Name”, “The Story of Coconut Island” and the Maui and Hina legends centering on Rainbow Falls and The Boiling Pots. For many years Frances Reed was a children’s librarian at the Hawaii County Library and used these tales in her story-telling hours. Jan Moon is a well-known Hilo artist and illustrator. Both women had lived in Hilo for 30 years when they worked together to create an enchanting book that will be enjoyed by both adults and children.” (Book jacket)

Join Shandon Loring as he brings these tales to life.

Please check with the Seanchai Library SL’s blog for updates and additions to the week’s schedule.

In March and April Seanchai are inviting library guests to join them in supporting their featured real world charity Project Children! Have questions? IM or notecard Caledonia Skytower.

Storyfest 2013 Update

storyfest-3Branwen Arts and Stories Unlimited will be hosting the Third Annual Storyfest event, to be held on Sunday 24th March, 2013 at Here Be Pictsies in Bran, commencing at 09:00 SLT and running through until 17:00 that day.

The preliminary line-up of artists has now been announced, but may be subject to change, so please make sure you check the Storyfests SL blog through the week for updates.

All times are, as always, SLT

  • 9:00am – Lycanthia Wolfhunter (1 hour)
  • 10:00am – Dubhna Rhiadra & Caledonia Skytower (1 hour)
  • 11:00am – Em Jannings (30 minutes)
  • 11:30am – BigRed Coyote (30 minutes)
  • Noon – Crap Mariner (30 minutes)

BREAK

  • 1:00pm – ACCEPT by Independent Ballet (1 hour in the Arts Center Theater)
  • 2:00pm – Lani/Kaikalani (1 hour)
  • 3:00pm – Freda Frostbite (30 minutes)
  • 3:30pm – Gyro Muggins (30 minutes)
  • 4:00pm – Singh Albatros (1 hour)

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LL offer discounted regions to educational and non-profit organisations on the QT

Posted on by Inara Pey

secondlifeFollowing my piece on the general status of Second Life, some of the comments revolved around educational discounts for regions – or rather, the ending of them in 2010. Many credit the abolishment of the discounts with the loss of hundreds (I’m not entirely convinced on the “thousands” element) of regions from the grid since that time.

It now appears that the Lab is quietly trying to reverse matters by extending a 50% discount to selected educational and non-profit organisations.

The news comes via Hamlet Au, with a natty little scoop on the offer he gained after being e-mailed on the matter. The originator of the e-mail informed Hamlet that he’d been offered a full region for $1,770 USD for a year or $3,540 USD for two years, for use by his organisation. The new prompted Hamlet to drop Peter Gray, LL’s spokesman, an e-mail on the matter. Hamlet comments:

“I’m not able to share numbers,” Gray e-mailed me, “but can confirm that we’ve extended this special offer to a targeted number of educational and non-profit institutions that have recently left Second Life.” The next question is how many institutions they’re offering this to, but there, he is mum. Furthermore, there’s no way for former sim owners of this variety to request this discount:

“There isn’t currently a way to apply for this; it’s a special offer we’re extending directly to some nonprofit and educational institutions as part of our customer win-back efforts,” as Gray puts it.

Deep Think East - one of the regions operated by the UK's Open University, one of the educational organisations which still operates within Second Life
Deep Think East – one of the regions operated by the UK’s Open University, one of the educational organisations which still operates within Second Life

While not privy to the exact arrangements specified in the offer, I assume that as one or two-year discounts are specified, the caveat to it is that the discount only applies to a full up-front payment of said fees.

Like Hamlet, I’m also a little dubious that the offer will be taken-up by everyone who has departed Second Life – although it is interesting to now that LL are apparently targeting organisations which have “recently left” SL, and therefore have yet to put down roots elsewhere. As Hamlet rightly points out, a lot of people got somewhat burnt when the Lab announced they were discontinuing discounts for educational bodies and non-profits, and there has been a good degree of bad feeling since. There’s also the fact that over the past couple of years OpenSim has become a more than credible – and potentially a lower-cost – solution for educational needs.

It is probable that the move might be seen is some quarters of one of “desperation” on LL’s part in order to reverse the decline in the number of privately-held regions. However, given the limited and closed nature of the offer, such views may not be entirely valid – Second Life isn’t anywhere close to balancing on the edge of disaster just yet – although it would be interesting to know what did prompt the move.

In the meantime Hamlet has requested the any organisations or individuals who have been in receipt of the offer drop an comment onto his post on the news.

With thanks to Hamlet Au.

Moulin Rouge: love and loss in dance

Posted on by Inara Pey

showgirlsI’ve been remiss in not posting about this sooner – but schedules have been such that it was only this weekend that I managed to see Moulin Rouge, the latest show performed by Alma Fushikizoh and Blysse Biondi’s Showgirls. And I wish I’d seen it sooner.

Putting on any live show in Second Life is never easy, as any artist will tell you. A “simple” concert can be prone to a wide variety of problems at the best of times, particularly when Second Life wants to really misbehave and start crashing people. When you’re trying to combine a stage piece with live / streamed music and / or Voice, the issues can frequently be compounded – trying to get everyone moving at the right time, combatting lag, ensuring dances are correctly synced, the music is streaming correctly – it all takes time, patience, understanding and a lot of hard work by the cast and crew.

mr-20

As such, Moulin Rouge – which is probably best described as a dance interpretation of key songs and scenes from Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 version of the film Moulin Rouge! which featured Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor and John Leguizamo – is a daring undertaking.

Conceived by Blysse Biondi, directed by Alma Fushikizoh, and produced by Alma, Blysse and Ayesha Lytton, and with choreography by Alma and Dixie Barbosa (animations), the show currently runs through until the 24th of March, with performances on Saturday and Sunday nights commencing at 18:00 SLT at the Balboa Theatre in San Diego – and it really is worth seeing.

Moulin Rouge is being staged at the Balboa Theatre, March 16/17 and 23/24 at 18:00
Moulin Rouge is being staged at the Balboa Theatre, March 16/17 and 23/24 at 18:00

With a cast of ten, and dance numbers of significant complexity – performers being both synced to one another and to the music while at times performing entirely separate dance sequences to one another – Moulin Rouge really does need to be seen, rather than described. The stage sets themselves are both original and familiar, encompassing both the famous red windmill of Le Moulin Rouge itself, as well as representing the interior of the great cabaret club in a reflection of scenes from Luhrmann’s movie.

Moulin Rouge: Satine (Jaine Elvehjem) flanked by Christian (Mischievious John) and Toulouse Lautrec (Mishimaishi Resident) with the Showgirl dancers in one of the show's several complex routines
Moulin Rouge: Satine (Jaine Elvehjem) flanked by Christian (Mischievious John) and Toulouse Lautrec (Mishimaishi Resident) with the Showgirl dancers in one of the show’s several complex routines

Each dance interprets a key scenes from the film, including Satine’s arrival via trapeze, Jacek Koman’s gutteral rendition of Roxanne in El Tango Roxanne, together with The Show Must Go On,  Nature Boy and Hindi Sad Diamonds, and, of course, Come What May. With a total of eight dance “acts”, the entire show runs for some 30 minutes, and not even SL deciding to be especially mischievous on the night I sat down in the theatre (a dancer crashed immediately prior to curtain-up, then two more suffered the same fate during El Tango Roxanne – one of who was operating the stage HUD) could dampen the enthusiasm of both cast and audience.

El Tango Roxanne - Moulin Rouge
El Tango Roxanne – Moulin Rouge

As mentioned above, Moulin Rouge has four more performances currently planned for the Balboa Theatre, on the 16th, 17th, 23rd and 24th March. It is a show worth seeing.

Tips on Attending

Live performances in virtual worlds frequently face challenges such as lag. Virtual Dance is no exception to this, particularly as it involves a lot of scripting and gestures. To assist in the audience’s enjoyment of the show, therefore, patrons attending any presentation of Moulin Rouge are respectively asked to consider:

  • Arriving early: performances can be held up as a result of a lot of people arriving just before the curtain is due to go up, and who inevitably suffer rendering delays, problems getting audio streaming active, etc. A slightly earlier arrival ensures these things can be dealt with easier and without the fear of missing part of the show
  • Reducing lag both in the viewer and on the region where the performance is taking place by: removing any heavily scripted HUDs and other items; wearing lower-prim hair; dispensing with the bling;  turning off nametags / Show Lookat to reduce the number of things your viewer has to process
  • Making sure all microphones are off if Voice is used within SL. If someone does leave their microphone open, the gentle thing to do is to open the “Active Speakers” list or “Nearby Voice” list, select the person, and roll the volume slider at the bottom of the window down
  • Keeping calm: most performances encourage audience reactions in local chat.  It helps the performers know that you are there and having a good time.   However, please save such noisemaking until it is time to applaud
  • Turning on Quiet Snapshots, if taking photos.
Christian and
Christian (Mischievious John) and Satine (Jaine Elvehjem) in the finale of Moulin Rouge

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Doctors and patients; Ireland and Korea

Posted on by Inara Pey

It’s time to kick-off another week of fabulous story-telling in Voice, brought to Second Life by the staff of the Seanchai Library SL. This week features the usual tea-time date at Baker Street, and special presentations in the run-up to St. Patrick’s Day.

As always, all times SLT, and unless otherwise stated, events will be held on the Seanchai Library’s home on Imagination Island.

Sunday 10th March

13:30: Tea-time at Baker Street – The Adventure of the Resident Patient

Doctor Percy Trevelyan was a brilliant student, but being poor, had never been able to establish himself in a private practice. Then one Mr. Blessington approaches him with an unusual proposition: he will set Trevelyan up with his own practice at a prestigious address, and pay all his expenses. In return, he will require three-quarters of all earnings from the practice – which would still leave the good doctor in a relatively comfortable position, prompting him to accept the offer. Entering into the arrangement, Trevelyn discovers Blessington himself is infirm, and the arrangement means he has a doctor always on hand.

Everything goes well to start with; then Blessington reads about a burglary somewhere in the city and becomes deeply agitated. Things get worse when an Russian nobleman attends Trevelyn’s practice, along with his son, apparently to seek help with his condition – only for both to vanish while Trevelyan is distracted, and for Blessington to later report that someone has been in his private chambers, something which leaves him even more upset, even though nothing has apparently ben taken …

Join Caledonia Skytower she brings to life another fascinating case from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes!

18:00: Magicland Storytime

Join Caledonia Skytower at Magicland Park for more tales and fun.

Monday 11th March, 19:00 – The Quiet Man

quiet-manReleased in 1952, John Ford’s The Quiet Man is regarded as a classic Irish-American romantic comedy / drama. Starring John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara (and assorted members of their RL families!) and Barry Fitzgerald, it is a popular choice among critics and film-lovers.

The screenplay for the film was drawn in a large part from a short story of the same name originally published in 1933 in the Saturday Evening Post, and penned by Irish author, Maurice Welsh. Together with a number of other short stories by Walsh, The Quiet Man was gathered into a single volume of his short stories, The Quiet Man and Other Stories, which dealt with many recurring characters living in rural Ireland of the 1920s, and set against the backdrop of the civil unrest which affected the country at that time, while examining the complexities and occasional intrigues of life, love and Irish traditions.

Join Caledonia Skytower as she reads Walsh’s original tale of The Quiet Man, Paddy Bawn Enright.

Tuesday 12th March, 19:00: Island Tales

With Kaikalani (“Lani”) – see the Seanchai Library SL’s blog for updates on this event.

Wednesday 13th March, 19:00: The Seesaw Girl (part 2)

seesawLinda Sue Park’s first novel tells the story of Jade Blossom, a young girl in 17th Century Korea, can never go beyond her family’s inner court. All girls from good Korean families must learn to sew, do laundry, and work in the kitchen. This prepares them for their future lives in their husbands’ inner court.

But Jade has other interests. She longs to take trips to the mountains and the marketplace. If only she could read and paint, but these are things only boys can do. Jade won’t stop thinking about the world beyond the high walls of her home. Then one day she secretly sets off to do what no other girl her age has ever done before

Gina Pralou-Maven reads the first part of this new Seanchai serialisation of a popular story.

Thursday 14th March, 19:00: St. Patrick’s Day: Irish Earth Folk

With Shandon Loring – see the Seanchai Library SL’s blog for updates on this event.

Please check with the Seanchai Library SL’s blog for updates and additions to the week’s schedule.

In March and April Seanchai are inviting library guests to join them in supporting their featured real world charity Project Children! Have questions? IM or notecard Caledonia Skytower.

Related Links

RFL of SL 2013 Kick-off and Fashion for Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

2013_RFL_LogoThis weekend sees the official kick-off for Relay for Life of SL with a special celebratory event taking place on Saturday March 9th, starting at 10:00 SLT.

The theme for 2013 is “100 years of hope”, and marks the centenary of the American Cancer Society. As such, this year is being seen as an opportunity to more closely align RFL’s digital world efforts (which now also include InWorldz as well as Second Life) with the ACS.

The kick-off celebration will take place on four dedicated Kick-off regions adjoining the American Cancer Society region, which feature a central stage and the Cafe du Kick-off, set within a park and surrounded by a parade-like walk and gaily coloured houses.

RFL of SL Kick-off stage area
RFL of SL Kick-off stage area

The event will comprise the official opening of the RFL of SL 2013 season, complete with a number of special guest speakers. entertainment will be provided throughout the day following the opening ceremony, with  DJs on-hand to spin the tunes at the central stage area throughout the afternoon, and a special dance troupe performance during the course of the festivities.

There are around 113 teams registered for this year’s season, with over 2,000 avatars listed on the team rosters – however, there is still time for people to put together a team of their own and join in the fundraising activities; teams can still be registered via the RFL of SL website.

The RFL of SL kick-off regions
The RFL of SL kick-off regions

All RFL of SL teams are warmly invited by the event organisers to attend the kick-off and mix with one another. SLurls for the event are:

Continue reading “RFL of SL 2013 Kick-off and Fashion for Life” →

Fantasy Faire 2013: store registrations and FF Hunt

Posted on by Inara Pey

The fifth annual Fantasy Faire is due to kick-off on April 20th and run through until April 28th inclusive. While the website has yet to be updated and the theme for this year announced, the team behind the event have issued an in-world announcement that store registrations for the event are now open.

Fantasy Faire 2013 will run across ten regions, offering a showcase for all of fantasy-related creations and activities across Second Life, as well as featuring special events, fundraising, concerts, and other activities all in aid of Relay for Life and the fight against cancer. Last year, Fantasy Faire 2012 raised $25,000 USD for RFL; the hope is that this year, even  more can be achieved.

A view across a corner of Shadow's Claw, the Fantasy Faire 2012 build by Laufey Markstein
A view across a corner of Shadow’s Claw, the Fantasy Faire 2012 build by Laufey Markstein

Store Options

The announcement outlines the options for content creators wishing to participate in the event:

  • Featured Creator Store (L$8,000): 30m x 25m store with 700 prims. These are centrally placed near the region sponsor’s store and region landing point – SIX units available per region
  • Featured Creator Store + Event Sponsor L$33,000: As above, but with advertising at all events including the Fantasy Faire Hunt, on the FF blog, on Fantasy Faire radio & in any promotional materials
  • Themed Store (L$2500): 25m x 15m store with 350 prims – TEN units available per region
  • Event Sponsor ONLY (no store) L$30,000: advertising at all events including the Fantasy Faire Hunt, on the FF blog, on Fantasy Faire radio & in any promotional materials (can be combined with either of the store options above, if desired – EIGHT available for the event.
Fantasy Faire 2012: A street in Devil's Locket, by Lauren Thibaud
Fantasy Faire 2012: A street in Devil’s Locket, by Lauren Thibaud

Creators wishing to apply should complete the Fantasy Faire Store Registration Form.

Special Notes on Participation

  • Creators applying for store space must provide at least three new and exclusive (for the duration of the Faire) items for sale, the proceeds from which go directly to Relay for Life. Vendors for these items will be supplied to merchants by the event organisers, who also ask that merchants consider offering four such exclusive items
  • All creators participating in the Faire are asked to consider donating one new item to the Fantasy Faire Hunt – see below
  • The regions will be open for set-up on Thursday 18th through Friday 19th April, and all take-down must be completed by April 30th
  • All content for this or any RFL event must be PG. No adult content allowed (although there is a special allowance for skins). Event liaison personnel can help with any required verification of suitability
  • No copyright or trademark infringement (includes real life or virtual name brands, logos, sounds or graphics that aren’t owned by exhibitor)
  • For the full set of participation guidelines, including notes on prim allowances, lag management, etc., please refer to the Fantasy Faire Store Registration form.

The Fantasy Faire Hunt

This year’s Fantasy Faire will include an immersive, story-driven hut which will take place on a dedicated region. The Hunt will run alongside the Faire and also remain open for a few weeks after the Faire has closed. The aim is to provide an entertaining and memorable event which can help raise additional funds for RFL, and to this end work is already underway writing, scripting and building the experience. To help the event achieve its goals, all content creators participating in Fantasy Faire are asked if they would consider designing one new item specifically for the hunt and donating it to the event organisers as a hunt prize.

One of the imposing structures featured in Elicio Ember's Nu Orne build for Fantasy Faire 2012
One of the imposing structures featured in Elicio Ember’s Nu Orne build for Fantasy Faire 2012

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