Priority registration for spring term ends March 2 (today) at noon. After today, you may register for courses that still have space available.
If you have not already done so, please renew your club memberships for 2018 through the member portal (olligmu.augusoft.net), by emailing a note to the registrar (ollireg@gmu.edu), or by using sign-up sheets now available in all OLLI classrooms.
The OLLI Science, Technology, and Health Program Planning Group will meet on Tuesday, March 6, from 10:00 to noon, in TA-3 at Tallwood. Please come join us to share your thoughts on current course plans and ideas for future courses.
The Reston Program Planning Group will meet Tuesday, March 6, at 1:00 at the Hunters Woods RCC, room 1.
The monthly Loudoun Newsletter is posted on the OLLI website every month, accessible under “Quick Links.” It is also accessible through a link at the top of each issue of the OLLI E‑News.
The next edition of E-News will be published March 16. Submissions are due by 6:00 on March 13.
February Board Meeting Summary By Rita Way, Secretary The Board of Directors met February 16 at Tallwood. Board President Ray Beery opened the meeting by discussing his draft of a 19-step operations plan for 2018. The purpose of this plan is to provide a path ahead for OLLI.Executive Director Jennifer Disano reported that, as of February 10, total membership is 1,153 (annual membership is 1,116 and term membership is 37). Jennifer welcomed our new support staff, our work-study students, Michelle Ayensu-Peters, Natasha Kwankyewan, and Faith Wilkison, Mason intern Grace Torres, and high school intern Henry Wessling.
During the week of February 21-28, Cinema Arts in Fairfax and the Bow Tie Theater in Reston presented a thirty-second ad about OLLI. We also had a table set up in the lobby of Cinema Arts with OLLI flyers.
Between-term Doldrums? Check Out Event 1201, My Left Foot, Thursday, March 15 By Martha Powers, Board Member and Event CoordinatorYou don’t have to wait for OLLI’s spring term to officially begin!Come join your OLLI friends for a special screening of the movie My Left Foot, featuring Daniel Day-Lewis in his first Oscar-winning role as disabled Irish writer/artist Christy Brown.
Our class officially begins at 11:00, but please come 20 minutes early if you’d like to see the pre-class bonus material, including:
A 10-minute feature video about the making of this important film, and
A 10-minute silent slide show of the art works of Christy Brown.
We will be using closed captions for this movie, because the combination of Irish accents and Christy’s speech patterns, as Daniel Day-Lewis uncannily replicated them, can make it a bit difficult to catch the dialogue—and you won’t want to miss a single word.
History Club to Meet By Beth Lambert, History Club CoordinatorThe History Club will meet on Wednesday, March 7, at 10:00 in TA-2. Last month’s meeting was canceled because of weather, and our speaker Peter Ansoff has generously offered to present a month late. Peter will speak about a mystery flag flown by a ship that is depicted in a 1754 engraving of the Philadelphia waterfront. The flag resembles the “Continental Colors” or “Grand Union” flag of the American Revolutionary War navy. But that flag, and the Continental Navy itself, were not created until 1775. Peter will propose a surprising answer to the mystery, one that involves, as he says, “some maritime history, some art history, and a brief excursion into the history of beer.” This is a presentation designed to please everyone, so plan to attend the meeting on Wednesday, March 7, at 10:00 in TA‑2. PLEASE NOTE TIME AND PLACE.All OLLI members are welcome to attend History Club meetings. If you wish to be on the permanent mailing list of History Club members, please register for the Club on the OLLI website.
Rave Reviews for Mason School of Theater Director Elston By Norma Jean Reck, Theater Lovers’ Group CoordinatorIt was a rare treat to be able to hear directly from Mason School of Theater Director Ken Elston about how he came to reimagine staging Moliere's The Imaginary Invalid. He delighted OLLI members in his February 23 class, Moliere's Imaginary Invalid: Coming Down with Something Hilarious.
He touched on the historical progression of playwriting over the centuries, beginning with concern first for the many gods, then for a God, then for man himself. Enter The Imaginary Invalid. Through empathic, insightful understanding of the behavior of this fearful and miserly hypochondriac, Director Elston finds in the invalid that common need shared by all humanity—love, even self-love.OLLI's Theater Lovers' Group will attend the student performance of The Imaginary Invalid, Sunday, March 4 at 2:00 in Mason's TheaterSpace, adjacent to the Center for the Arts. Senior rate is $10. You can purchase tickets by phone: 888-945-2468; online at cfa.gmu.edu; or in person at the Center for Arts, located on Mason Pond Drive on the Fairfax campus. If you would like to join us for dinner after the show at Oh George in the University Mall, email Norma at njreck@cs.com.
Paulette Miller, who, with her husband Mack, is very active with Friends of Theater at Mason (FOTM), introduced FOTM to OLLI members and invited us to join. The Friends provide scholarships to theater students, cultivate social and artistic offerings, and connect with visiting artists and the broader community. Just last Saturday, Paulette and Friends provided a chili dinner to the cast during their rehearsal for The Imaginary Invalid. To learn more, go to theater.gmu.edu.
The Photo Club: One of OLLI’s Extra Benefits By John Nash, E-News Staff Writer/Editor“The photo club is one of OLLI’s extra benefits,” said Dave Talaber, who with his wife Angie, are the club’s co-chairs. “It’s a benefit of membership that costs nothing extra to enjoy, yet really provides some excellent technical advice for those interested in improving their photographic skills.”The club meets twice each month. On the second Friday meeting at 9:30, members discuss artistic aspects of visual design, critique photographs, and hear special speakers. The fourth Friday meeting at noon is devoted to discussing technical issues. Members also can participate in field trips to area locations. This gives members a wide range of opportunities to learn about technical issues relating to photography, such as camera settings and software procedures, as well as hearing professional speakers, exchanging information about photography adventures, and evaluating photographs.
At the recent fourth Friday meeting, Ed Marion (left photo) explained how to set up photographs for framing and explained the effects and steps in adding drop shadows to photographs. Lou Mazzatenta (right photo) then gave a slide presentation on a recent club field trip to the National Portrait Gallery, using some of the attendees’ photographs as illustrations.
The photo club is one of many clubs sponsored by OLLI. When looking through the OLLI catalog of classes and special events, look in the back to find the listing of clubs available to OLLI members. Please consider joining an OLLI club. It’s a great benefit of membership!
Theater Lovers' Group to Form in Reston By Norma Jean Reck, Theater Lovers’ Group CoordinatorYou are invited to join us for an organizational meeting for OLLI members who prefer to meet in the Reston and Loudoun areas. Any OLLI member is welcome to join us. Please bring your ideas, suggestions, even a friend or two, so we can plan future theater events for you. We'll meet March 22 at Hunters Woods Community Center from 11:00 to 12:30.Already planned for TLG-Reston is a visit to Reston Community Center (RCC) to see Reston Community Players (RCP) perform Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at the 2:00 matinee, Sunday, March 18. Dinner after the show is optional. On Sunday, April 29, we'll return to RCC for RCP’s 2:00 matinee performance of Thoroughly Modern Millie; optional dinner after the show. Those wishing to attend either of these performances should purchase tickets from RCP's website, https://restonplayers.org/.
Planning ahead, on July 18-19, we're going to Shepherd University and the Contemporary American Theater Festival in Shepherdstown, WV, to see four plays and meet with the casts. Details to follow.
Some have expressed interest in starting a play readers group. Fun! So, we will decide upon that. Just be sure to come with your ideas.
No More Pill Bottles, Thank You! By Martha Powers, Board MemberThe pill bottle collection project ended on Friday, February 16. It will not be repeated in the future because it was TOO successful.This term’s drive yielded well over 1,300 bottles – far more than expected, and more than our volunteers could reasonably manage. The bottles often have to have their labels removed, and then they are washed, sterilized, dried, matched with their caps, and sorted. Finally, they are shipped to Matthew 25: Ministries in Cincinnati, which in turn ships them to countries where they are needed.
Unfortunately, the cost of shipping this large number of bottles is prohibitive, and cannot be covered by Member Services or FOLLI. The volunteer who conceived this project, Ginge Sivigny, has covered this cost herself until now. Thankfully, she has volunteers who will share the work and cost of the winter collection, but she would welcome more help. Please contact her at sivigny@verizon.net if you can pitch in.
DO NOT BRING ANY MORE PILL BOTTLES TO OLLI. Should you do so, they will simply be recycled in the Fairfax County Public Works system.
If you are interested in sending your pill bottles to Mathew 25: Ministries yourself, you can visit their website at http://m25m.org/pillbottles for complete information.
I want to walk in the winter woods
Hear a nuthatch call as it climbs
Head down, up a tree trunk
As if edging toward a rendezvous,
Hear twitters of juncos in sparrow song
As they gather beneath the trees.
I want to feel ice crunching underfoot
Watch the occasional squirrel, winter-scrawny,
Still adept at jeté leaps limb to limb,
Hear freed leaves crackle under my boots,
Released by bare branches black against the sky.
Performances, March 2 through March 18By Shelly Gersten, OLLI E-News Staff WriterFor tickets for either Center for the Arts (CFA) or Hylton, call 1-888-945-2468, buy tickets online through the event calendar (see links below), or visit the venue's box office. For more information, see the CFA ticket pageor the Hyltonticket purchase page.
At the Fairfax Campus Venues
David Krakauer and The 35mm Orchestra: The Big Picture
Fri, Mar 2, 8:00
Concert Hall
Admission: $44, $37, $26.
Walnut Street Theatre: Baskerville
Sat, Mar 3, 8:00
Pre-performance discussion: Member of the company
Concert Hall
Admission: $44, $37, $26.
Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel: Virtuoso Variations
Sun, Mar 4, 7:00
Concert Hall
Admission: $42, $36, $25.
Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan
Fri, Mar 9, 8:00
Concert Hall
Admission: $50, $43, $30.
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra: Mozart's Requiem
Sat, Mar 10, 8:00
Pre-performance discussion with conductor Christopher Zimmerman and special guests
Concert Hall
Admission: $65, $53, $49.
Russian String Orchestra
Sun, Mar 11, 2:00
Concert Hall
Admission: $50, $43, $30.
Shen Yun
Mon, Mar 12 and Tue, Mar 13, 7:30
Tue, Mar 13 and Wed, Mar 14, 2:00 www.ShenYun.com
Concert Hall
Admission: $180, $140, $120, $100, $90, $80.
Moscow Festival Ballet: Swan Lake
Sat, Mar 17, 8:00
Concert Hall
Admission: $56, $48, $34.
Moscow Festival Ballet: Cinderella
Sun, Mar 18, 2:00
Concert Hall
Admission: $56, $48, $34.
Faculty Artist Series: Kathryn Hearden, soprano
Fri, Mar 2, 8:00
Harris Theatre
Admission: Free.The Dream Trio
Sat, Mar 3, 1:00
Monson Tier III, Center for the Arts
Admission: Free.Faculty Artist Series: Amy Horn, French horn
Sat, Mar 3, 3:00
Harris Theatre
Admission: Free.Faculty Artist Series: Matt Trkula, guitar
Sat, Mar 3, 8:00
Harris Theatre
Admission: Free.
Mason School of Theater: The Imaginary Invalid
Thu, Mar 1 – Sat, Mar 3, 8:00
Sat, Mar 3 and Sun, Mar 4, 2:00
TheaterSpace
Admission: Adults $20; seniors $10.
University Singers Concert
Sun, Mar 4, 2:30
Harris Theatre
Admission: Adults $12; seniors $8.
New Sound Collective Concert
Sun, Mar 4, 7:00
Harris Theatre
Admission: Free.
Mason Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band Concert
Tue, Mar 6, 8:00
Concert Hall
Admission: Adults $12; seniors $8.
Manassas Symphony Orchestra: Silver Jewels
Sat, Mar 3, 7:30
Merchant Hall
Admission: Adults $20; seniors $16 .
Danú
Sun, Mar 4, 7:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: $50, $43, $30.
Manassas Ballet Theatre: Swan Lake
Fri, Mar 9 and Sat, Mar 10, 7:30
Sat, Mar 10 and Sun, Mar 11, 3:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: $65, $55, $45, $35, $25.
8th Anniversary Gala Silent Art Auction Exhibition
Mar 13 – Apr 21
Final bids, Apr 14
Gallery Reception: Thu, Mar 15, 6:00
The reception is free and open to the public, but an RSVP is required. RSVP to smeyer3@gmu.edu
Buchanan Partners Art Gallery
Moscow Festival Ballet: Cinderella
Fri, Mar 16, 8:00
Merchant Hall
Admission: $56, $48, $34.
Prince William Little Theatre: Tuesdays with Morrie
Fri, Mar 16 and Sat, Mar 17, 8:00
Sun, Mar 18, 2:00
Fri, Mar 23 and Sat, Mar 24, 8:00
Sun, Mar 25, 2:00
Gregory Family Theater
Admission: Adults $20; seniors $17.
Manassas Chorale: Adoration and Celebration
Sat, Mar 17, 7:30
Merchant Hall
Admission: Adults $20; seniors $18.
The following list covering the next two weeks is extracted for your convenience from the master online calendar maintained by the office, with direct web links added when available. The list is accurate as of mid-week but to check any time for the latest information, please view the latest forecast of upcoming events on our website (News/OLLI Calendar). Note: All OLLI members are welcome at, and encouraged to attend, meetings of the Board of Directors, committees and resource groups, kickoff coffees, etc. (bolded below).
Sat Mar 3
10:30am
Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Mon Mar 5
10:00am
What’s in the Daiy News, cont’d–TA-1
Tue Mar 6
9:30am
10:00am1:00pm
Annex Art–Annex Science, Technology & Health Program Planning Meeting–TA-3 Reston Program Planning Meeting–Hunters Woods RCC Rm 1
Wed Mar 7
10:00am
10:00am
10:00am
10:30am
11:00am
1:00pm
Bridge Club–TA-3
Mah Jongg Club–Annex
History Club–TA-2
Tom Crooker Investment Club–TA-1
Special Events Program Planning–TA-2 Program Planners–TA-1
Fri Mar 9
9:15am
9:30am
9:30am
11:00am
Recorder Consort–TA-3
Craft and Conversation Club–Annex
Photography Club–TA-1
Homer etc.–Annex
Sat Mar 10
10:30am
Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Mon Mar 12
10:00am
What’s in the Daily News, cont’d–TA-1
Tue Mar 13
9:30am
10:00am
Annex Art–Annex
Spanish Club–TA-2
Wed Mar 14
10:00am
10:00am
10:30am
Bridge Club–TA-3
Tallwood Book Club–TA-1
Tom Crooker Investment Forum–TA-1
Fri Mar 16
9:15am
9:30am
10:00am
11:00am
1:00pm
Recorder Consort–TA-3
Craft and Conversation Club–Annex Board of Directors Meeting–TA-1
Homer etc.–Annex
Dr. Who Club–TA-3
OLLI E-News was created by Rod Zumbro, who served as its editor from 2005 to 2013.
Editorial Staff
Chief Editor: Paul Van Hemel
Technical Editor: Irene Osterman
Associate Editor: David Gundry
Weekly Editor Team: Jean Boltz, John Nash, Sheri Siesseger, Leslie Vandivere,
Paul Van Hemel Proofreaders: Rebecca Jann, Susan Van Hemel, Shirley Springfloat, Linda Randall,
Gerry Ann Strube
Backup Chief Editor: Alice Slayton Clark
Submissions. Members are encouraged to submit letters to the editor, letters to Ms. Ollie Ettakit (on etiquette matters), OLLI-related news items, articles, and photos. Submit material to: ollienewseditor@gmail.com. Deadline – 6:00 Tuesday for that week's issue (6:00 Monday for letters to the editor); early submissions are greatly appreciated. Please limit articles to about 250 words. Note: You can view past issues of OLLI E-News on the DocStore. To search the content of issues, use Search Our Site or put your search term in Google followed by "site:ollidev2.earthcare.com/" without the quotes.
By Martha Powers, Board Member and Event CoordinatorYou don’t have to wait for OLLI’s spring term to officially begin!Come join your OLLI friends for a special screening of the movie My Left Foot, featuring Daniel Day-Lewis in his first Oscar-winning role as disabled Irish writer/artist Christy Brown.
By Beth Lambert, History Club CoordinatorThe History Club will meet on 
By Norma Jean Reck, Theater Lovers’ Group CoordinatorIt was a rare treat to be able to hear directly from Mason School of Theater Director Ken Elston about how he came to reimagine staging Moliere's The Imaginary Invalid. He delighted OLLI members in his February 23 class, Moliere's Imaginary Invalid: Coming Down with Something Hilarious.
By John Nash, E-News Staff Writer/Editor“The photo club is one of OLLI’s extra benefits,” said Dave Talaber, who with his wife Angie, are the club’s co-chairs. “It’s a benefit of membership that costs nothing extra to enjoy, yet really provides some excellent technical advice for those interested in improving their photographic skills.”The club meets twice each month. On the second Friday meeting at 9:30, members discuss artistic aspects of visual design, critique photographs, and hear special speakers. The fourth Friday meeting at noon is devoted to discussing technical issues. Members also can participate in field trips to area locations. This gives members a wide range of opportunities to learn about technical issues relating to photography, such as camera settings and software procedures, as well as hearing professional speakers, exchanging information about photography adventures, and evaluating photographs.
and then they are washed, sterilized, dried, matched with their caps, and sorted. Finally, they are shipped to Matthew 25: Ministries in Cincinnati, which in turn ships them to countries where they are needed.
