My favorite Craterian Theater events always seem to include a behind-the-scenes element.
There’s the Gingerbread Jubilee, an event that’s been a family tradition for at least five years now. It started when my kids were much younger, a designated start space to the metaphorical Christmas season board game we’re about to kick off.
It’s a gem. The gingerbread cookies are next level, the atmosphere is intricate and lovely, and the artistry of the gingerbread houses? Let’s just say someone did a gingerbread version of Han Solo frozen in carbonite from “The Empire Strikes Back” this past year, and man if it didn’t look like it belonged in a film set piece.
Then there’s the behind-the scenes bit. I love the little how-it’s-made stories that come with some of the houses; it makes them feel like warm, inviting museum exhibits.
The Craterian also played home to Hugh Laurie and the Copper Bottom Band in 2014, which my wife and I attended and adored. We went out of a sense of duty, almost. We’re both mega fans of the “House, M.D.” TV show, which stars Mr. Laurie in the title character role. It was a beautiful performance: 1 cup of music with ¼ cup of storytelling and a few teaspoons of comedy.
By the end, I felt as though I knew Mr. Laurie a little bit better. The performance was wreathed with personal insight.
Such shows and events always feel picturesque and pleasant – starbursts of nostalgia and wonder. It’s why Jackson County Library Services’ upcoming author talk and book signing with “Remarkably Bright Creatures” author Shelby Van Pelt feels so appropriate.
The event, set for 5 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, is basically sold out. About 700 of you will be there. The theater will be packed with remarkably bright readers seeking to connect to ideas, information, and each other.
I have a hunch as to why. The book – a Pacific Northwest story about grief, love, and lost things finally found – offers the same gorgeous starburst as the Gingerbread Jubilee and Hugh Laurie’s concert/storytelling/stand up comedy hybrid. And in all three cases, we’re not just taking in quality art; attendees get to know more about the artists’ motivations. At the Craterian or elsewhere, glimpses behind the curtain frequently seem to warm the works’ authenticity.
Whether it’s the little informational bits I’ve read about hundreds of handcrafted gingerbread houses, the interludes during Mr. Laurie’s picturesque concert, or this upcoming event with the author of a beautiful book that’s sold more than 2 million copies, peeking at the “why” behind something that touches your heart and mind tends to add another level of illumination.
This will be the largest single event JCLS has ever put on, and it seems appropriate, because of that, to have it in a space outside a library district facility. Some things are too bright not to cede partial control of and share on that level. Some things demand to be on a big, unapologetic stage under professional lights.
If you’re going, I hope you leave inspired and knowing more about the story’s architecture, the author’s passion that rendered it. I hope that a decade or more later, you’ll be able to remember it fondly and fully and remarkably bright.