Residents@JV

Harvey

Ms. Debra Haton, sponsor for the Mater Dei National Honor Society, who as a group, have been out to Jacob’s Village on occasion; donated tickets for the residents of to see the play ‘Harvey’. Ms. Haton has become a VIP in providing Cultural Arts for the residents of Jacob’s Village. The Jacob’s Village bunch really enjoys this type of live entertainment and they are becoming frequent guests of the High School at the Kempf Auditorium attending the Mater Dei Spring and Fall productions all in thanks to Ms. Haton. If the residents are so fortunate and blessed to fit both shows into their calendar, the students acting in the plays start looking familiar. ‘Harvey’, the Fall Production of the Mater Dei High School’s Theater Department was being presented on Friday, Nov. 16, Saturday, Nov. 17, at 7:00pm and on Sunday the 18, 2007, at 2:00pm in the Kempf Auditorium. As always, the best time for all the residents to see any kind of show together is on a Sunday afternoon following Church services. So, after a quick bite to eat, the Jacob’s Village bunch of Debbie, Donna Kay, Wanda, Mike, Michael, Scott, and Home Coordinators Gloria and Joe left their home soon after 1:00pm to attend the 2:00pm showing. They’ve been down New Harmony Road before and it is
getting better, but it doesn’t matter how many times you’ve been, the street off Harmony Way to enter the Mater Dei campus is hard to see. There is a small sign, overgrown bushes, low hanging tree limbs, and a narrow street making for a well camouflaged entrance. It’s becoming more frequent that a turnaround in a parking lot is not required to make the turn. Once on the campus, there is a large parking lot half way around the school’s concourse, although there are doorways on the far side, there are some steep steps up to the entrance. As fortunate as the Jacob’s Village bunch is, the weather is usually fair enough to trek back to the main, handicap accessible, covered entrance. If the weather is not to accommodating, the residents do unload and wait under the shelter, until the home coordinators park the vans. The tickets are always reserved and there is not much waiting around in line while others purchase or turn in their tickets to see the play. The Jacob’s Village bunch is always directed to their marked seats and whether or not the seats are in the back or down in the front row, there are no bad seats in the auditorium. Although, the front row seats are usually preferred, they never question the location and take them wherever they are. ‘Harvey’ was a screen play that was originally produced in 1944 and made into a movie in 1950. Jimmy Stewart took on the leading role and starred as Elwood P. Dowd, a mild mannered pleasant man, sometimes an eccentric middle aged individual whose best friend is a 6’8 1/2” tall rabbit named Harvey. Harvey is a pooka, a mysterious magical creature from Celtic Mythology that can take on many forms of perception but mostly referred to as a large rabbit because of this movie. A pooka can move individuals from one belief system to another manipulating ones ideas of reality. As the story develops, Elwood has been driving his sister and niece, who live with him and crave normality and a place in high society, crazy and confused to distraction by introducing everyone he comes in contact with his friend Harvey. His family seems to be unsure whether Dowd’s obsession with Harvey is an attempt to embarrass them, or a product of his admitted propensity to drink or of a mental illness. His sister tries to have Elwood committed to a sanitarium and by show’s end, Elwood has everyone seeing Harvey and his sister gets committed into the sanitarium. He relays his and Harvey’s philosophy of life to the doctors that a person can be oh so smart or oh so pleasant, and for years he was smart and he recommended and preferred being pleasant. It’s so easy to dismiss someone as crazy when you don’t see the world from any other point of view but you own. One should accept other’s lifestyles instead of wanting to change them into something they’re not. It takes courage to believe in something that others don’t see. Every school play the Jacob’s Village bunch is lucky enough to see, they are glad they did. The acting talent from the greater Evansville area’s Elementary, Middle, Jr. High, High Schools and other resources is well crafted. The residents of Jacob’s Village are always very appreciative of the opportunities they are presented with. They enjoy receiving and giving. Come out to Jacob’s Village and see what the residents can do for you. Everyone is always invited to be introduced to the lifestyle out at Jacob’s Village.

posted by J V Resident Blog @ 10:15 AM