Anne O'Donnell's Alphabet Quilt on the Set of Luna Gale

Apart from my habit of sewing backstage, and on breaks, my two worlds of acting and quilting rarely overlap. But here, on the set of Luna Gale, overlap they do!

Some of the most poignant scenes in this play take place in a visiting room at the Department of Human Services. It's a playroom, where parents and children in complicated and difficult situations can spend time together in a safe environment.

Our truly brilliant set designer Todd Rosenthal filled this room with colorful toys, kids books, and teddybears, and painted the walls with great big colorful murals. This room is like a ray of sunshine.

Todd Rosenthal's set for Luna Gale - DHS visitation room

And on the wall..
is this lovely alphabet quilt, by Anne O'Donnell!

Alphabet Quilt by Anne O'Donnell on the set of Luna Gale at the Kirk Douglas Theatre

Anyone who knows anything about quilting knows that making a quilt is not a quick project, and seldom is it an easy one. Having this wonderful piece of craftsmanship present on the set is one of the many details that help tell the story with precision, clarity, and truth. Such attention to detail!

And speaking of details....

Through the miracles of social media, I got in touch with Ms. O'Donnell, and she graciously agreed to answer a few questions - my first interview for this blog! :)

So here goes!


Rd: First of all, how did this lovely alphabet quilt find it's way onto our set?

Anne: The alphabet quilt was purchased by the Goodman Theatre's properties department from my Etsy shop about a year ago. It's as simple as that. I kind of had a clue from the address that it wasn't a typical buyer, but when I asked what its intended use was I didn't get a reply. My friend Melissa has season tickets to the Goodman, so she was my go-to source for info on the quilt's fate. We looked at the upcoming plays and figured Luna Gale was the most likely one to need a baby quilt. Melissa saw the play early in its run and said "your quilt is prominently displayed in Act 2! It looks beautiful. Oh, and the play's really good, too!" At some point I contacted someone in the Goodman's publicity department about getting official set photos, and she graciously sent me a link so I could see how the quilt looked on stage. I was thrilled!

Rd: Well, I'm certainly thrilled to have a little quilt action mixed in to this project!
I understand that this is not your first alphabet quilt - what is it about alphabet quilts that you find fascinating?

AO: I am very fond of alphabet quilts. I'm a librarian, so there's that. Also I like word quilts. Not quilts with words written on them, but word blocks. The book Word Play Quilts by Tanya Ricucci is a big inspiration. I like the idea of a quilt being used to teach literacy skills to a child or anyone. My other alphabet quilt is called Abstract Alphabet and it's my personal favorite. The letters are pieced, using a lot of half-square-triangles.

Rd: I know that book! I've been meaning to try it out. I'm all about techniques that involve no precise measuring! Can you tell me a little about the Chicago School of Fusing?

AO: The Chicago School of Fusing is a fun project by Laura Wasilowski, an art quilter who makes amazing fused fabric creations. She owns Artfabrik in Elgin IL, where she sells her hand-dyed fabric and thread. She also teaches workshops. I took a fusing class from her - my one and only quilting class so far - and she's a very fun instructor. (She sings.) Anyone who completes one of her classes is admitted to the Chicago School of Fusing, and you get a little badge in the shape of an iron. It was in her class that I learned the fusing technique I used in the Luna Gale quilt. And I used Laura's fabric, too.

Rd: Using hand-dyed fabric really gives a project an extra layer of magic!
You belong to a Librarian Quilter's Group - that's a very specific group! Can you tell me a little about it?

AO: The Library Quilter's Show is a group of about 7 former and current library staffers who send our quilts on a several-months-long traveling show that goes on display at several Chicago-area public and university libraries. It is currently at the Downer's Grove Public Library. I have two quilts in the show this time. My good quilting buddies Iva and Roleeta are also in it. The coordinator of the group is Jo Mortland. btw, Jo's daughter recently moved to NYC to pursue her acting career.

Rd: Best of luck to Jo's Daughter! (I'm sure I'll run into you in some casting office waiting room!) How long have you been quilting, and how did you get started?

AO: I've been quilting for about 20 years. I started when I was pregnant with my older son who is now a sophomore in college. I had not had any exposure to quilts at that point. No one in my family quilted, and we didn't have any around the house (horrors!) except one odd, heavy little quilt made of pink satin squares; I never knew where it came from. My sister-in-law Liz gave me an adorable baby quilt as a gift, and I fell in love with it. The fabrics were so appealing, it was all cotton, and the techniques looked like something I could handle, so I jumped right in and made a really ugly bedspread. I learned a lot from that project! and the rest is history. I have Liz and my mother (who was a dressmaker and always encouraged me to sew) to thank for my discovery and love of quilting.

Rd: (Hurray for ugly first projects <3) What is the quilting scene in Chicago like? Are there places you would recommend for a visiting quilter to check out?

AO: The quilting scene in Chicago is lively, and I don't pretend to know everything about it since I live in the burbs. There are three guilds that I know of: IQI (Illinois Quilters Inc.), Chicago Modern Quilt Guild, and the Northwest Suburban Quilters Guild. Faith Jones of freshlemonsquilts is in the suburbs. I've mentioned Laura Wasilowski. There are several big quilt shows every year (besides the Library Quilters :-): the International Quilt Festival in Rosemont in the spring, the Original Sewing and Quilt Expo in Schaumburg, also in the spring. And IQI's Fine Art of Fiber at the Chicago Botanic Garden in November. There are local quilt shops: Quilter's Destination in Arlington Heights, Quilter's Heaven in Northbrook, Pieceful Gathering Quilt Shop in Fox River Grove, and a Touch of Amish in Barrington. As far as places to go, I can tell you from personal experience that quilters have a nose for quilts, and wherever quilters go, quilts will be there. I have never gone anywhere and not encountered a quilt or a quilt shop right in my path. It's pretty funny, actually.

Rd: Yes, anytime I travel anywhere, first thing I do is find all the quilt shops. It is ridiculous. :)

Thank you so much for the interview, Anne!!

You can see the alphabet quilt live on stage in Luna Gale through Dec 21st, and be sure to check out her Etsy shop!

Thanks for reading!
All the best,
Reyna

Kirk Douglas Theatre by night

Los Angeles Adventures

I'm extremely pleased to announce that the play I worked on at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago last winter, 'Luna Gale' is going up at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Los Angeles! If you happen to be in town, tix are on sale, and previews start tonight!

It's an absolutely amazing script by Rebecca Gilman, directed by the totally tubular Bob Falls, and I'm thrilled to be reunited with the entire original Chicago cast.

People ask me what it's about, and I'm terrible at summaries, but this video they put together really gets at the heart of it:

I'm going to be walking out the door to go do our first preview in less than an hour - what a strange feeling! We did the play for over a month when it was at the Goodman last winter, and we've had three weeks (2 in Chicago, and 1 here in LA) to get it back on it's feet, so I think it is definitely ready for this first preview audience. I'm so proud of the play, and I'm so proud to be working with all these brilliant people, I really am having a wonderful time, but it's a demanding and complicated play - these last few hours before curtain are like looking down at whitewater rapids just before pushing your raft into the water.

But, backing up a little....

FIRST, before I left NY, I had to pack up a bunch of blocks for me to sew while I'm away! I brought my entire thread collection... I'm picky about colors. :)

packing blocks for LA

I won't be back in NYC (where all my supplies and stash is) until the beginning of January - I designed, cut, and packed up 18 blocks - all ready for piecing - I think that will be plenty! So many sandwich bags!

THEN, I got on a plane and flew away from NYC...

TTFN NYC!

Next stop was Chicago, where we rehearsed for 2 weeks.

OMW to rehearsal, back at the Good ol' Goodman

So great to be reunited with the team - these people are amazing! (Yes, I do get paid every time I use the word 'amazing'.)

Lunch with the cast (counter-clockwise from L): Jordan Baker, Colin Sphar, Richard Theiriot, Melissa DuPrey (picture-taker front and center), Erik Hellman, me, and Mary Beth Fisher

THEN, we got on a plane, and flew to ridiculous Southern California

ridiculous LA - Marina del Rey

While everyone I know is freezing their fingers off in NY and Chicago, we're parading around in shorts. (Actually, I failed to pack shorts because the idea of shorts in November... I just didn't believe.)

obligatory selfie at the beach

We're staying at these apartments that are literally 5 minutes (walking) to the beach... and this is what the walk looks like...

going to catch sunset at the pier

Our venue, the Kirk Douglas Theatre, used to be an old movie theatre! Check out how cool it looks!

Kirk Douglas Theatre

Check out the adorable box office out front!

Kirk Douglas old school box office

And it lights up like some sort of magical ice palace at night... I'll get more pictures of it's nighttime look soon.

Kirk Douglas by night - our amazing director, Bob Falls took this picture.

Bringing it all back to quilting..

I've been so busy with all the traveling and rehearsal and whatnot, I've so far only completed 1 of the 18 blocks that I've packed.

New block: Appropriately sunshiny colors for my first week in California!

So, now it's getting to be about time for me to walk out the door and go do this crazy show!

(I always like to be way early.)

Wish me broken legs!

And thanks for reading!

All the best,

Reyna