{"id":802,"date":"2006-03-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2006-03-25T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/performingartslegacy.org\/dalton\/?p=802"},"modified":"2020-05-18T11:34:10","modified_gmt":"2020-05-18T15:34:10","slug":"my-life-in-the-trenches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/performingartslegacy.org\/dalton\/my-life-in-the-trenches\/","title":{"rendered":"My Life in the Trenches (2000-2006)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

My mother was a Quaker, my father a soldier. \u00a0I guess that makes me passive\/aggressive.<\/p>\n

Jill Dalton<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I developed and performed my solo play,\u00a0MY LIFE IN THE TRENCHES,<\/strong> from 2001\u20132006. In the beginning, I didn’t have a director so I hired my friend, Joan Cappello to work with me. \u00a0She wasn’t a director, but as a writer herself, she had good insights into the work.<\/p>\n

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Dalton reenacted her life with panache and vigor, and it was an interesting story.<\/p>\n

Jenny Sandman, OOBR<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Set of Law & Order: Criminal Intent<\/p><\/div>\n

TRENCHES poster hanging backstage on the set of Law & Order: Criminal Intent.<\/em><\/p>\n

In 2002 my friend, Jack McCullough, came on board and began directing the play. \u00a0Jack is a 1982 graduate of the Trinity Repertory Conservatory in Providence, RI and was the recipient of the Peter KaplanActing Fellowship for Trinity Rep\u2019s \u201984-85 season. \u00a0Because we spoke the same theatrical language he was able to help develop and guide this ship and I am forever grateful to him for this. \u00a0He believed in me, which made me believe in myself. The show went through many incarnations. \u00a0Each one was about going deeper, peeling back the layers, and getting to the marrow of the bone. \u00a0Jack McCullough and I worked on this piece for five years. \u00a0Such a labor of love.<\/p>\n

This play changed my life in huge ways. \u00a0Because I played both my parents and actually wore my father\u2019s uniform I was able to literally experience things through their eyes. \u00a0And through this experience I was able to heal my childhood wounds. \u00a0I believe this play came into being to heal me. \u00a0And I had people express to me they were healed as well, including a Vietnam Vet who said, \u201cI had no idea I was suffering from PTSD until I saw your show.\u201d \u00a0Performing this piece was terrifying, exhilarating, and so rewarding. \u00a0I got so many wonderful emails from people who saw the show.<\/p>\n

Continue forward in life even when the path was so unclear. \u00a0The message in your show . . . your perspective on life . . the tenacity I saw in you . . . all contributed to my next steps. \u00a0So I say to you, THANK YOU.<\/p>\n

Carlos, Los Angeles<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Photo by Jack McCullough c. 2006<\/p><\/div>\n

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Dalton has funny observations . . . shows her acting chops as she shows the various people in there life: a good job creating her scumbag of a husband and her (Quaker) mother\u2019s death bed scene.<\/p>\n

Ron Cohen, BackStage<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I played 18 characters including:<\/p>\n

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Photo by Jack McCullough c. 2004ish<\/p><\/div>\n

My ex-husband. \u201cSure is noisy in New York City.\u201d<\/p>\n

I just wanted to let you know how much it meant for me to see your show yesterday. \u00a0It touched me on such a profound level, I haven\u2019t been able to stop thinking about it.<\/p>\n

Margaret, New York City<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Photo by Jack McCullough c. 2004ish<\/p><\/div>\n

My chain-smoking therapist, \u201cThat\u2019ll be $95 dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Portrait by Julia Dalton. Photo by Jack McCullough c. 2004ish<\/p><\/div>\n

My mother, \u201cSometimes I wish you\u2019d stayed in the Pumpkin Patch.\u201d \u00a0My mother was an amazingly gifted and talented artist. \u00a0I used to say she was Martha way before Martha. \u00a0She painted this portrait of me.<\/p>\n

Powerful and deep\u2026.your strength, stamina, courage, love and yes indeed . . . FAITH. \u00a0You deserved a standing ovation.<\/p>\n

Spelman, New York City<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Photo by Jack McCullough c. 2004ish<\/p><\/div>\n

My Colonel father\u2019s words of wisdom on his departure to Vietnam,<\/p>\n

And I\u2019ve left you my personal copy of \u2018The Valley of the Dolls.\u2019 \u00a0After you read that you won\u2019t want to be an actress I guarantee-ran-damn-tee-ya.<\/p>\n

Colonel Charles H. Dalton III<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Photo by Jack McCullough c. 2004ish<\/p><\/div>\n

The Reverend Mary Green, \u201cYou will have a proposal of marriage before the leaves are off the trees. \u00a0He drives a two-toned car, \u00a0never wears a watch, but always knows the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Photo by Jack McCullough c. 2004ish<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cNo more war! \u00a0No more war! \u00a0No more war!\u201d \u00a0As soon as my father left for Vietnam I became a protesting, pot-smoking hippie and began dating a rock ‘n’ roll musician.<\/p>\n

The show was phenomenal, amazing. \u00a0I really laughed and cried. \u00a0It was so captivating.<\/p>\n

Dianne, New York City<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Photo by Jack McCullough c. 2004ish<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no such thing as anger management, man.\u201d<\/p>\n

I loved your show. \u00a0You made us laugh, cry and cheer.<\/p>\n

Jodi, New York City<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Photo by Jack McCullough c. 2004ish<\/p><\/div>\n

My father stopped speaking to me for an entire year because I was \u201cliving in sin.\u201d \u00a0Not Hello. \u00a0Not good-bye. \u00a0Not even Marry Christmas. \u00a0And so I got married.<\/p>\n

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Photo by Jack McCullough c. 2004ish<\/p><\/div>\n

When I moved to New York City I managed Macy\u2019s Santaland. \u00a0By the end, the elves had lost all their Christmas cheer and I had a full elf mutiny on my hands. \u00a0\u201cI don\u2019t think Mr. Macy would appreciate it if he knew his \u00a0elves were smoking dope in the dressing room.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Photo by Jack McCullough c. 2004ish<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cAnd so I temp. \u00a0I temp all day and word press all night. \u00a0They call me Wang woman!\u201d<\/p>\n

. . . funny and enjoyable . . . the story has a lot of heart . . .<\/p>\n

nytheatre.com<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Photo by Jack McCullough c. 2004ish<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI was so unhappy I even bought myself a full-length Coyote fur coat. \u00a0Unfortunately, I. bought it the day before the anti-fur movement began.\u201d<\/p>\n

Congratulations on an incredible performance.\u00a0 <\/span>You were brilliant.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sheila, New York City<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Photo by Jack McCullough c. 2004ish<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s time to celebrate love. \u00a0Oh, I feel so Jackie O.\u201d<\/p>\n

All I can say is Bravo!\u00a0 <\/span>You know when something\u2019s good when it stays with you, and it has.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Meg, New York City<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Photo by Jack McCullough c. 2004ish<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cOkay, my little cheese puffs. \u00a0I\u2019m walking you up Eighth Avenue to see the \u2018King and I.’\u201d<\/p>\n

I just had to let you know how much I enjoyed your show.\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s not everyday a cynical, jaded New Yorker is impressed, but I was!\u00a0 <\/span>You made me laugh and you made me cry and that\u2019s great acting!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Billie, New York City<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

The Kitchen Theatre<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In 2006 MY LIFE IN THE TRENCHES<\/strong>\u00a0went to the Kitchen Theatre in Ithaca, NY as part of the Kitchen Counter Culture series.<\/p>\n

. . . a hilarious look. at an embattled personal history . . .<\/p>\n

Katherine Klein, The Ithaca Times<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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c. 2006<\/p><\/div>\n

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The Ithaca Times c. 2006<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My mother was a Quaker, my father a soldier. \u00a0I guess that makes me passive\/aggressive. Jill Dalton I developed and performed my solo play,\u00a0MY LIFE IN THE TRENCHES, from 2001\u20132006. In the beginning, I didn’t have a director so I hired my friend, Joan Cappello to work with me. \u00a0She wasn’t a director, but as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":843,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[138,136],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-my-life-in-the-trenches","category-solo"],"metadata":{"_edit_lock":["1589816054:112"],"_thumbnail_id":["843"],"_edit_last":["112"],"_wpac_members_redirect_to":[""],"_wpac_show_in_search":["0"],"_wpac_show_excerpt_in_search":["0"],"_wpac_nonmembers_redirect_to":[""],"_wp_old_date":["2019-03-25"],"ase_map_component_start_point":["a:2:{s:3:\"lat\";d:29.76;s:3:\"lng\";d:-95.38;}"]},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/performingartslegacy.org\/dalton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/performingartslegacy.org\/dalton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/performingartslegacy.org\/dalton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performingartslegacy.org\/dalton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/112"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performingartslegacy.org\/dalton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/performingartslegacy.org\/dalton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performingartslegacy.org\/dalton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/performingartslegacy.org\/dalton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performingartslegacy.org\/dalton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performingartslegacy.org\/dalton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}