Sunshine in a Jar

Arts and Creativity

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  • Home
  • About
    • Books
      • Book Events
      • Earth Day: Call for Submissions 2021
      • From the Cottage Porch: An Anthology
      • The Writing Spiral
      • Sunshine in a Jar Press
      • Other Publications
    • Reiki
    • Schools
  • Arts
    • Morning Letters
    • Paintings
    • Photography
    • Stage
      • Playwright
        • Hunt Week
        • Once Upon a Rocking Chair
      • Theatre and Music
  • Blog
  • Creativity Coaching
    • Creativity Workshop
      • Eight Learning Spirals for Writing and Life
        • Creativity & Process Spiral
        • Honesty & Courage Spiral
        • Solitude & Self-Awareness Spiral
        • Community & Connection Spiral
        • Ambition & Audience Spiral
        • Perseverance & Diligence Spiral
        • Curiosity & Adventure Spiral
        • Love & Energy Spiral
  • Home & Family
    • Family History Stories
    • Georgian Bay Roots
    • Memoirs
    • Northumberland
  • Poet Laureate
    • Poetry Present
      • Archive of Poets
      • Submit a Poem
    • Poetry Invites
    • Poetry for Occasions
    • Poet Laureate Gallery
  • Once Upon a Rocking Chair

    What I Loved Most About The Process of Staging My Play

    August 15, 2017 /

    What a whirlwind! I still wonder how it all went by so quickly. Directing “Once Upon a Rocking Chair” for Northumberland Players this year was definitely a lifetime highlight for me. We had a wonderful review in the local paper and 10/11 performances were SOLD OUT. When I started the process a year ago my wishes for the show were to have fun, to make a story people remembered, and to connect to people.

    Read More

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    Once Upon a Rocking Chair: A Playwright’s Journey

    February 8, 2017

    Once Upon a Rocking Chair Debuts in Northumberland

    May 26, 2016

    Two World Premieres

    September 3, 2007
  • Once Upon a Rocking Chair

    All About the 2017 Production of “Once Upon a Rocking Chair” in Cobourg

    April 29, 2017 /

    About the performance dates and tickets: Click Here

     The De La Roche women have an annual summer Georgian Bay tradition. Three retired sisters and their three grown daughters spend a week at the cottage drinking wine, reminiscing, and making plans for the future. But this summer is different. Deep-rooted secrets are revealed as the annual festivities become ones that nobody will ever forget. It is a play about family, relationships, work, aging, life, and the validity of ‘happily-ever-after.’

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    Once Upon a Rocking Chair: A Playwright’s Journey

    February 8, 2017

    What I Loved Most About The Process of Staging My Play

    August 15, 2017

    Once Upon a Rocking Chair Debuts in Northumberland

    May 26, 2016
  • Love & Energy Spiral

    The Tao of the Rocking Chair

    April 2, 2017 /

    If rocking chairs could speak, I bet they would have a lot to say.  When selecting a title for Once Upon a Rocking Chair, I was drawn to the idea of using a rocking chair as the play’s central image.

    Read More

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    My First Garden

    July 14, 2020

    To Climb a Mountain in 2016

    January 3, 2016

    The Spirit of a Song

    January 26, 2019
  • Theatre and Music

    Summer Adventures at the Theatre: Theatre is Alive and Thriving in Ontario

    August 14, 2016 /

    This summer I decided to attend as much theatre as possible. I wanted to reflect on how audiences responded to diverse titles, how directors used the space, how designers created a visual feast, and how the actors conveyed story in a way that connected with me. What impressed me in this quest was the vitality of theatre, the energy of the performers, the enthusiasm of the audience, and the magic created by the production crews. Theatre in Ontario is dynamic and alive.

    Read More

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    Top 10 Reasons to Buy Tickets Today to “The Secret Garden” in Port Hope (and to Support Community Theatre)

    January 26, 2016

    On the Rooftop: VOS Theatre Cobourg November 15-23

    August 22, 2013

    The Secret Garden: The Musical

    July 28, 2015
  • Once Upon a Rocking Chair

    Once Upon a Rocking Chair Debuts in Northumberland

    May 26, 2016 /

    I’m thrilled that Northumberland Players has added my play to their upcoming season. Once Upon a Rocking Chair has been staged once before, having a successful run with StoneCircle Theatre in Pickering Village in 2008. Since then my writing has improved, my life experience has expanded so I am taking this opportunity to update the script, strengthen the play and present an updated, refreshed version of the story that goes deeper into the play’s themes. I’m excited to share this story and these characters with my community.

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    All About the 2017 Production of “Once Upon a Rocking Chair” in Cobourg

    April 29, 2017

    Once Upon a Rocking Chair: A Playwright’s Journey

    February 8, 2017

    Two World Premieres

    September 3, 2007
  • Theatre and Music

    Top 10 Reasons to Buy Tickets Today to “The Secret Garden” in Port Hope (and to Support Community Theatre)

    January 26, 2016 /

    Secret-Garden-Facebook-header NEW

    Tickets are selling. Don’t miss out! Here are my top 10 reasons why you should click here and buy your tickets for “The Secret Garden” right now:

    10. To experience truly gorgeous music. The lyrics and score are stunning. The vocalists and musicians are outstanding. If I’m regularly getting goosebumps up both arms in rehearsals, then I know that the music will melt you with its dynamic, red velvet texture.

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    The Secret Garden: The Musical

    July 28, 2015

    Summer Adventures at the Theatre: Theatre is Alive and Thriving in Ontario

    August 14, 2016

    On the Rooftop: VOS Theatre Cobourg November 15-23

    August 22, 2013
  • Community & Connection Spiral

    “The Secret Garden” Has Many Lessons to Teach Us

    January 17, 2016 /

    “The place was a wilderness of autumn gold and purple and violet blue and flaming scarlet on every side were sheaves of late lilies standing together–lilies which were white or white and ruby…Late roses climbed and hung and clustered and the sunshine deepening the hue of the yellowing trees made one feel that one stood in an empowered temple of gold.” The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett.

    When I was I was sixteen I went to England for the first time, staying with different host families a few hours outside of London. I remember the gardens. Even a small yard was filled with rows of diverse colour, separated by narrow, meandering walking paths. It was such a contrast to the concrete and brick and asphalt dominating the front of the homes. I had never been in gardens that transported me beyond time and place before. The gardens offered magic and peace and escape–a refuge calming my fear of being away from home without my parents for the first time. This was when I learned that gardens were special.

    Read More

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    Does Your Writing Pass the Bechdel Test?

    March 12, 2012

    Secret Club for Kids

    September 11, 2015

    Ten Things I Learned Last Year About School Leadership

    August 15, 2017
12

Hello! I’m Jessica. This is my personal blog with a range of posts from stories about my ancestors to thoughts on life to ideas about creativity and community.

I help people find creative abundance by teaching how we can learn from everything around us, especially nature.

I hope that by visiting you will find something that’s helpful. I’m so glad you’re here.

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  • “The Secret Garden” Has Many Lessons to Teach Us
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  • Arts & Creativity with Jessica Outram
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