A Blog by Martha Bolton Memorial Day is a time to remember those who gave their lives serving our country. This year, we should add all the doctors, nurses, EMTs, police, and anyone else on the front lines who has sacrificed their all in the war against the coronavirus. It is in times of trouble…
50th Anniversary: Pandemic-Style
While wondering how my husband and I were going to celebrate our 50th anniversary during this time of social distancing (and since most restaurants are still closed and travel is out) something even better happened! We were told to expect a delivery at 10 A.M. and to go out on the front porch to wait…
Handling the Changes
If life is anything, it’s unpredictable, isn’t it? I found this out early on my very first Christmas Eve. We had just come from my uncle’s house and were headed home. I was riding in the car with my mother and father and four older siblings. We were parked at a stop sign, perhaps still…
A TALE OF FOUR WRITERS
We met when we were in the early stages of our careers, when our children were little and so were our paychecks. Four budding writers: Linda Aleahmad, Mary Scott, Margaret Brownley, and myself, Martha Bolton (pictured left to right). Our bond would last over three decades of rejections, contracts, and autograph sessions where only your…
Carrying on the Tradition of the Christmas Tree Ships
Martha Bolton Blog: Carrying on the Tradition of the Christmas Tree Ships December 4, 2019 Blue Gate Musicals’ newest production, THE CHRISTMAS TREE SHIP, is inspired by the true story of the Schuenemann family. Herman, the patriarch and one of the last Christmas tree ship captains operating on Lake Michigan in the early 1900s, was…
MILESTONES
MILESTONES Martha Bolton Blog Throughout our lives there are milestones we all reach. Accomplishments, either personal or professional, often come in the form of degrees, promotions, landmark anniversaries, met goals, honors, and awards. From Little League trophies to the Super Bowl ring, from spelling bee ribbons to an Oscar, these acknowledgments make our day and propel…
A Look Behind the Musical, STOLEN
MARTHA BOLTON BLOG: A LOOK BEHIND THE MUSICAL, STOLEN When the Blue Gate Musicals team—Dan Posthuma (Producer), Wally Nason (Composer/Director), Martha Bolton (Playwright), and Jaime Janiszewski (Marketing Director)—chose Wanda Brunstetter’s Daughters of Lancaster series to turn into our 2018 musical, we knew it was going to be a fun challenge. Because it’s a trilogy, we…
Memories of the Great Tim Conway
REMEMBERING TIM CONWAY: AN INTERVIEW WITH COMEDY WRITER GENE PERRET By Martha Bolton May 15, 2019 My long-time friend Gene Perret was a staff writer on the Carol Burnett Show, as well as being a Bob Hope staff writer. Gene is the one who recommended me to Bob Hope, and we worked together on Bob’s…
Inspired by a True Story: The Christmas Tree Ship
Martha’s Blog When I first came across the true story of the Rouse Simmons, the most notable of all the Christmas Tree schooners that were sailing Lake Michigan back in the late 1800s and early 1900s, I was captivated by it. I picked up every book I could find on the subject and even…
From the Playwright: A SIMPLE SANCTUARY
Martha’s Blog What does it take to bring a Blue Gate Musical to life on the stage? Well, it takes a team and a process. The Blue Gate Musicals Team consists of Dan Posthuma (producer), Wally Nason (composer/director), Martha Bolton (playwright), and Jaime Janiszewski (Marketing & Development Director). A Simple Sanctuary is based on Beverly…
THE OSCARS: Looking for a Little Hope
While the search continues for who will host the Oscars on February 24th, it brings to mind one individual who hosted the annual event a record breaking eighteen times—Bob Hope. With that many Oscar night credits under his belt, you might say Bob knew a thing or two about navigating his way around all those…
OF RINGS, ROSES, AND NEVER GIVING UP
The romance between my husband and I began when I was 15 and he was 19. He won me over for a lot of reasons, but one was the fact that every month he sent roses to me according to the number of months we had been dating. On our 15th month of dating, he…
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