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A Bittersweet Mother’s Day / Free music!

It was so great seeing everyone post their photos of their mother’s yesterday! But if you happen to have lost your mother, it can be a bittersweet day. My mom, Lillian Hrovat, passed away when I was seventeen… you know, that time in life where you know everything and she knows nothing!! lol. Yesterday, I thought back on how many times I was rude to her or short with her, and I apologized, thirty years later! (There’s no statute of limitations on apologies!) In honor of my mom, I’m giving away 200 free downloads of the song I wrote for her, “I Still Cry”. If you happened to have lost your mom (or anyone you loved dearly) I think you’ll enjoy the sentiment of the song. Just click on the download link below and enter $0 for the price! This photo is one of the last ones I had taken with her. It was at a music festival in downtown Cleveland on Labor Day weekend, 1982. She died just six weeks later. And just so you are not confused on the style in 1982, my dress is the traditional Slovenian outfit called a Narodna Nosa. Sexy, right? Mom, no matter how many years go by, I still cry.

Kickstarter For “Wrap Your Heart Around It”

I’m sure by now most of you know about my one-woman show called “Wrap Your Heart Around It”.

I performed the play for the first time in my living room in October of 2010. Then, in the fall of 2011 we did a small regional theater tour, (thanks to many of you who came out!) which was enlightening and exhausting! I found myself wondering what and how to move forward. I was then introduced to an Emmy-winning television director named Paul Miller who read the play and offered to help take the show to the next level. Paul hired director Diana Basmajian and Musical Director Paul Carrol Binkley. One year later, in the fall of 2012, we performed as part of the United Solo Theater Festival in NYC, and out of 110 shows were awarded “Best New Production”! And then just a few weeks ago we performed to a full-house at The Hudson Theater in Los Angeles. All of these performances have been great… but the best part is the follow up letters and emails I’ve received saying how the show encouraged or inspired people. That’s truly the purpose of the show.

Here are just a few of the comments I received at the LA show;

“”Wrap Your Heart Around It” is a triumph; the piece is rich and raw….LynnMarie is phenomenal!! I was engaged, I was entertained and I was moved. It’s a touching story on so many levels…from beginning to end!”

“Hand out some tissues before it starts to wipe the tears in between the laughter!”

“After hearing your story about your childhood, it makes me want to be a better parent to my kids. Thank you!”

Our team after The Hudson Show in LA

People always ask me, “Have you quit playing polka?” Or, “Why aren’t you performing anymore?” I will never stop playing polka and I look forward to performing at some music festivals again in the future! (I was hoping to return to some Oktoberfests this fall, but things just didn’t line up. Hopefully next year!) But in the immediate future I will be concentrating on getting the play off the ground. The show has LOTS of polka in it, both old and new, along with other styles of music. I talk a lot about my family history, my grandparents homeland of Slovenia and growing up in the polka capital – Cleveland! But it also deals with living with a highly-functioning ‘life of the party’ alcoholic father, my depression, and the challenges I faced when becoming a special needs parent.

Now, to why I am writing to you…

We’ve received an offer from the prestigious Falcon Theater in Los Angeles (www.falcontheatre.com) to perform for four weeks this summer starting in July. The Falcon is owned by legendary Hollywood Producer-Director-Writer Gary Marshall and is one of the most respected theaters in Los Angeles. But in order to make this dream a reality we need some help. We need to raised $20,000 in 30 days to help us cover the costs of a production of this size. (The actual cost is over $80,000, but we are just hoping to raise enough to cover some of the expenses! I hope that you will consider clicking on the link below which will take you directly to our page on KICKSTARTER. There you can choose from everything from a $2 donation and up! And as a thank you for your support, there are many different awards you can receive. (CD’S, T-shirts, House Concerts!!) But if by chance your own journey finds you unable to give financially at this moment… PLEASE know that keeping us in your thoughts and prayers is so appreciated!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/529873700/wrap-your-heart-around-it

The best part about performing at the Falcon is that it will continue to open doors for future performances, both in LA, NYC and hopefully to a city near you!

Thanks for your support and your friendship, and for your consideration to financially help us spread this message of hope and encouragement to a whole new audience!

LynnMarie

P.S. If your summer plans find you in LA – come see us at The Falcon!!

Below is a photo of James. One day, when he was about two, I stood in my closet. I yelled out to God, “I just can’t wrap my head around the fact that I have a special needs child!” And what I heard back, from the deepest part of my gut was, “Lynn, I’m not asking you to wrap your head around it, I’m asking you to wrap your heart around it!” I’m happy to report that I’ve finally figured out how to do that! We all get ‘something’ in life, and I hope that by hearing my story people will be encouraged and strengthened to be able to accept whatever life has given them, and live in the moments of love and joy!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/529873700/wrap-your-heart-around-it