Laura Shamas

@laurashamas

Writer. Ph.D. #ChickasawNation. www.laurashamas.com. Pro-democracy. #postcardstovoters 🇺🇦

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Laura Shamas@laurashamas· 13h

Tim Curry, right, as Mozart and Ian McKellen as Salieri, his rival, in “Amadeus” on Broadway in 1980. Both were nominated for the best-actor Tony; Mr. McKellen won.Credit...Zoe Dominic - photographer

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· 7d

I wish it had been true! There’s still time, I guess.

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· 22d

Yes, I voted in the Chickasaw Nation’s Special Election. Is there a primary in your state today? Please vote!

Blue sticker with white letters and a checkmark that say “I voted”. The Chickasaw Nation Seal is in the top and center.

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· 28d

Thor’s Well, Cape Perpetua, OR Nearly high tide.

“Sitting on the edge of the Oregon coast near Cape Perpetua, a gaping, seemingly bottomless sinkhole swallows the unbroken stream of seawater around it. Thor’s Well, as the natural wonder is known, is not actually bottomless. It is, however, very dangerous. Also known as the drainpipe of the Pacific.”https://www.yachatsoregon.org/295/Thors-Well

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· 29d

Better Sunset?

Sunset on the Oregon coast - a round orb of gold horizontally, with blue ocean below (with waves) and a grey blue sky

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· 29d

Sunset!

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· Jul 28

Underneath the Astoria-Megler Bridge in Astoria, Oregon. “Opened in 1966, it is the longest continuous truss bridge in North America, and the second-longest in the world.” - Wikipedia

A long truss bridge high over the very wide Columbia River in Astoria, Oregon.
The river water is blue, the sky is blue, and the bridge is steel/silver. From this point of view, the bridge is about a quarter of a mile away. This photo is taken from under the bridge; the bridge is 4 miles long.

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· Jul 14

My sister is starring as Dorothy Parker in a new 1-woman show. If you’re in the Denver area, the next performance is July 19. (She just performed it in the Clocktower Cabaret yesterday.) More dates upcoming! 7/19 + two more shows in September!

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· Jul 10

Enjoyed CIRQUE ALICE! What a wonderland!

A darkened deep blue theater pre-set of lights, with the orange words of CIRQUE ALICE splashed in the center, with colorful flowers and a black Cheshire Cat also hiding in the background. Rainbow colors are projected in various lights on the stage ground level.

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· Jun 21

The reflecting pool at the Mark Taper Forum at the Music Center in Los Angeles

Deep blue reflections of whitish buildings in an oblong pool as the sun sets.

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· May 4

“Forever Marilyn,” the 26 foot tall sculpture by artist Seward Johnson, in downtown Palm Springs. It was originally installed in 2012 in Palm Springs, and after a brief relocation, returned in 2021.

The gigantic Seward Johnson sculpture depicts a laughing Marilyn Monroe in the iconic pose from “The Seven Year Itch”; her white halter dress billows up from gusts of air below. In the downtown Palm Springs park where the sculpture is displayed, a guitarist plays in the left bottom corner in the shade. For perspective: in the distance, a woman in a red shirt and dark pants poses near Marilyn’s legs, while her female friend takes a photo of her, bottom right; this
photographer wears a backpack and faces the sculpture.

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· Mar 27

Congrats to this cast! So excited that the extraordinary, brilliant cast of FOUR WOMEN IN RED has just been nominated for Best Ensemble for the 31st NAACP Theater Awards in June! Congrats to (left to right): Harriette Feliz, Carolyn Dunn, Jehnean Washington, and Zoey Reyes! ❤️

A yellow backdrop of a map of the USA, with pink/red spots on it to indicate active #MMIW cases. Green, red and purple curtains are on each side of it. The cast, listed left to right in the post above, wears traditional red ribbon skirts and shawls as they face the audience/house. (Rehearsal photo)

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· Mar 11

Heron.

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· Mar 5

Will Rogers State Beach today, with a few California Brittlebush (a.k.a. California Sunflower) in the foreground.

Blue sky and ocean with sun reflections in the top third of the photo. Light yellow sand and an old jetty on the far right. The bottom part is green with yellow California Brittlebush growing next to the sand.

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· Mar 3

Poulnabrone Dolmen, County Clare, Ireland. #tombtuesday

A side view of the west-facing dolmen. Three standing portal stones in grey limestone with a capstone on top. 2016 photo. The Burren surrounds it, green dotted with grey stones and yellow wildflowers.

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· Feb 27

Went for a walk yesterday on the coast and it turned into whale watching! I saw 5 spouts in the water, but no whales. Everyone was so excited about it on the trail.

Yellow Bermuda Buttercups dot a green hillside on the central coast. Wooden fence posts stand in front of a very blue ocean, and blue sky with white cloud streaks.

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· Feb 4

Paul Dooley, of course

Paul Dooley and Molly Ringwald in “Sixteen Candles.” He wears a blue suit as he sits near her, on the couch. She lies down on a blue-striped sofa with a white pillow. This is the cover of Paul Dooley’s book MOVIE DAD.”

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· Jan 10

This is a bronze sword from an ancient Greek battlefield, bent so it cannot be used again. Bending the sword of the enemy was a common practice as a deterrent in ancient Pylos. From “The Kingdom of Pylos: Warrior Princes of Ancient Greece” exhibit at the Getty Villa, closing Jan. 12.

An ancient bronze sword bent in half in a loop. This is from the Kingdom of Pylos exhibit at the Getty Villa. https://www.getty.edu/exhibitions/pylos/

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· Jan 6

Yesterday on an info wall placard at the Kingdom of Pylos exhibit (Getty Villa), I found this theory of the “wine-dark” seas color source as described by Homer: “New research reveals that Pylian artists esteemed ‘Tyrian purple,’ a precious dye derived from marine mollusks (murex).” Sea violet-red?

From “The Kingdom of Pylos” exhibit (1700–1070 BCE). A wall placard at the Getty Villa about “The Science of Color.” The top paragraph discusses the use of Macro X-ray fluorescence and generative AI in the current toolkits of scientists who study ancient murals. The second paragraph says: “New research reveals that Pylian artists esteemed ‘Tyrian purple,’ a precious dye derived from marine mollusks (murex).” The next sentence connects it to Homer’s description of a “wine-dark” sea, wondering if this is the reason for it “turning violet-red at sunset, a favorable omen for sailors navigating by the stars?” Below that is a fragment/recreation of part of an ancient wall painting of a naval scene with a light purple color in it. The mural is from the Palace of Nestor, Pylos.

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· Jan 2

This documentary about Seymour Hersh is extraordinary, disturbing, and leaves you gasping due to the horrors revealed (most of which you already know but try to forget—as Americans and global citizens). Highly recommended.

Black and white poster for the 2025 documentary about legendary 88-year-old journalist Seymour Hersh titled COVER-UP, directed by Laura Poitras and Mark Oberhausen. Center: Hersh, in a white shirt with tie and dark pants, sits with his feet up on a desk talking on the phone, circa 1970’s. Some lettering with title, credits and “Netflix” in bold red.

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· Dec 30

A storm is coming in over the Channel Islands.

Top half of photo: A dark blue cloud cover with patches of white, and a mere sliver of gold sky in the left center. You can see a Channel Island in dark silhouette beyond a fence on the 101 Highway in the forefront.

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· Dec 21

Happy Winter Solstice to those in the Northern Hemisphere!

Stonehenge, late November 2016. It was so cold. Mid-morning rays of sunshine pour through to the stones from a partially clouded sky. There’s a fuzzy sun in the upper center. Ground level Center: The classic megalith silhouette. Green grass around it. No people are in this photo.

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· Nov 19

I know where you can find a pot of gold!

Center: A rainbow arcs over a wet road in Central California. There’s a shadow of a double rainbow to the left side f the photo.

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· Nov 4

VOTE! 🗳️

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· Oct 25

Enjoyed being at the Nat’l Aviary last night, and meeting an African penguin ambassador named Wyatt. Aviary.org

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· Oct 24

Fallingwater today!

Iconic view of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. https://fallingwater.org/

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· Oct 13

Monday, Oct. 13 is Indigenous People’s Day. I started celebrating early by seeing HAUNTED by Tara Moses at Native Voices! If in LA, don’t miss it! #LANDBACK

The cover of the program for “Haunted” by Tara Moses, produced by Native Voices and Greenway Court Theater (at Gteenway Court). Directed by DeLanna Studi and Jennifer Bobiwash. . Dates: Oct. 10 - 28. In a dark blue light, there’s a “FOR SALE” sign, and in the center, a mostly dark white house, with a light on in an upper right window, and on the front door.

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· Oct 5

I spent some time in a pumpkin patch today. I recommend it!

A sunny day with shadows from trees! A large field. A center path of dirt and straw veers through hundreds of orange pumpkins. There’s a large picnic table twenty-five feet back, in the center, with more pumpkins on it. In the far distance on the left, a green jeep with orange pumpkins is visible. White/grey varieties are on the ground on the far right side, with yellow haystacks (3stacks high) featuring more pumpkins in back of that.

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· Sep 20

#FilmSky #Halloween NIGHT TIDE. This eerie 1961 film, written and directed by Curtis Harrington, features Dennis Hopper’s 1st big film role. A mermaid (or a siren), a witch, murdered boyfriends in the past—add to this, a besotted sailor. Remastered in 2020. Much was filmed in Santa Monica.

Show poster for NIGHT TIDE. In a dark blue background, at the sea’s edge, we see a woman’s back (she wears a dark navy dress and her dark hair is up) but her outstretched right hand is green and clawlike. In yellow font (the color of moonbeams?): “Night Tide. eerie strange macabre. Lovers caught in a dark tide of sinister terror.” Cast listed: Dennis Hopper, Linda Lawson as Mora, Luana Anders, Gavin Muir. Produced by Aram Kantarian. Written and directed by Curtis Harrington. Filmed in 1961. Released in 1963.

Laura Shamas@laurashamas· Sep 16

In honor of Robert Redford, from ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN (1976). Deep Throat (Hal Holbrook) says to Woodward (Redford) in the film: “The truth is, these are not very bright guys…”