Smith Center was created in 1871. The first post office in Smith Center was created in January 1873. Like Smith County, Smith Center was named after Maj. J. Nelson Smith of the 2nd Colorado Cavalry. He was a pre-war native of Elwood, Kansas, who died leading his regiment on October 21, 1864 at the Battle of the Little Blue River.
Smith Center is at (39.778550, -98.785141). The United States Census Bureau says that the city has a total area of . All of it is land.
Smith Center is at the junction of U.S. Routes 281 and 36, about100 miles south of Grand Island, Nebraska and 77 miles north of Russell and Interstate 70.
The 2010 census says that there were 1,665 people, 779 households, and 470 families living in Smith Center.
Smith Center is part of Unified School District 237.
Sublette, Kansas
Sublette is a city in Haskell County, Kansas, United States. It is also the county seat of Haskell County. In 2010, 1,453 people lived there.
Sublette was created in 1912. It was named after William Lewis Sublette, a French Huguenot who was a partner in the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. Sublette was a mountain man, fur trapper and pioneer who blazed a trail through the area and was known by the local natives as "Cut Face".
The first post office in Sublette was created in January 1913.
Sublette is at (37.479660, -100.845034). The United States Census Bureau says that the city has a total area of . All of it is land.
The Köppen Climate Classification system says that Sublette has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.
The 2010 census says that there were 1,453 people, 556 households, and 409 families living in Sublette.
The "Haskell County Monitor-Chief" is the local newspaper.
Sublette is in the Wichita-Hutchinson, Kansas television market. KDGL-LD is licensed to Sublette Kansas and is the flagship station of High Plains Broadcasting, LLC. KDGL broadcasts on RF channel 23 carrying 6 video streams. Current Networks are Retro TV, Tuff TV, AMG TV, Launch TV, TheWalk TV, and PBJ TV. KDGL uses TV23 as branding for all 5 licenses including Dodge City, Garden City, Liberal, and Ulysses. Sublette was chosen for its central location in the Southwest Kansas Market and to streamline future news gathering for NewsWest23 newscasts.
Syracuse, Kansas
Syracuse is a city in Hamilton County, Kansas, United States. It is also the county seat of Hamilton County. In 2010, 1,812 people lived there.
Syracuse was first called Holidaysburg. It was created in 1873. It was renamed Syracuse before 1878. It was named after the city of Syracuse, New York.
Syracuse is at (37.982938, -101.751224). It is along U.S. Route 50 and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. It is sixteen miles (twenty-six kilometers) away from the Colorado border. The Arkansas River goes south of the City of Syracuse. The countryside south of the Arkansas River has sandhills. The "Syracuse Sand Dunes" is in these sandhills. It is a city park covering , including a fishing pond.
The United States Census Bureau says that the city has a total area of . All of it is land.
The Köppen Climate Classification system says that Syracuse has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.
The 2010 census says that there were 1,812 people, 715 households, and 460 families living in Syracuse.
Syracuse High School is the unified high school for Hamilton County USD 494. The Syracuse school mascot is Bulldogs.
Educating Rita
Educating Rita is a stage comedy by British playwright Willy Russell. It is a play for two actors set entirely in the office of an Open University tutor.
It was Commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company. "Educating Rita" premièred at The Warehouse, London, in June 1980. It starred Julie Walters and Mark Kingston. The play was directed by Mike Ockrent.
The plays follows the relationship between 26-year-old student Rita and Frank, a middle-aged university lecturer. Rita is a Liverpudlian working class hairdresser. It follows them over a year. Act 1 consists of seven scenes. These run from January to May. Act 2 consists of a further seven. These run from September to December. In the play Frank has no surname. When the film was made he became Dr. Frank Bryant.
Rita is dissatisfied with the routine of her work. She signs up for an Open University course in English Literature. The play opens as 'Rita' meets her tutor, Frank, for the first time. Frank is a middle-aged, alcoholic career academic. He has taken on the tutorship to pay for his drink. The two have an immediate and profound effect on one another. Frank is impressed by Rita. He is forced to re-examine his attitudes. Rita finds a new self-confidence. Frank's bitterness and cynicism return. He notices Rita beginning to adopt the university culture he despises. Rita becomes disillusioned. The play ends as Frank is sent to Australia.
The play deals with the concepts of freedom, change, England's class system and the shortcomings of institutional education. It deals with the nature of self-development and of personal relationships. The play borrows from the George Bernard Shaw play "Pygmalion". This in turn is based upon Greek myth.
In 1983, the play was adapted by Russell for a film with Michael Caine and Julie Walters, directed by Lewis Gilbert.
In 2009, the play was adapted by Russell for radio – see "Educating Rita (radio play)". It starred Bill Nighy and Laura Dos Santos. It was directed by Kirsty Williams. It was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Boxing Day 2009.
From June–July 2001, the Williamstown Theatre Festival mounted a production of Educating Rita at the Nikos Stage. It starred Jacqueline McKenzie as Rita and Edward Herrmann as Frank. The production was directed by Bruce Paltrow. It was critically acclaimed with critics saying McKenzie's performance one of the best performances of the year".
From 26 March-8 May 2010, as part of the Willy Russell season at the Menier Chocolate Factory. Laura Dos Santos reprised her radio performance on stage as Rita with Larry Lamb as Frank. This was the production's first London West End revival.
From 8 July-30 October 2010, this production transferred to the Trafalgar Studios in London's West End. It was produced by Sonia Friedman. Laura Dos Santos reprised her role as Rita. Frank was played by Tim Pigott-Smith.
The production ran in repertory alongside "Shirley Valentine" starring Meera Syal.
In 2012, it toured the UK. It starred Claire Sweeney as Rita and Matthew Kelly as Frank.
From 6 February to 7 March 2015, a 35th anniversary production was staged at Liverpool Playhouse. It starred Leanne Best as Rita and Con O'Neill as Frank. It was directed by Gemma Bodinetz. The same year the Chichester Festival staged a production with Lashana Lynch as Rita and Lenny Henry and Frank.
The original production received the 1980 Olivier Award nomination for "Comedy Performance of the Year" for Julie Walters. It won "Comedy of the Year".
Shirley Valentine
Shirley Valentine is a one-character play by Willy Russell. It takes the form of a monologue by a middle-aged, working class Liverpool housewife. It focuses on her life before and after a transforming holiday abroad.
Shirley finds herself regularly alone and talking to the wall. She prepare an evening meal of egg and chips for her emotionally distant husband. Her best friend offers to pay for a trip-for-two to Greece. She leaves a note on the cupboard door in the kitchen. In Greece she rediscovers what she had been missing in England. She is so happy that she decides not to return. She leaves her friend at the airport and goes back to the hotel. She asks for a job.