It took more than one for this successful fly-over

It took more than onefor this successful fly-over
EDITOR:
The review of the production of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" was greatly appreciated by me personally.
I agree with the assessment of the acting performances of the very talented and hardworking members of the cast who were mentioned in the review. However, mention needs to be made concerning the efforts of others who so completely did their jobs to produce this "standing ovation" piece of theater. Productions like Cuckoo's Nest are not produced in a vacuum.
The excellent performances of the cast mentioned could not have been possible if the other cast members, not mentioned, hadn't done their roles so well. Also not mentioned: Paul Kimple designed a remarkable set that allowed the actors and technicians to play their roles impeccably. Kady Kimple's costumes were flawless and provided the colorful and colorless aspects of the play. Jim Lybarger's set construction allowed for the technical aspects of the play to be employed to startling heights. The stage manager, Mary Ellen Cleary, managed a cast and a very able crew to perform magic on Friday evening. The lighting and technical crew under the direction of Leslie Brown provided the aura that so amazed me and provided the metaphors discussed in the review. And finally, without embarrassment, I acknowledge the direction of the production by my husband, Joe Scarvell, as outstanding. His direction was a powerful gift to a much loved Playhouse that shouts out to our community that excellence is the bulwark of tradition and renewal for all theaters in our community.
Bentley Lenhoff and everyone connected with renewal at the Youngstown Playhouse provided the opportunities that enabled everyone involved with this production to shine in their efforts and their excellence. The cast and the invisible technical staff and crew gave us a magical and thought-provoking evening.
JOANNE K. SCARVELL
Hubbard
Redefining democracy
EDITOR:
I am a 17-year-old home-schooled senior. As some of you may know this week (Sept. 17-23) was "Constitution Week", and Sept. 17 was "Citizenship Day." These are new civic holidays passed this year to foster civic mindedness and to promote the Constitution and our government. The resolution (contained in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2005) states that & quot;each educational institution that receives Federal Funds for a fiscal year shall hold an educational program on the United States Constitution on September 17." In other words, the public school system now has to have one day a year dedicated to teaching the Constitution.
This said, a friend of the family has two daughters in a local public school, and was relating how her oldest daughter came home and told her that the teacher had said that our form of government was a democracy, a government where the people each get one vote and the majority rules. Our friends' daughter however knew that this was incorrect. She knew our government is a republic, or more specifically a democratic republic. This is a government where the representatives who are to carry out and enact laws are chosen democratically by the people, this however is not a democracy. When our friend talked to a teacher about this discrepancy she was told the curriculum the school was using was mandated by the state and that nothing could be done about it. If the state mandated that we teach the sky is colored chickpea, no teacher would tell a student that.
The real issue here is that nobody knows anything about our government anymore. Even our representatives, senators and president refer to our government as a democracy; if this is what our government is coming to I have no concerns about my Social Security in 50 years. I fear for the very survival of my country.
JEFFREY S. MOLITERNO
Canfield