KWI Website

KWI Website

by | Feb 22, 2021 | Website

Building websites are fun. It’s kinda like a puzzle. The client gives you a bunch of random pieces and you have to figure out what’s the best way to reorganize them. In this post, I want to share with you a little bit of the process of redesigning a website, and why it is so important to any growing business.

Background

Kathy WhitworthSeveral years ago I was asked to be on the Kathy Whitworth Invitational committee. I’m  currently on both the Membership and Golf & Greens Committees at Mira Vista Country Club and having the opportunity to be a part of one of the top junior girls tournaments in the country seemed like a no brainer. And selfishly, I really wanted to be around Kathy Whitworth. For those of you that don’t know, Kathy is the most winning professional golfer of all time… male or female. Needless to say, she’s a big deal.

Initial Analysis

Website ComparisonThe KWI ‘s inaugural year was in 1999, so needless to say, the committee knows what they are doing and has been successful for 20+ years. I was brought to the table to help modernize the overall branding and get a fresh set of eyes on the event.

The website wasn’t mobile-friendly and 51% of the entire global population visits websites from their phone. The logo seemed very busy, especially when it’s scaled down. Again, think about how you’d see it on a mobile device, a business card or even embroidered. I also felt that there was a substantial about of content missing. These are all things in my wheelhouse and I communicated with the whole team why each of these things needed attention.

Planning for a New Website

Now let’s take a look at the website. The original site was created and maintained by the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Tarrant County (the charitable organization that the KWI supports). The website was functional and definitely served its purpose. There were six pages, which included Home, About, Tournament, Hall of Fame and Contact. This was a good foundation but it lacked a lot of content, it wasn’t mobile friendly and visually, was a bit all over the place.

Website Comparison

The first step was to decide a general site map – what content do we want to keep and what content do we want to add?

Sketch

From here, there’s the approval process of just making sure that everyone involved is on the same page. The last thing you want to do with a client is think you know what they want, start building and then after hours of work, realize that you guys were not on the same page. So once this general list of pages was approved, I then sketched out the wireframe for the new homepage.

“Hallie joined the Kathy Whitworth Invitational committee two years ago and has been an incredible asset. She has been incredibly generous with her time to completely rebuild the tournament’s website, application and social media channels. With impeccable graphic design, seamless videography and photos, and high functionality, Hallie brought life to the tournament’s digital marketing platforms. Hallie showed incredible care in highlighting the tournament’s rich history,  our tournament’s namesake, Kathy Whitworth, and the tournament’s beneficiary, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County. Hallie’s talent, creativity and execution are unmatched. The Kathy Whitworth Invitational is more widely known, more efficient and more effective in raising money for Boys & Girls Clubs because Hallie is a part of it.”

Chelsea Tibbitts
Senior Director Advancement Operations
Boys & Girls Club of Greater Tarrant County

Creating a Wireframe

Website Wireframe

We start at the top with the logo and the main navigation menu, followed by the hero image. I wanted to make sure from the homepage, it was very easy to find out more information about the event, about Kathy Whitworth’s history and career, highlight the fact that the alumni pool is filled with LPGA players and that the tournament benefits the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Tarrant County.

I recommend that once you’ve created the wireframe, that you don’t just send it to your client and wait for their feedback. It’s really important to walk them through your design and give them the “WHY”. Why did you do this on the layout… why did you put that there… Often times people aren’t sure of what they like or don’t like, so it’s helpful if you can walk through and talk with them about your vision. You have to remember that not everyone can instantly visualize a final product if they only see a wireframe.

Building the New Website

This is now the fun part, taking the approved designs and actually building it out. Things might shift and change a little, but the general layouts stay the same when you go from a wireframe to the new pages. It’s important to always remind the client that a website is a living, breathing thing – it’s always going to be changing and will constantly be updated.

What makes this website so much fun is the content. There are quite a few LPGA players who have either played in or won the Kathy Whitworth Invitational. Through the new Instagram account, I messaged all of the former champions who are currently on the LPGA and asked if they would like to send us a quote for the website. We heard back from quite a few, which was really exciting, so those quotes are now scattered through out the different pages.

I also recommend as you are uploading photos and building pages, that you add key words and alt tags as you go. It’s a pain but it’s much better than having to back track and add those things after you’ve built all the pages. It’s also extremely important to make sure that you site looks good and functions at it’s best on desktop, tablet and mobile.

Over the past two years, we’ve continually added content about Kathy Whitworth, so when you google her, this website comes up. We’ve also added more about Mira Vista Country Club so that helps as well with searches. Links in and out of the website help with SEO as well, so on the Hall of Fame and Alumni page, we linked everyone’s photo to either their LPGA profile page or their World Amateur Golf Ranking page.

This is a website that a lot of energy has been put into it, and I’m so proud, not only of how this site turned out, but how successful the Kathy Whitworth Invitational has been for junior golf and for raising money for the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Tarrant County.

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A Dead Man’s Cell Phone

A Dead Man’s Cell Phone

by | Feb 8, 2019 | Theatre Reviews

Title
Dead Man’s Cellphone

Theatre
Theatre Arlington, Arlington, TX

Dates
January 18 – February 3, 2019

Synopsis
There’s an incessantly ringing cell phone in a quiet café, a stranger at the next table who has had enough and a dead man – with a lot of loose ends. So begins Dead Man’s Cell Phone, a wildly imaginative new comedy by MacArthur “Genius” Grant recipient and Pulitzer Prize finalist Sarah Ruhl. A work about how we memorialize the dead – and how that remembering changes us – it is the odyssey of a woman forced to confront her own assumptions about morality, redemption, and the need to connect in a technologically obsessed world.

Cast

Jean – Jenna Anderson
Gordon / Dwight – Brendan McMahon
Mre. Gottlieb – Lindsay Hayward
Hermia – Whitney Blake Dean
The Other Woman / The Stranger – Taylor Staniforth

Final Thoughts

Theatre critic Robert Hurwitt, in reviewing a San Francisco production of A DEAD MAN’S PHONE, wrote: “you exit the theater to enter a Ruhl world of ordinary people living extraordinary lives and small coincidences opening into quirky metaphysical conundrums…playwright Sarah Ruhl gifts her audience with probing humor, vivid imagination and poignant humanity’.

This quirky and frankly, a little weird production, was an enjoyable surprise. Theater Arlington is a small theater that seats about 130. The only other show we saw there was The Sweetest Swing in Baseball last year and to be honest, I did not care for it. However, A Dead Man’s Phone was entertaining. We are perfectly positioned in the eighth row center, which is perfect. This theatre is intimate – but the seating is designed for T-I-N-Y people. Nathan, who is 6’2”, had his knees snuggly pressed up against the row in front of us. Trying to sit with my legs crossed was a challenge. We were among the youngest patrons sitting amongst a sea grey, white and balding pallets. Regional theatre tends to attract senior citizens.

The set design is minimal with two small tables, each with seating for two. There were three screens as the backdrop to create the illusion of a local café/diner. The play begins with a woman (we’ll later learn is named Jean), writing a letter at her table in the cafe. She’s facing the audience. Sitting with his back to us is a man with “excellent posture” who sits very still. When his phone rings the lady looks up at him in annoyance. He doesn’t answer. The stage is quiet for a moment, and his phone rings again. She glares at him again and still – he doesn’t move. The audience begins to titter with uneasy laughter. Is the man dead or just deaf? The third time the man’s phone rings, the lady answers it. We learn the man’s name is Gordon and that he is indeed DEAD. Laughter fills the theatre and the stage goes dark.

The next scene begins with Jean attending her “new friend’s” funeral. A strange older woman wearing two minks (legs and tails draped around her neck) enters the church and we eves-drop on her very funny monologue. We learn she is Gordon’s mother. Near the end of the funeral, Gordon’s phone rings again, his mother retrieves it from her purse and leaves the church. She decides to meet the caller back at the cafe. At this point, Nathan and I were laughing but curious about the dead man’s phone and why it continues to ring.

The mysterious caller that Jean meets at the coffee shop is apparently the dead man’s mistress. The mistress has many questions about Gordon’s final moments. Instead of just saying, “Well, I really didn’t know Gordon, but I have his cell phone…” Jean spins a saucy story about her friendship with Gordon. It is hilarious.

The rest of the show follows this theme of a comedy of errors. The entire audience was on a journey to learn more about this fascinating DEAD MAN – Gordon. Who was he? How and why did he die? Spoiler alert – – we do ultimately find out. There were some really funny lines. At one point Gordon’s mother said to Jean, “you are comforting, like a small casserole.”

I was impressed with the cast and their acting abilities. I never felt like they were thinking about their lines; everyone was very natural on stage. Admittedly, second half of the show gets a little weird, but as the curtain dropped, Nathan and I were glad we spent an evening at the theatre. If you ever have the opportunity to see A Dead Man’s Cell Phone – run, don’t walk, to the box office for tickets.

Learn more about Hallie's other favorite shows.

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Driving Miss Daisy

Driving Miss Daisy

by | Jan 30, 2019 | Theatre Reviews

Title
Driving Miss Daisy

Theatre
Granbury Opera House, Granbury, TX

Dates
January 11 – February 10, 2019

Synopsis
The place is the Deep South, the time 1948, just prior to the civil rights movement. Having recently demolished another car, Daisy Werthan, a rich, sharp-tongued Jewish widow of seventy-two, is informed by her son, Boolie, that henceforth she must rely on the services of a chauffeur. The person he hires for the job is a thoughtful, unemployed black man, Hoke, whom Miss Daisy immediately regards with disdain and who, in turn, is not impressed with his employer’s patronizing tone and, he believes, her latent prejudice. But, in a series of absorbing scenes spanning twenty-five years, the two, despite their mutual differences, grow ever closer to, and more dependent on, each other, until, eventually, they become almost a couple. Slowly and steadily the dignified, good-natured Hoke breaks down the stern defenses of the ornery old lady, as she teaches him to read and write and, in a gesture of good will and shared concern, invites him to join her at a banquet in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. As the play ends Hoke has a final visit with Miss Daisy, now ninety-seven and confined to a nursing home, and while it is evident that a vestige of her fierce independence and sense of position still remain, it is also movingly clear that they have both come to realize they have more in common than they ever believed possible—and that times and circumstances would ever allow them to publicly admit.

Cast
Daisy Werthan – Joyce Eckstein
Hoke Coleburn – A. Solomon Abah Jr.
Boolie Werthan – Chuck King

Creative Team
Director – Shane Brooks
Assistant Director – Matt Beutner
Scenic Designer – Kerri Pavelick
Costume Designer – Drenda Lewis
Prop Mistress – Gaylene Carpenter
Lighting Designer – David Broberg
Sound Designer – Kyle Hoffman
Technical Director – Kalani Morrissette
Stage Manager – Erika Kisner 
Soung Board Operator – Erika Kisner
Stage Running Crew – David Broberg, William Bryum, Joshua Emmanuel McRae Davis
Dressers – Jennifer Hartgraves, Devon Kleine 

Final Thoughts

Nathan and I gifted ourselves season tickets for Granbury’s 2019 Theatre season. We thoroughly enjoyed Footloose (click here for the review) and were impressed with the 2019 lineup.

Driving Miss Daisy was this year’s first production. To Nathan’s surprise, or maybe not, I’d never seen the play OR the 1989 movie starring Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman. {Driving Miss Daisy won academy awards for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Writing and Morgan Freeman won a Golden Globe for his performance as Hoke.} While I’m embarrassed to admit I hadn’t seen this award-winning film, I was born in 1986 so it wasn’t really an appropriate movie for a three-year old. EEEK, don’t calculate my age!

The Granbury Theatre is conveniently located in the heart of Granbury on the town square. The quaint and nostalgic theatre was recently remodeled, so it’s lovely inside. In 2012 the theatre underwent a $3.5 million renovation and it’s gorgeous. I love to see the actors sweat and spit (like my mom) so we like seats in the center orchestra – sixth or seventh row.

The set design was quite simple, the left side of the stage was an upper-class living room filled with chachkies on the walls. Stage right had the front and back seat of an old car with a steering wheel. The theatrical production has a small cast – with three actors: the mother, the son and the driver.

As the show began, I was reminded of two things – “my how times have changed”, and “my how times have not changed”! What do I mean by that? Early in the first scene the son comments that his mother is 72 years old and is much too old to be driving. Ha. The audience, whose average age was probably close to that, boo-ed. I laughed quietly as I thought about both my dad and father-in-law who will be 70 this year. They don’t seem that old. My grandma is 90 and still drives… she’s slowing down, but nevertheless, the comment struck a nerve with the audience.

As the story continued, the mother – an impatient white Southern lady (who dreads becoming dependent on others) and a patient black man as her driver begin to form a friendship. Actually, it’s more than that, it’s a beautiful “colorblind” bond. Driving Miss Daisy reminded me of this year’s Best Picture Nominee The Green Book. It’s virtually the same story about a white driver and a black musician on a concert tour in the south – about the same time frame as Miss Daisy. The themes are universal – no matter how different you think you may be, there is more common ground between us, than difference. All we have to do is be open. Open to listening to one another. Open to learning from one another.

The Granbury Theatre Company is a wonderful example of great regional theatre. It’s got heart and compassion. Chuck King who played the son did a great job. His performance was not only professional but thoughtful and kind. Miss Daisy, portrayed by Joyce Eckstein embraced the role with crusty honesty. It has to be difficult to play an endearing curmudgeon. It is impossible for anyone to fill the shoes of Morgan Freeman, who was Hoke in the movie. After all – he has also portrayed God in lots of films – however, A. Solomon Abah Jr. played the driver as a kind and thoughtful man with a good soul. The actors worked well together on the stage and after seeing this production I am certain of two things. I’m glad we bought season tickets for the Granbury Theatre and when we get home, Nathan and I are going to watch Driving Miss Daisy – the movie!

Tickets are extremely reasonable and there are plenty of quaint places in Granbury to have a meal – before or after the show. Don’t delay – DRIVE OVER TO GRANBURY and say “hello” to Miss Daisy!

Learn more about Hallie's other favorite shows.

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Everybody

Everybody

by | Jan 11, 2019 | Theatre Reviews

Title
Everybody

Theatre
Stage West, Fort Worth, TX

Dates
December 27 – January 27, 2019

Synopsis
Everybody, the newest play from award-winning playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, who also wrote An Octoroon. Check out my review on An Octoroon here. The story is inspired by the 15th century morality play Everyman, about the path one takes towards death or the afterlife, and at each performance, the role of Everybody is chosen amongst the cast by lottery.

Everybody has come to the end of life, and so begins the revelatory and mysterious journey towards what lies beyond. As relationships, memories, and senses fade away, Everybody is left to travel down the road that leads to the bittersweet truth that we all eventually must face. In this modern, comedic, and heartfelt riff on the iconic medieval morality play, fate decides the roles by lottery each night, so – as is true in life – Everybody could be anybody. And in the end, when it’s your time to go, what will you leave behind and what will you take with you?

Cast
Jovane Caamaño
Bwalya Chisanga
Olivia Cinquepalmi
Ryan Michael Friedman
Megan Haratine
Marcus M. Mauldin
Amy Mills
Mark Shum
Summer Stern

Creative Team
Director – Jake Nice
Production Stage Manager – Tiffany Cromwell
Assistant Director – Eric Berg
Technical Director – L. W. Miller
Set Design – Inseung Park
Lighting Design – Tristan Decker
Costume Design – Ryan D. Schaap
Sound Design – David Lanza
Choreography – Danielle Georgiou, PhD
Props/Set Decor – Lynn Lovett
Assistant Stage Manager – Flower Avila
Shop Foreman – Karlee Perego
Master Electrician – Kat Fahrenthold

Final Thoughts

First of all, let me preface by saying how much I enjoy the risks that Stage West takes. While I fully admit, I’m a toe-tapping, big dance number, musical theater lover for life, I appreciate being gently nudged out of my comfort zone as I see more and more plays. Will I always choose a successful Tony Award nominee or winner over an independent playwright trying to push boundaries and stir up controversy? Probably. Do I fully understand and grasp metaphors and deep subject matter that cause us to reflect on our own lives? No. In fact, most of the time, I politely ask my husband Nathan to explain “symbolism” since he was an English major in college. Stage West presents evocative, thoughtful productions that make the theatrical experience memorable.


Before the curtain call, I take time to read the program to get a better understanding of the plot. I also love reading cast bios – especially to see where everyone went to school and what other shows they’ve been in. For the past 10 years, I’ve been an avid theater-goer in DFW so I enjoy following the careers of local actors.



As patrons were being seated, Nathan and I thought some of the actors were being seated among the audience. The “usher”, Marcus Mauldin, comes out and talks for a while. He’s extremely charismatic as he warms up the audience. Typically they have someone on staff, or a volunteer come out prior to the show and make housekeeping announcements. After a few minutes, we realized that this “warm-up” was part of the show.  He wasn’t just any spokesman – he was God. Shortly the man was joined by an older women wearing a red suit, and she was Death (Amy Mills). I thought she was very funny and likable. Not the typical vision you’d have if you are personifying Death. While God and Death talked, there was some activity from the audience, and our assumption was confirmed. The rest of the cast had been planted in the audience. Each was summoned by Death, and this is where it got interesting.. actually, fascinating! 


Every member of the cast, other than God and Death, had memorized the lines for each character including Everybody, Friendship, Cousin, Kinship, Stuff, Strength, Beauty, Senses, Mind, Understanding, Love and Evil Shitty Things. The actors lined up on the front part of the stage as Death pulled out various BINGO balls determining what part each actor would play for that performance. There’s literally no was to predict which of the 120 possible casting variations that you’ll see, but that’s what makes it so magical. What unique challenges – major kudos to the incredibly talented cast.

Ultimately, Death has summoned Everybody. It’s her time and now, we joined her on the final journey as she tries to take Friendship, Kinship, Stuff, Strength, et al with her. However, as the old phrase goes – “you can’t take it with you when you go”.

What I was most impressed with was the calmness reflected by each of the actors. Facing a lottery to determine your character every performance would be terrifying for even veteran actors. However, each actor not only embraced their role for the evening, but they all truly thrived.

Everybody is playing at Stage West until January 27. This show is not to be missed. In fact, make a date night and enjoy dinner at The Lobby Cafe beforehand. This month’s menu includes melted brie bruschetta and southwestern crepes. Yum!

Learn more about Hallie's other favorite shows.

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An Octoroon

An Octoroon

by | Sep 12, 2018 | Theatre Reviews

Title
An Octoroon

Theatre
Stage West, Fort Worth, TX

Dates
August 30-September 30, 2018

Synopsis
An Octoroon is a play written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. It is an adaptation of Dion Boucicault’s The Octoroon, which premiered in 1859. It’s a play within a play. The Terrebonne plantation is in upheaval – the Master has died. His naïve young nephew tries to hold things together, but the evil neighbor is out to buy the land. Meanwhile, the slaves chat and gossip, and the beautiful, young ward of the estate has a secret that will change everything. Based on a controversial classic, this Obie Award winning play is part period satire and part meta-theatrical middle finger – it’s a provocative and moving challenge to the racial climate of “the land of the free” in both the antebellum South and today.

Cast
BJJ/George/M’Closky – Ryan Woods
Playwright/Wahnotee/La Fouche – Justin Duncan
Assistant/Pete/Paul – Christopher Llewyn Ramirez
Zoe – Morgana Wilborn
Dora – Nikki Cloer
Minnie – Kristen White
Dido – Bretteney Beverly
Grace – Camille Monae
Br’er Rabbit/Captain Ratts – Christopher Lew

Creative Team
Director – Akin Babatunde
Production Stage Manager – Tiffany Cromwell
Set Designer – Bob Lavallee
Lighting Designer – Bryan Stevenson
Costume Desigern – Aaron Patrick DeClerk
Sound Designer – John Flores
Props/Set Decor – Lynn Lovett
Fight Choreographer – Jeffrey Colangelo
Assistant Director – Ptosha Storey
Assistant Stage Manager – Katherine Ahola
Assistant Scenic Designer – Jackson Key

Final Thoughts

To be completely honest, after reading the synopsis of this show, I was a bit apprehensive to attend. I knew that this was going to be a play about race. The “theme of race relations” resonates as much today as it did in the 1960s, during the Jim Crow era and the Civil War.

On the ride to the theater, my husband and I talked about our concerns about the show’s topic. Our lives are busy and stressful during the week, so (right or wrong) we just wanted to be entertained. Instead – this production challenged us to FEEL.

The set design was minimal – an empty stage. A coil of rope lay on the floor lit by a single naked lightbulb. The opening scene began with Ryan Woods standing exposed in just his underwear. There is a raw edge of tension emanating from the stage. Woods addressed the audience directly explaining his most recent conversation with his therapist. We feel like we are eavesdropping on their intimate conversation. Woods explains a bit about the original play, The Octaroon, written by Dion Boucicault in 1859. In the era of minstrel shows it was common for white men to portray race in blackface, red-face – – men portraying women. In his monologue, Woods discussed the lack of diverse roles for black actors today and their continued struggle against stereotypes. He went on to say:

I mean, God forbid you ask a black guy to play some football playing illiterate drug-addict magical negro Iraq vet with PTSD who’s secretly on the DL with HIV but who’s also trying to get out of a generic ghetto with his pregnant obese girlfriend who has anger management issues from a history of sexual abuse – in fact, everyone’s been sexually abuse – and someone’s mother has a monologue where she’s snotting out of her nose and crying everywhere because she’s snotting out of her nose and crying everywhere because she’s been caught smoking crack and fired from her job as a hotel mail…

The play transitions from a monologue to the play itself. The plot is simple. Set in the Old South, a cotton plantation owner whose kingdom has been built on the backs of African slaves, has fallen in love with a girl of mixed race. The play’s title comes from the term Octaroon that refers to a person of one-eighth African ancestry.

The acting was the best we have seen at Stage West. The show captured the essence of history while making the characters’ angst painfully relevant today – in the DFW metroplex.

I cannot give enough accolades to Ryan Woods as an actor of merit. He played three very different characters flawlessly. As you can see from the dialogue above, the complexity and juxtaposition of words requires finesse in delivery. In Act IV, two of Wood’s characters engage in a fistfight and we watch him not only beating up himself, but maintains both characters while doing so. The fight choreography was brilliant.

Nikki Cloer, who plays Dora, a wealthy white woman who has her eyes on George, is very funny. She is a natural comedian who over exaggerates everything with aplomb. She is well cast as a foil to George.

The acerbic banter of Kristen White and Bretteney Beverly, as a house slave and her best friend brought additional relevance to the production. While “Minnie and Dido” portray 1850’s Mississippi slaves, their conversations about “life on the plantation” could easily reflect two girls from the hood at the local hair salon. These two actors OWNED the stage – with their adroit body language, vocal intonations, facial expressions, and their “attitude”. I felt like I was standing on the stoop with these girls as they gossiped about the slaves who were auctioned, whose baby got sold, and who was currently sleeping with the mas’ser. At one point Minnie said to Dido “I can’t read the sign out front… because, you know, I can’t read.” It was bizarre yet engaging for a play with such serious issues to be purposefully funny yet spot-on relevant.

The Octaroon was an unexpected evening of theatrical pathos and delight. What a wonderful surprise. The show is playing at Stage West until September 30, so I highly recommend you go see it.

Consider having dinner before the performance at Stage West’s Café (here’s the menu). You can even enjoy coffee and dessert at intermission. Please go see this show – you will be entertained by this thought-provoking, Obie award winning play long past the curtain call.

Learn more about Hallie's other favorite shows.

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