Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: August 20, 2023
By: Laura Deni
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OVER THE RAINBOW: WHAT QUESTION WOULD YOU ASK?

"If you would have the chance to get one answer, what question would you ask?”

Originally produced for Radio Romania and shared with the kind permission of the creators, this binaural short radio drama Over the Rainbow "is an alarm signal regarding the contemporary society, our possible future, focusing on the isolation and loss of the individual in a world that grows robotic and mechanized more and more each day."

Written and Directed by Mihnea Chelariu & Ion Andrei Puican and presented in English, Chelariu who is well-known for his innovative work in the field of sound art, excels in using sound to convey circumstances and emotions.

Chelaru is the first to introduce on-location recording into Romanian radio theatre. Beginning in 2008, he recorded The Barber of Seville directed by Toma Enache. More shows followed: Argentina, directed by Ilinca Stihi, The Metamorphosis, directed by Ion Andrei Puican, My Poor Father, directed by Attila Vizauer and Over the Rainbow all of which were recorded using the same technique and won prizes at international festivals.

The son of a music director with Radio Romania's National Radio Theatre Department, he's emphasized that he's always considered it off putting to " hearing a voice that sounded like it was recorded in a room, and hearing birds chirping in the background, I couldn't connect those elements. This is why I tried to bring the actor in the original location, to have it all sound as if recorded in the same place."

In Over the Raindow sound is the co-star.

AI dominates. People are conditioned not to think, analyze, question or complain.

Security buzzers sound; footsteps heavy and running are heard; machines clank; automated speaker voices.

A train transports people to their stations. A child, not yet programmed, thanks a man for helping.

A man humming a few bars of Somewhere Over the Rainbow can occasionally be heard.

This is the world of automation - even human.

Workers are encourages to provide "another productive day for your country."

The automated voice intones: "Don't ask what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

A speaker voice advises: "Nutrition break. Proceed to your designated nutrition center. Enjoy."

A buzzer signals that its back to work in 15 seconds. Heavy boots march.

People are rated and ranked on even the smallest details.

Individuals must build up citizenship points. Depending upon their points they are advanced to different levels. Those who achieve the highest level are told - "Congratulations! You get to ask your question."

People applaud and cheer on cue and in unison. Iron doors are opened and then clank shut.

"Systems failure. Reboot"

The man who hums wonders "Why? Why am I doing this? What is the purpose?"

"Systems failure. Reboot"

Repeatedly, the late President John Kennedy's voice delivers his famous phrase: Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.

"Systems failure. Reboot"

The man who hums pleads: "You still have a chance. Unchain yourself."

This is A BINAURAL recording, so be sure to listen through headphones for the full effect! Presented by the Wireless Theatre Company.

LISTEN AGAIN TO A TALE TOLD BY AN IDIOT: IT'S A MASTER CLASS

In a first for Broadway To Vegas we ask readers to re-listen to a play Broadway To Vegas reviewed a year ago See Broadway To Vegas column of August 14,2022.

This time when you hear the play, concentrate how how it was written and why it is really a master class in how to write in a certain way.

Bruce Kane's plays have been produced in nearly six hundred venues in twenty countries. His first one act play Opposites Attract has been translated into Romanian, Spanish and Catalan for productions in Romania, Peru and Spain. His play Ruby Of Elsinore won the All Ireland One Act Play Competition. Before turning to playwriting he wrote for television and the movies. He am best known for writing the "moo goo gai pan" episode of The Bob Newhart Show which, at one time, was named by TV Guide as one of the ten best television episodes of all time. He was born in New York, grew up in Southern California and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley.

A Tale Told by an Idiot is a gem of a masterpiece. When the King of Scotland gets his ticket punched it’s up to tough talking fictional detective Justin Thyme to find out who his travel agent was. Hard boiled with a side of irony, Thyme finds himself navigating a thicket of witchcraft, greed, ambition, envy and murder that includes three rapping old crones, a "Thane of Cawdor" with a penchant for Cole Porter and a sexy former flame by the name of Lady Macbeth. Dashiell Hammet meets William Shakespeare in this send up of both that will have you rolling in the aisles and The Bard rolling over in his grave."

In order for Kane to accomplish his flawless melding he had to be both knowledgeable about Macbeth and detectives Sam Spade and Philip Marlow along with era descriptors of not just Hammett but Daymond Runyon. Another requirement was not only knowledge about Cole Porter but Sinatra and Barry Manilow whose Copacabana plays a role.

Seamlessly merging all into a clever, story-line takes a well crafted talent. Kane could probably write a script in his sleep, but his prowess with the merging of types and eras into unique concoctions filled with laugh a second humor which seems natural, not contrived is an ability few possess.

Listen again to A Tale Told by an Idiot and appreciate not just the clever story, but the artistic talent required to write it.

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Thank you for your interest.

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This is not your typical, totally boring textbook.

In the pages of How To Earn A Living As A Freelance Writer (the first to be lied to and the last to be paid) you'll find sex, celebrities, violence, threats, unethical editors, scummy managers and lawyers, treacherous press agents, sex discrimination; as well as a how-to for earning money by writing down words.

ART AND ABOUT

SMITHSONIAN throughout 2023 will be issuing multiple publications, presenting public programming and displaying manuscripts and objects based on material from the collection of the self-taught ethnographer, biographer and documentarian Robert “Mack” McCormick.

On August 4, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings released Playing for the Man at the Door: Field Recordings from the Collection of Mack McCormick, 1958 – 1971, a three CD/six LP box set of previously unheard field recordings from McCormick’s archive that includes a 128-page book of photographs from the collection and essays by leading blues scholars from the Smithsonian and beyond.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History will exhibit items from the collection for two years. More public programming and events will follow.

McCormick collected materials related to vernacular music and musicians, especially the blues, in Texas and the surrounding areas beginning in the 1950s, eventually amassing one of the world’s most significant and wide-ranging archives of its kind. McCormick’s collection contains 590 reels of sound recordings, which now reside with the Smithsonian Folkways label, and 165 boxes of materials, totaling more than 70 cubic feet of unpublished manuscripts, original interviews and research notes, thousands of photographs and negatives, playbills, posters, maps, booking contracts and business records, which now reside with the National Museum of American History. The physical materials will be available to researchers began this summer.

The holdings in this collection offer a glimpse into a rarely discussed time and place in African American history, and these upcoming projects give voice to often overlooked communities and individuals while acknowledging the problematic elements of how the recordings and objects were collected.

MITRA ABBASPOUR will join the Harvard Art Museums as their new Houghton Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art. She will also become the new head of the museums’ Division of Modern and Contemporary Art, which oversees the collection of art from 1901 to the present day. A respected veteran in the arts field with over 20 years of experience, "Abbaspour brings a dynamic vision and deep commitment to advancing global and inclusive narratives in the scholarship and presentations of art from the 20th and 21st centuries." She begins her new role at Harvard on September 11, 2023.

Abbaspour is currently the Haskell Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Princeton University Art Museum, where since 2016 she has headed the modern and contemporary collections, the most active and interdisciplinary collections area at the museum.

Abbaspour previously served as associate curator in the Department of Photography at the Museum of Modern Art, NY, and as assistant curator for the California Museum of Photography at the University of California, Riverside, in addition to having served as guest curator for a number of exhibitions at other institutions. She received her M.Phil. at the Graduate Center at City University of New York, and her M.A. and B.A. from the University of California, Riverside, and Scripps College in Claremont, CA, respectively.

ART + SOUL INTERNATIONAL ART + SCULPTURE EXHIBITION takes place August 19-September 10 at The Culloden Estate and Spa in Belfast, Ireland.

Gormleys is delighted to be once again hosting Art + Soul International Art & Sculpture Exhibition which will showcase over 250 artworks by some of the biggest names in international and Irish art including Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst, Salvadore Dali, Patrick O'Reilly, Martin Mooney, Ian Pollock and Peter Monaghan alongside many more leading artists.

The outdoor sculpture event - the island's largest ever sculpture exhibition - is a unique attraction situated in the 12 acres of landscaped grounds and woodland on the forested shore of Belfast Lough. There will also be smaller sculpture works and renowned artworks located throughout the inside of the hotel.

HORROR MOVIE POSTERS COLLECTION is Propstore's on line auction taking place through September 7, 2023

Love a classic Horror film? Then "you'll love our collection of over 40 Horror movie-related posters in our Online Collectible Posters Auction. From Frankenstein to Dracula, Michael Myers and more, you won't want to miss out on exploring this especially spooky collection of posters."

Up for bid are content from over 300 different fan-favorite titles.

Featured Items
Lot #377 - THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932) - Set of Eight US Lobby Cards, 1939
Lot #426 - THE SHINING (1980) - Hand-Numbered Limited Edition Hero Complex Gallery Print by Rich Davies, 2021
Lot #398 - PSYCHO (1960) - UK Quad - LInen Backed, 1960
Lot #567 - UNIVERSAL MONSTERS (1931 - 1954) - Four Limited Edition Universal Monsters Mondo-Con Prints by Drew Struzan, 2017 - 2019
Lot #346 - LIVING DEAD AT THE MANCHESTER MORGUE, THE (1974) - UK Quad, 1974.

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SPREADING THE WORD

CHRIS KANIK

Chris Kanik and Gordon Ramsay. Kanik walked away with $250,000 and the privilege of calling Gordon Ramsay an investor in his product. Photo: Fox.

CEO of Smart Cups was named winner of Gordon Ramsay's Food Stars. For the finals Ramsay provided each of the three contestants with some help, such as a set designer for one finanist. For Kanik, it was an advertising agency executive who knew how to smartly and succinctly explain the product.

Kanik credits his attempt to be a standup comedian and taking high school drama classes in helping him win.

Smart Cups is a sustainability-driven technology company whose mission is eliminate the transportation of liquid and reduce packaging for all consumables.

As the world's first printed beverage, Kanik has created a solution that eliminates the need to bottle and ship liquids. With the ability to print ingredients onto any type of surface, the Smart Cups technology reimagines the way beverages and some foods are manufactured, packaged, transported and consumed. With this, the company says they are working to create a new standard for environmentally conscious products.

Smart Cups states its technology can be used to reduce storage and transportation requirements that will lead to reducing carbon footprint and packaging for consumer goods. For example, a truck that usually carries 96,000 cans of soda, can instead carry 1.2 million Smart Cups. Kanik has partnered with UCLA's Environmental Sustainability Department for a research project.

Chris Kanik reacting to being told he was the winner. Photo: Fox.

Smart Cups source and print beverages on a plant-based, bioplastic cup, so no petroleum and they are commercially compostable. Not limited to just that—they" can print on recycled paper, aluminum, different types of food—really on any surface.”

Kanik has disclosed to the press that they are "doing a project right now for space exploration of printing parmesan on pasta—because electrolytes and calcium are a pretty big issue for astronauts. Also, for third world countries that have difficulty with agriculture and farming—you could get big rolls of these biodegradable films with the material printed on it, or antibiotics and vaccinations—those are the problems that we solve."

There is also a glitsy commerical appeal. Kanik told The Wrap "introducing his product to Ramsay’s Las Vegas base, Caesars Palace."

As might be guessed, Kanik is no dummy. He took his first college chemistry course when he was 10 years old after his teachers informed his mother that he was a candidate for a special program.

As an 11-year-old, Chris would take classes with 19 year olds at Montclair State University and eventually—as a 12 year old—started working in a lab at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, a high-school research program. At 14, he'd joined a research team at Rutgers University before creating biologically based nano robots for NASA funded programs to being an American Chemical Society scholar at Cornell University.

Now he has added Food Stars winner to his list of accomplishments.

ADAPTING IN CRISIS: TOWARD A RESILIENT PERFORMING ARTS SECTOR convening to explore solutions for nonprofit performing arts, will be hosted by Theatre Producers of Southern California (TPSCA), Arts for LA and the LA County Department of Arts and Culture in collaboration with Californians for the Arts at Burbank’s Colony Theatre on Wednesday, August 23 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The event brings together organization leaders and arts advocates to discuss the current crisis within the nonprofit performing arts sector in California; provide background on how we got here; and highlight how community practices, public policies, resources and philanthropy can move us forward to a more sustainable and equitable future.

The program will include a presentation by Los Angeles-based economic consultancy practice CVL Economics on "Center Stage." Other highlights include the introduction of the California Nonprofit Paymaster Program, recent legislative efforts including California State Bill 1116, known as the "Equitable Payroll Fund," and upcoming advocacy opportunities.

Panelists will include director of LA County Department of Arts and Culture Kristin Sakoda; TPSCA president Martha Demson; Arts for LA CEO Gustavo Herrera; CVL Economics founding partner Adam Fowler; CEO of Californians for the Arts Julie Baker; Actors' Equity Association assistant executive director Alison Harma; incoming Center Theatre Group artistic director Snehal Desai; Pasadena Playhouse artistic director Danny Feldman; Lula Washington Dance Theatre associate director Tamica Washington-Miller; Playwrights’ Arena founding artistic director Jon Lawrence Rivera; and Ophelias’ Jump Productions producing artistic director Beatrice Casagran.

WINSTON CHURCHILL APED RICHARD BURTON When Burton was starring in Hamlet in London at The Old Vic in 1953, Churchill a Shakespeare devotee, attended a performance, sitting in the first row. Soon people began noticing that every time Burton spoke, Churchill started talking. Some thought perhaps Churchill was on wire, speaking to some important leader about world affairs. As those sitting the closest to Churchill leaned in they discovered that Churchill knew the play - word for word - and was reciting Burton's part grumbling if Burton skipped any words to save time.

When Burton caught on, he came to the front of the stage and began speaking in unison with Churchill.

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THE MUSIC ACADEMY also known as The Music Academy of the West, located in Santa Barbara, CA, has named Shauna Quill, currently serving as the Executive Director of the New York Youth Symphony (NYYS), as its new President and CEO beginning November 1, 2023.

Trained as a flutist, Quill joined NYYS in the fall of 2011, and during her tenure the organization won a Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance for its first professional recording; they developed an international touring program; as well as a Musical Theater Songwriting and the Crescendo orchestral program for NYC students ages 10-18. The group had increased national exposure, with performances on CBS Sunday Morning, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and CNN.

She replaces Scot Reed who prepares to retire after a very successful 12th season as president and CEO.

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-Maine) and Thomas Daffon celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary on August 11, 2012. The ceremony was performed by Rev. Dr. Thomas Bentum at Gray Memorial United Methodist Church in Caribou, Maine, according to The New York Times wedding announcement.

At the time of her marriage, the childless Collins was 59-years old and had never been married. That puts her in the 'You go, girl!' category.

Thomas Daffron was well-known in the halls of Congress, working as a chief of staff for top Republican Senators, The couple met when Daffron hired her as an intern for former Senator Bill Cohen. She was was 21. It was 1974. According to the Bangor Daily News Daffron acted as Collins’s mentor both then and as her own political career began to ascend. "Somebody once said that the best person to marry is your best friend," commented Daffron to the newspaper. "This evolved from a working relationship to a friendship when I was working on her campaigns and now to husband"

"He’s extraordinarily smart, has a wonderful sense of humor and is a great friend,” Collins said to the Bangor Daily News. "Those qualities matter a lot to me."

Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) are the only Republican senators who call themselves pro-choice.

THE TELEVISION ACADEMY has announced the recipients of the 75th Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy Awards honoring an individual, company or organization for developments in broadcast technology. The award ceremony will be held Wednesday, October 18, 2023.

"The Engineering, Science & Technology Emmys have always recognized domestic ingenuity as well as major innovators from around the world,” said Committee CoChair Barry Zegel. “Half of this year’s recipients are headquartered outside of North America,” stated Co-Chair Wendy Aylsworth, “and it’s exciting to see how they are changing the television industry.”

The following is a list of awards and recipients to be recognized:

Charles F. Jenkins Lifetime Achievement Award
Honors a living individual whose ongoing contributions have significantly affected the state of television technology and engineering.

RECIPIENTS: Birney Dayton - one of the founders as well as CEO and CTO of NVISION, which he ran for 20 years. Prior to NVISION, Dayton was vice president of engineering for Grass Valley Group leading the development of digital products that streamlined the routing of digital signals through production and operations centers. An innovator in bringing fiber optics to the world of television, he built the first fiber-optic transmission system for over-the-air television, used for the opening ceremonies of the 1980 Olympics. Dayton has authored numerous industry papers and currently holds 15 patents.

Philo T. Farnsworth Corporate Achievement Award
Honors an agency, company or institution whose contributions over time have significantly impacted television technology and engineering.

RECIPIENTS: National Association of Broadcasters (NAB)

ENGINEERING, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EMMY AWARDS

RECIPIENTS: Chris Deighton, Richard Mead, Adrian Jeakins and Evangelos Apostolopoulos for the Brompton Technology Tessera SX40 LED video processor Brompton Technology’s Tessera SX40 LED (light-emitting diode) video processor has been a key enabler of the revolution in using LED screens for virtual production.

RECIPIENTS: Steve Rosenbluth, Thomas E. Burgess, Konstantin Smola and Glen Winchester for the Concept Overdrive Motion System which is a valuable tool for virtual production and augmented reality and has become a professional standard for the control of machines and animatronics in television production worldwide.

RECIPIENTS: International Telecommunications Union —Radiocommunications — Study Group 6 for the Standardization of HighDynamic Range Television (HDR-TV)
Since its first publication in July 2016, Recommendation ITU-R BT.2100 "imageparameter values for high-dynamic range television for use in production and international program exchange," more simply known as HDR-TV, has impacted the entire television industry, from cameras, post-production (especially in color processing), delivery though traditional broadcasting OTT (over-the-top) streaming services, and both professional and consumer display/television products.

RECIPIENTS: Raymond Drewry and Jim Helman for the Entertainment Identifier Registry (EIDR)
Created by the technical staff at MovieLabs, the Entertainment Identifier Registry (EIDR) unifies the commercial film and television industry around one standardized content ID, one infrastructure for creating and sharing the ID, and one nested data model for describing the relationships between abstract titles, specific edits of each title and their packagings for distribution.

RECIPIENTS: David Eubank for the pCAM Pro
pCAM Pro is a mobile software application developed for Apple's iOS devices that offers a comprehensive suite of 26 cinematography tools designed for television and film professionals. These tools include calculations to guide decisions on designing camera shots, set design and construction, selecting lenses and camera sensor formats, achieving proper exposure and color balance, creating flicker-free lighting and lighting designs, and functional eye-light and lighting effects, among others.

RECIPIENTS: Thomas Riedel, Jake Dodson, Wolfgang Fritz and Jiou-Pahn Lee for the Riedel Bolero Wireless Intercom
Riedel Bolero’s ADR (Advanced DECT Receiver) wireless intercom solution with multi-diversity and anti-reflection technology, delivers greater RF (radio frequency) robustness than ever seen before in the industry. In addition, it offers Touch ‘n Go NFC (near-field communication) belt-pack registration and versatile operation as a wireless belt pack, a wireless key panel, or (an industry first) a walkie talkie.

RECIPIENTS: Jeffrey Gray, Russell Hocken, Barrett Phillips, Greg Smokler for the SmallHD Monitor Platform
SmallHD’s rugged and daylight-viewable production monitors have become a staple on every production set, from scripted dramas to live broadcasts. SmallHD’s hardware platform features an entirely custom electronic architecture that allows for continuous expansion of features and connectivity as well as enabling the unique industry-leading PageOS 5 monitoring software system.

RECIPIENTS: Meir Shashoua, Yaniv Alon and Shai Fishman for the Waves Clarity Vx Pro
Clarity Vx Pro is a revolutionary noise-reduction plugin that uses the cutting-edge and powerful Neural Networks engine developed by Waves to separate dialogue from ambience at the highest quality without artifacts and in real time, which sets a new standard in post-production.



EXIT WOUNDS by Wendy Graf.

Directed by caryn desai (sic)

Starring Hayden Kharrazi, Michael Polak and Suanne Spoke.

How do you find redemption when someone you love has committed a terrible crime?

Recipient of the Moss Hart & Kitty Carlisle Hart New Play Initiative Gold Medallion award, Exit Wounds unravels slowly… like a mystery. What was the tragic event that caused Linda Sadowski (Suanne Spoke) to become a hoarder? Why has she retreated from life and not seen her son (Michael Polak) for over 25 years? How can Linda stem the ripple effect of the family’s past and save the 17-year-old grandson (Hayden Kharrazi) she’s never met?

Known for writing hard-hitting family dramas that ask difficult questions and feature layered and complex characters, Graf wanted to look at the human story behind the sensationalist headlines of a tragedy. "We always hear about the families of the victims, but what happens to the families of the perpetrators?" she asks. "Can they ever live a normal life again? I wanted to explore how entire families can become defined by the actions of one member, and how the fallout from one person’s act can affect future generations."

The creative team for Exit Wounds includes set designer Yuri Okahana-Benson, lighting designer Donna Ruzika, costume designer Kim DeShazo, sound designer Dave Mickey and prop designer Patty Briles. Casting is by Michael Donovan, CSA and Richie Ferris, CSA. The production stage manager is Letitia Chang.

Exit Wounds runs August 25 through September 10. Two preview performances take place on Wednesday, August 23 and Thursday, August 24.

Presented by International City Theatre which is located in the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, Long Beach, CA.

PAY THE WRITER written by New York Times bestselling author Tawni O’Dell.

Directed by Karen Carpenter.

Starring Bryan Batt, Ron Canada, Marcia Cross.

Focusing on the complicated relationship between a legendary literary agent and his best friend-turned-most-successful client, Pay the Writer explores how an artist’s life is controlled by their calling and talent. Bruston Fischer (Bryan Batt) is a young gay man trying to make it in publishing while suffering from social persecution when he first meets Cyrus Holt (Ron Canada) some 40 years ago. Cyrus is a gifted Black writer trying to get his talent noticed in a world that wants to ignore his existence. Through their unique friendship, the pair find literary success and the most stable relationship either will ever have. Yet, when talent, business, and love intertwine, missteps occur and inevitably, regrets often follow. Triumph and loss become blurred as we sort through the challenges of the human condition. "Pay The Writer is a heartrending and funny exploration of personal and artistic legacy while navigating life’s final chapter."

Pay the Writer began performances on August 13, 2023, with a special benefit and fundraiser to support the Writers Guild of America.

Opening night is August 21, 2023. The Off-Broadway seven-week limited engagement plays at The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center, New York City.

THE BOOK OF WILL by Lauren Gunderson.

Directed by Emily Trask.

William Shakespeare is dead. Bad Hamlet knock-offs and children's acting troupes litter the stages of Elizabethan London. And the King's Men are running out of time. Rooted in real events, The Book of Will is the witty and wonderful battle of how the Bard's legacy came to be. Sure to be loved by Shakespeare fans and skeptics alike.

Featuring: Andrew Philpot, Don Stewart, Kitty Baley, Polly Firestone Walker, Isabella Lind, Erik Stein, George Walker, Joshua Aran, Antwon Mason, Audrey Cirzan.

The creatives are: Jason Bolen scenic design - Pamela Shaw costume design - Cody Soper lighting design - Ben Lechtman sound design - Tim hogan properties director - Michael Wilkins original music - Jack D. Nyles stage manager.

Through August 26 at the Marian Theatre in Santa Maria, CD.

August 23 - pre show discussion takes place with the director. On August 25 there is a post show talk back.

August 31 - September 10 the production is mounted at the Solvang Festival Theater in Solvang, Calif.

GRACE & GLORIE by Tom Ziegler.

Directed by Matthew Mazuroski.

Starring Joanna Andre and Molly Galano.

Grace, a feisty 90 year-old cancer patient, has checked herself out of the hospital and returned to her beloved homestead cottage to die alone. Her volunteer hospice worker, Glorie, is a Harvard MBA recently transplanted to this rural backwater from New York. As she attempts to care for and comfort the cantankerous Grace, the sophisticated Glorie gains new perspectives on values and life's highs and lows.

August 25 - September 3, 2023 at Hopewell Theater in Youngstown, Ohio.

INFINITE LIFE by Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Baker.

Directed by Obie Award winning director James Macdonald.

Featuring Pete Simpson, Kristine Nielsen, Christina Kirk, Marylouise Burke, Brenda Pressley, and Mia Katigbak.

Five women in Northern California sit outside on chaise lounges and philosophize. A surprisingly funny inquiry into the complexity of suffering, and what it means to desire in a body that’s failing you.

The creatives are: DOTS Set Design - Asta Bennie Hostetter Costume Design - Alfreda "Fre" Howard Makeup, Hair & Special Effects - Isabell Byrd Lighting Design - Bray Poor Sound Design - Noah Mease Props - Caitlin Ryan O'Connell Associate Director - Sasha Milavic Davies Movement and Laura Smith Production Stage Manager.

A co-production with National Thetre, with performances through October 8, 2023 at Atlantic theater's Linda Gross Theater, New York City.

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This is not your typical, totally boring textbook.

In the pages of How To Earn A Living As A Freelance Writer (the first to be lied to and the last to be paid) you'll find sex, celebrities, violence, threats, unethical editors, scummy managers and lawyers, treacherous press agents, sex discrimination; as well as a how-to for earning money by writing down words.

FINAL OVATION

JOAN KORS mother of designer Michael Kors died of heart failure at her home in Los Angeles on August 5, 2023. She was 84.

She started modeling at the age of 18 in both print advertising and runway shows. She later became a house model at the House of Revlon in New York City. She stopped modeling in the early 1960s to become a stay-at-home mother and homemaker. She moved to Los Angeles in 1977 to begin a new career in the home textiles industry, joining her father, Austin Hamburger, a longtime veteran in the home textile world. In the early 1980s, she started her own firm, designing and manufacturing a variety of decorative pillows, placemats and napkins in a collection called "At Home with Joan Kors." Her products were sold at US specialty and department stores, including Bullocks, ABC Home and Gumps, among others.

She exited the home textile world in the early 1990s to join her son, Michael Kors, at his fashion firm as the West Coast brand ambassador. She became a fixture at Mr. Kors' fashion shows and events, both in New York and, during his time as Creative Director at Celine, in Paris. She continued in this post until she retired in 2009. Ms. Kors was a lifetime animal lover and supporter of human rights.

"My mother was an iconoclast in so many ways. She was strong and independent and definitely forged her own path. She raised me as a single mom and her life ran the gamut from young fashion model to athlete to home furnishings designer. She was the first woman to attempt to try out for the NFL when she went for an open tryout for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1974," said Michael Kors. "She was a great supporter and a constant source of inspiration."

Ms. Kors is survived by her son Michael, her son-in-law Lance Le Pere, and her brother James Hamburger.

TOM JONES librettist of The Fantasticks, died from cancer on August 11, 2023 at his home in Sharon, Connecticut. He was 95.

Jones' numerous works also included 110 in the Shade; I Do! I Do!, and Harold & Maude.

He also created the role of Henry (The Old Actor), under the stage name Thomas Bruce, in the original production of The Fantasticks He returned to the role numerous times, including in the 2010 revival as it celebrated its 50th anniversary.

He met his long time writing partner Harvey Schmidt when they were both students at the University of Texas/Austin. They created The Fantasticks which opened at the Sullivan Street Playhouse in Greenwich Village May 3, 1960, and remained there for 42 years. The musical ran until January 13, 2002, playing 17,162 performances—the longest continuous run of any show in American history, and the longest continuous run of any musical in the world. A 2006 revival ran for 4,390 performances at the Jerry Orbach Theatre in midtown Manhattan.

In 1963 they wrote the Broadway show 110 in the Shade, which earned the duo a Tony Award nomination for Best Composer and Lyricist. I DO! I DO!, their two-character Broadway musical followed in 1967, also earning them a Tony Award nomination for Best Composer and Lyricist..

In 1998, the duo was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame. Other awards and honors include an Obie Award, induction into the Broadway Hall of Fame, the ASCAP Richard Rodgers Award, and their "stars" added to the Off-Broadway Walk of Fame outside the Lucille Lortel Theatre in NYC.

Other awards included: Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, Outer Critics Circle Special Award, Drama Desk Vernon Rice Award.

Schmidt retired to Tomball, Texas where he passed away in 2018.

Jones kept working. In 2005 New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse presented the premiere of Harold & Maude, featuring a book and lyrics by Jones and music by Joseph Thalken. The musical, based on Colin Higgins' 1971 film starring Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort, concerns a 79-year-old widow who has an unlikely romance with a 19-year-old. The cast was led by Oscar winner Estelle Parsons, Eric Millegan as Harold, Donna English, Danny Burstein, and Donna Lynne Champlin.

And, in 2012 the York Theatre Company presented Musicals in Mufti: The Tom Jones Festival, a special edition of its long-running series presenting musicals in staged concert performances.

Tom Jones is survived by sons Michael and Sam Jones from his second marriage to choreographer Janet Watson, who passed away in 2016.

JERRY MOSS who with Herb Alpert founded A&M Records and was the music exec behind Peter Frampton and Janet Jackson, died August 16, 2023 at his home in California. He was 88.

Moss began his music career by promoting "16 Candles", a 1958 hit for the Crests on Coed Records. In 1960, he moved to California, where he teamed up with Alpert, forming Carnival Records in 1962 and running the company from an office in Alpert's garage. Discovering that the name was already taken, they dubbed their newly-founded company A&M Records.

Moss and Alpert agreed in 1989 to sell A&M to PolyGram Records for a reported $500 million. Both continued to manage the label until 1993, when they left because of frustrations with PolyGram's constant pressure to force the label to fit into its corporate culture. In 1998, Alpert and Moss sued PolyGram for breach of the integrity clause, eventually settling for an additional $200 million payment.

One of their biggest triumphs was Frampton Comes Alive! a live double album from 1976 that sold more than 6 million copies in its first year and elevated Frampton to superstar.

A&M continued to expand its catalog through the 1970s and ’80s, taking on the Police, Squeeze, Joe Jackson and other British new wave artists, R&B musicians Janet Jackson and Barry White and country rockers 38 Special and the Ozark Mountain Daredevils.

In 2004, Moss was appointed to the California Horse Racing Board, replacing longtime television producer Alan Landsburg. Moss was a longtime horse-breeder and owner who received the largest ever first-place purse from the Kentucky Derby in 2005 after the victory of the first horse he had ever entered in that race, Giacomo, named for the son of A&M artist Sting. Zenyatta, in honor of the Police album Zenyatta Mondatta, was runner-up for Horse of the Year in 2008 and 2009 and won the following year. A hit single by Sting gave Moss the name for another profitable horse, Set Them Free.

In 2011, he was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Moss and Alpert were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

In 2020, Moss and his wife Tina donated $25,000,000 to The Music Center in downtown Los Angeles. This was the largest single contribution ever made to The Music Center.

Moss’ survivors include his second wife, Tina Morse, and three children.

Next Column: August 27, 2023
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Laura Deni

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