#matt wolpe

[everymanpdf]

could you recommend some of ur fave books on judaism/jewish spirituality/that sort of thing? i love the quotes and concepts you share!

of course! here are just a few that i enjoyed/am enjoying now:

The Essential Kabbalah, Daniel C. Matt

Honey from the Rock, Lawrence Kushner

Messengers of God: Biblical Portraits and Legends, Elie Wiesel

Your Word is Fire: the Hasidic Masters on Contemplative Prayer, Arthur Green & Barry W. Holtz

The Healer of Shattered Hearts: A Jewish View of God, David J. Wolpe

The Gentle Weapon: Prayers for Everyday and Not-So-Everyday Moments and The Empty Chair: Finding Hope and Joy, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, adapted by Moshe Mykoff

[fourchairsandakeyboard]

Finding Neverland

10/22/17 - National Tour in Indianapolis, IN (E)

Billy Harrigan Tighe (J.M. Barrie), Christine Dwyer (Sylvia Llewelyn Davies), Matt Wolpe (u/s Charles Froman/Captain James Hook), Karen Murphy (Mrs. Du Maurier), Caitlyn Caughell (u/s Mary Barrie), Turner Birthisel (Peter), Colin Wheeler (George), Wyatt Cirbus (Jack), Tyler Patrick Hennessy (Michael) Melissa Hunter McCann (Miss Jones), Matthew Quinn (Mr. Cromer), Dee Tomasetta (Peter Pan), Adrianne Chu (Wendy), Will Ray (Acting Troupe Hook), Noah Plomgren (Lord Cannan), Corey Rives (Albert), Thomas Miller (Elliot), Dwelvan David (Mr. Henshaw), Victoria Houston-Elem (Miss Bassett), Sammy (Porthos).Note: Christine Dwyer's final performance.

Email wickedlittletowntrade at gmail dot com for trades!

[ariafsar2]

Trading

Hi guys just got some new audios and videos. Email me darlingamaichore@gmail.com if you’re interested in trading! 

Here’s my full site. 

Audios

Amélie - 05/05/2017 - Broadway - whenyourhome's master- Philipa Soo (Amélie), Adam Chandler-Berat (Nino), Savvy Crawford (Young Amélie), Tony Sheldon (Dufayal/Collignon), Alison Cimmet (Amandine/Philomene), Manoel Feliciano (Raphael/Bretodeaux), Maria-Christina Oliveras (Suzanne), Randy Blair (Hipoloto), Alyse Ann Louis (Georgette), Harriet D. Foy (Gina), David Andino (Blind Beggar/Garden Gnome), Paul Whitty (Joseph), Heath Calvert (Lucien). Notes: Crystal clear audio taken from the balcony on an iPhone 6s with an Apple headphone mic. Recorded the day after the closing notice for the show went out. [Limited Trades]

Anastasia - 03/23/2017 - Broadway - Christy Altomare (Anya), Derek Klena (Dmitry), John Bolton (Vlad Popov), Ramin Karimloo (Gleb), Caroline O'Connor (Lily), Mary Beth Peil (Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna) Notes: First Broadway Preview, Christy drops the music box in Once Upon a December

Anastasia - 03/30/2017 - Broadway - Christy Altomare (Anya), Derek Klena (Dmitry), John Bolton (Vlad Popov), Ramin Karimloo (Gleb), Caroline O'Connor (Lily), Mary Beth Peil (Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna)

Anastasia - 04/13/2017 - Broadway - Christy Altomare (Anya), Derek Klena (Dmitry), Mary Beth Peil (Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna), Ramin Karimloo (Gleb), John Bolton (Vlad Popov), Caroline O'Connor (Lily) Notes: There are technical difficulties in the middle of act one when the train couldn't leave the stage. The show was stopped for a few minutes, and they started the show from the beginning of the previous scene, Ramin Karimloo breaks character once he sings the lyric "a temporary set back..." once he realizes how applicable it is to the situation. Act 2 starts starts right after the lyrics “and soon all Paris will be singing to you” at the beginning of “Paris Holds the Key (To Your Heart)”. This show also has the new version of “Paris Holds the Key (To Your Heart)” as well as the lyric changes to “Crossing A Bridge”. 

Finding Neverland - 02/21/2017 - Tour - Pantages Theatre, Los Angeles - Billy Harrigan Tighe (J.M. Barrie), Christine Dwyer (Sylvia Llewelyn Davies), Tom Hewitt (Charles Frohman), Karen Murphy (Mrs. Du Maurier), Crystal Kellogg (Mary Barrie), Ben Krieger (Peter Llewelyn Davies), Finn Faulconer (George Llewelyn Davies), Mitchell Wray (Jack Llewelyn Davies), Jordan Cole (Michael Llewelyn Davies), Dwelvan David (Mr. Henshaw), Matt Wolpe (Mr. Cromer), Lael Van Keuren (Miss Jones), Victoria Huston-Elem (Miss Bassett), Corey Rives (Albert), Noah Plomgren (Lord Cannan), Thomas Miller (Elliott), Dee Tomasetta (Peter Pan). (First Preview)

Wicked - 11/29/2014 - Tour - Emmy Raver-Lampman (s/b Elphaba), Chandra Lee Schwartz (Glinda), Kyle Brown (u/s Fiyero), Etai Benshlomo (Boq), Jenny Florkowski (Nessarose), Kim Zimmer (Madame Morrible), Tim Kazurinsky (The Wizard), Tom Flynn (Dr. Dillamond), Kevin McMahon (Witch’s Father), Marina Lazzaretto (Witch’s Mother), Tess Ferrell (swing Midwife), Raymond Joel Matsamura (Chistery), Dina Bennett, Lauren Boyd, Nirine S. Brown, Rick Desloge, Timothy A. Fitz-Gerald, Sheila Karls, Trevor Ryan Krahl, Jonathan McGill, Kevin McMahon, Shanon Mari Mills, Cassie Okenka, Adam Perry, Daniel Switzer, Stephanie Torns.

Hamilton Chicago - 04/20/2017 - Miguel Cervantes (Alexander Hamilton), Samantha Marie Ware (u/s Eliza Hamilton), Daniel Breaker (Aaron Burr), Karen Olivo (Angelica Schuyler), Jonathan Kirkland (George Washington), Chris De'Sean Lee (Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson), Wallace Smith (Hercules Mulligan/James Madison), Jose Ramos (John Laurens/Philip Hamilton), Aubin Wise (u/s Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds), Alexander Gemignani (King George III), Yossi Chaikin (u/s Philip Schuyler/James Reynolds/Doctor), Jose Amor (Samuel Seabury), Robert Walters (Charles Lee), Malik Shabazz Kitchen (u/s George Eacker) notes: Samantha's first performance as Eliza. First known audio of Daniel Breaker. Another audio of the above show, .flac format (playable with .vlc player). Includes Playbill scans, encore photos and more. Small line flub during 'Wait For It' - at the beginning of the song, instead of singing 'we laugh and we cry and we break...', Daniel sings 'we rise and we cry....' [Limited Trades]

Hamilton Broadway - 04/25/2017 - Jevon McFerrin (s/b Alexander Hamilton), Lexi Lawson (Eliza Hamilton), Nik Walker (u/s Aaron Burr), Syndee Winters (s/b Angelica Schuyler) ,Bryan Terrell Clark (George Washington), James Monroe Iglehart (Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson), J. Quinton Johnson (Hercules Mulligan/James Madison), Anthony Lee Medina (John Laurens/Philip Hamilton), Alysha Deslorieux (Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds), Brian D'Arcy James (King George) [Limited Trades]

Videos

Phantom of The Opera - 08/12/2015 - Tour - Chris Mann, Katie Travis, Storm Lineberger, Jacquelynne Fontaine, Edward Staudenmayer, David Benoit, Anne Kanengeiser, Frank Viveros, Morgan Cowling, Mark Emerson, Eric Ruiz, Edward Juvier, Dan Debenport, David Foley Jr, Allan Snyder, Christy Morton.  VOB

Sunday In The Park With George - 10/26/2016 - Encores! - Jake Gyllenhaal, Annaleigh Ashford, Brooks Ashmanskas, Phillip Boykin, Carmen Cusack, Gabriel Ebert, Claybourne Elder, Jordan Gelber, Lisa Howard, Zachary Levi, Liz McCartney, Ruthie Ann Miles, Solea Pfeiffer, Gabriella Pizzolo, Phylicia Rashad, Lauren Worsham, Max Chernin, Michael McElroy, Stephanie Jae Park, Jaime Rosenstein. VOB

[hellosaltysaladcollectionstuff]

WHEN I TAUGHT ancient and medieval Western civilization, at the end of the class I used to tell my undergraduate students that, for all the genius we had surveyed, if someone were to approach them with a time machine and ask what year they would like to live in, they should say, “This one, please.”

The slightest engagement with history teaches us that life is better for (almost) everyone today than it was for even the most privileged in the past. Jonah Goldberg’s Suicide of the West joins a growing library of modernity boosterism by Matt Ridley, Steven Pinker, and others, which seeks to convince us of our own good fortune.

Unlike Pinker’s The Better Angels of Our Nature (2011), however, Goldberg’s is a jeremiad, a genre with a very old history, as the name indicates. As good as things are, he suggests, they are also tenuous. Goldberg thinks we are in danger of losing many of the benefits we have painstakingly accrued, that we have gone seriously off the ideological rails. The Western world has been captured by a tribal romanticism and is neither grateful for its blessings nor concerned with how to sustain them.

Goldberg covers a lot of ground, and the weight of his argument sometimes sags under the ancillary. He wants to explain “the miracle” — the astonishing increase in living standards and freedom in the past few centuries. He offers quick summaries of the birth of capitalism, the English and American revolutions, the foundations of liberty, and everything from the explosion of government regulation to current speech codes on campus, trends in film and music, and the economic woes of Venezuela. One can nitpick about the potted histories (for example, I believe he doesn’t acknowledge the enormous contribution of Hebrew Scriptures and Jewish thought to the founding of America or of capitalism), and there is some assassination by anecdote. Granted, his wry retelling of campus blaming, shaming, and victim claiming would shock all but the most ideologically besotted. But is the atmosphere better outside of the college campus? Are communities left or right more tolerant than students? Having attended my share of conferences, rallies, conventions, religious services, and public events, I am not at all convinced that campuses are unique in this regard. And if the attitudes there are more extreme, is that a surprise? Tolerance is painless to the indifferent and wrenching to the passionate. Youth specializes in passion.

That said, the details add up to a powerful indictment. Goldberg’s larger argument runs roughly as follows: human nature is not an overflow of goodness, but a mix of selfishness, altruism, distrust of the other, and the capacity to be civilized. Therefore, how we train ourselves and our children, how we learn to discipline our emotions, how we esteem the individual even when different from us, is critical to the democratic experiment. And we are trivializing and emoting our way to chaos. All the talk of feelings and identity, the exaltation of emotion over reason, corrodes the healthy body politic with a toxic species of group-solidarity. What’s the alternative? A return to core, conservative values.

¤

“Modern American conservatism,” Goldberg writes,

is a bundle of ideological commitments: limited government, natural rights, the importance of traditional values, patriotism, gratitude, etc. But underneath all of that are two bedrock assumptions upon which all of these commitments stand: the belief that ideas matter and that character matters.

At first glance, the assertion that ideas and character matter is denied by no one. But a mild assent is not enough. “[T]he cure for what ails us is dogma. The only solution to our woes is for the West to re-embrace the core ideas that made the Miracle possible, not just as a set of policies, but as a tribal attachment, a dogmatic commitment.” Assent is anodyne; we need devotion.

Goldberg attributes our ailment to a combination of causes: exhilarated with our identities and experiences, we slight the rationalism and individualism upon which America — and the West — was founded. Reasoned discourse falls before “as a (fill in the blank), I feel”; the subgroup you belong to has come to matter more than what you think. This way, argues Goldberg, lies balkanized chaos. We must return to our traditional roots.

John Locke in particular receives a long encomium. Goldberg explains why he, and not Rousseau, is America’s guiding spirit: “Locke believed in the sovereignty of the individual and that we are ‘captains of ourselves.’ Rousseau argues that the group was more important than the individual and the ‘general will’ was superior to the solitary conscience.”

It is dangerous to enlist intellectual history in service of modern agendas. The story of mind is capacious, and condemnations should be specific. One could as easily point to the transcendentalists as America’s guiding spirits, and surely Whitman, Thoreau, and Emerson (and Lincoln, for that matter) could justly be described as romantics, or at least romantic adjacent. And while Goldberg continually extols the individual over the group, and identifies the group with romantic ideology, it is hardly clear that romanticism cannot be as individualistic a doctrine as reason. Reason is general; feelings are individual. The romantic hero was a solitary one. “Self-reliance” was Emerson’s essay, not Locke’s. That romanticism has lent itself to totalitarian ideologies is inarguable. But to prove that a militant tribalism is essentially a problem of romantic ideology would require a much longer book than this already long one.

Furthermore, Goldberg seems to be aware of the baleful social effects of the headphone-wearing, Netflix-binging, food-delivery-ordering loner whose needs are increasingly fulfilled by a series of screens. In a techno-geeking world, individualism easily slides into solipsism. Is that any more desirable than romantic tribalism?

¤

Goldberg certainly has a bone to pick with new technology. He complains of the ability of mass entertainment, music, movies, and TV to seduce us into immorality. Sure, Breaking Bad may have us falling in love with an increasingly savage Walter White, but Goldberg’s is a very old complaint, and hardly unique to new media. Recall that Plato wanted to ban poets from the Republic, and William Blake acutely commented that Milton, having made Satan by far the most vivid character in Paradise Lost, “was of the devil’s party without knowing it.” Diversions of the young have always seemed pernicious to the old. One can almost hear Goldberg shaking his head and muttering, pipe in hand, “Kids today…”

Indeed, there is much to dispute in this crowded book, but Goldberg is an expert shot and modern America is a target-rich environment. Polarization is greater than at any time in recent memory (and most of the book was written before the election of Donald Trump). Public depredations that would once seem unthinkable are routinely overlooked. As family and voluntary associations crumble, political divisions take on the coloration of religious commitments, passionate and exclusionary. Government does increasingly reach into every corner of our lives. The history of the West is far too often seen only through the prism of its crimes (which are, of course, heinous), rather than its unprecedented achievements. And we are undoubtedly victims of the skill with which we entertain ourselves. On all these issues, Goldberg’s analysis is acute, informative, and important.

His prescription, however, seems inadequate to the complexity of the problem. Is it really enough for us to become more appreciative and disciplined? Can we really turn on a dime? The same technological warp drive that has given us iPhones and streaming services has cut extreme global poverty in half. The same tsunami of data that has revolutionized medicine has, with a twist and a tweet, given us 24-hour news with its howling stridencies. We spit and get our genetic history, press a button and access all human knowledge, navigate the globe on a six-inch screen. In other words, we are in the midst of a tidal wave of change. A call for discipline and appreciation in the midst of such a maelstrom reminds one of St. Augustine’s encounter with the child who was trying to empty the sea with a spoon.

Perhaps no one can rise to the challenge of offering a prescription, but there is great value in diagnosis.

Suicide of the West has pointed to genuine problems: Jeremiah’s doom has been pronounced. Now we await the prophet who can explain how technology can aid our solidarity more than it destroys it.

¤

David Wolpe is rabbi of Sinai Temple in Westwood. His most recent book is David: The Divided Heart (Yale University Press).

The post Awaiting the Prophet: On Jonah Goldberg’s “Suicide of the West” appeared first on Los Angeles Review of Books.

from Los Angeles Review of Books https://ift.tt/2LTHiY8

[cynthiajayusa]

An Interview with ‘Finding Neverland’ Star Lael Van Keuren

Broadway.com’s Audience Choice Award Winner for Best Musical, Finding Neverland (@FNLmusical) is coming to the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County (@ArshtCenter) for a limited time on December 26 – 31, with tickets are on sale now!

Families are encouraged to attend and enjoy fun free activities at Kid’s Night On Broadway on opening night, Tuesday, December 26 from 6 pm. to 7:30 p.m. in the Arsht Center’s Ziff Ballet Opera House lobby. The Finding Neverland “Imagination Station” will feature face painting, balloon artists, and interactive fun decorating fairy wings and pirate hats.

*** Special offer ***Buy One Adult Ticket, Bring One Child Free!* Use promo code KIDSNIGHT by 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 22.

WATCH:

Based on the Academy Award-winning Miramax motion picture by David Magee, and the play The Man who was Peter Pan by Allan Knee, Finding Neverland follows the relationship between playwright J.M. Barrie and the family that inspired Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up – one of the most beloved stories of all time. Directed by Tony-winner Diane Paulus (Pippin, Hair) with book by Olivier Award-nominee James Graham, music and lyrics by Gary Barlow (Take That) and Grammy Award-winner Eliot Kennedy, and choreography by Emmy Award-winner Mia Michaels (“So You Think You Can Dance,” Cirque du Soleil’s Delirium), this new musical, packed with mesmerizing visuals, irresistible songs and plenty of laughs, is a timeless story about the power of imagination… and spectacular proof that you never really have to grow up.

Complete casting includes Billy Harrigan Tighe (Pippin, The Book of Mormon) and Lael Van Keuren (Finding Neverland, Sister Act), with John Davidson (Wicked, Oklahoma), Karen Murphy (A Little Night Music, My Vaudeville Man),Turner Birthisel, Connor Jameson Casey, Wyatt Cirbus, Bergman Freedman, Tyler Patrick Hennessy, Colin Wheeler, Caitlyn Caughell, Sarah Marie Charles, Calvin L. Cooper, Ixchel Cuellar, Dwelvan David, Matthew Davies, Nathan Duszny, Mary Kate Hartung, Victoria Huston-Elem, Thomas Miller, Noah Plomgren, Matthew Quinn, Will Ray, Kristine Reese, Dee Tomasetta, Karl Skyler Urban,  Jayme Wapple and Matt Wolpe.

WATCH:

We caught up with Lael Van Keuren, who plays Sylvia, to dish on Finding Neverland.

At what age did you begin singing/acting?

I come from a very musical family! My dad plays the piano and the drums, and both my mom and my sister used to dance, so music and the arts have been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. I started dancing when I was about 3 years old, and I grew up singing in church and in various school plays. I started to seriously study acting upon moving to NYC when I was in the 8th grade.

What was your first professional/paid gig?

My first professional Equity job was a production of Carousel at the Reagle Music Theatre just outside of Boston. Shirley Jones (who plays Julie Jordan in the 1956 movie) was our Nettie, and listening to her sing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” each night was a dream! I was 17, and I was deliriously happy to be dancing the original DeMille choreography, especially the dream ballet in Act 2.

Other than this show, what role has been your favorite to play and why?

I made my Broadway debut in Sister Act, and I went on to play the role of Sister Mary Robert in the 1st National Tour. That entire experience was wonderfully fulfilling. I loved playing Mary Robert because she goes on this incredible transformation throughout the course of the show. She starts out as a girl who is terrified to speak up (let alone sing out), and she ends up this brave, outspoken young woman who would willingly sacrifice her life for her friends and sisters. That kind of an arc was so satisfying artistically.

What’s your fantasy role?

This is always a tough question! I’d love to take a stab at Dot in Sunday In The Park With George, and Polly in Crazy For You would be super fun. In my wildest fantasy, I would love the opportunity to create a role – something with singing, dancing, and an incredible story. To be perfectly honest, having the chance to play Sylvia in Finding Neverland has been like a fantasy thus far! I love this character.

What should the South Florida audiences expect out of this touring company of Finding Neverland?

Audiences should expect some of the finest performances and most breathtaking visual effects I have ever seen. Our leading man Billy Harrigan Tighe is a force, and our entire company consists of the best singers and dancers in the field. Finding Neverland is such a magical show, because you are able to follow the real life journey of J.M. Barrie as he is inspired to write one of the most beloved stories of all time – Peter Pan. This is not a children’s show, but it is a musical that will engage audiences of all ages and will make you want to hold your loved ones a little tighter.

The production features scenic design by Tony Award-winner Scott Pask (Pippin, Book of Mormon), lighting design by Tony Award-winner Kenneth Posner (The Coast of Utopia, Pippin), costume design by Suttirat Larlarb (Of Mice and Men), sound design by Tony Award-nominee Jonathan Deans (Pippin, La Cage aux Folles), hair and make-up design by Richard Mawbey, projection design by Jon Driscoll, music supervision by Fred Lassen, musical direction by Ryan Cantwell and casting by Stewart/Whitley.

Tickets to Finding Neverland are available through the Arsht Center Box Office in person at 1300 Biscayne Blvd. Miami, FL 33132, by calling 305.949.6722, or online at Arshtcenter.org. Ticket prices start at $29*.

For more information: FindingNeverlandTheMusical.com.

source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2017/12/21/an-interview-with-finding-neverland-star-lael-van-keuren/ from Hot Spots Magazine http://hotspotsmagazin.blogspot.com/2017/12/an-interview-with-finding-neverland.html

[demitgibbs]

An Interview with ‘Finding Neverland’ Star Lael Van Keuren

Broadway.com’s Audience Choice Award Winner for Best Musical, Finding Neverland (@FNLmusical) is coming to the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County (@ArshtCenter) for a limited time on December 26 – 31, with tickets are on sale now!

Families are encouraged to attend and enjoy fun free activities at Kid’s Night On Broadway on opening night, Tuesday, December 26 from 6 pm. to 7:30 p.m. in the Arsht Center’s Ziff Ballet Opera House lobby. The Finding Neverland “Imagination Station” will feature face painting, balloon artists, and interactive fun decorating fairy wings and pirate hats.

*** Special offer ***Buy One Adult Ticket, Bring One Child Free!* Use promo code KIDSNIGHT by 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 22.

WATCH:

Based on the Academy Award-winning Miramax motion picture by David Magee, and the play The Man who was Peter Pan by Allan Knee, Finding Neverland follows the relationship between playwright J.M. Barrie and the family that inspired Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up – one of the most beloved stories of all time. Directed by Tony-winner Diane Paulus (Pippin, Hair) with book by Olivier Award-nominee James Graham, music and lyrics by Gary Barlow (Take That) and Grammy Award-winner Eliot Kennedy, and choreography by Emmy Award-winner Mia Michaels (“So You Think You Can Dance,” Cirque du Soleil’s Delirium), this new musical, packed with mesmerizing visuals, irresistible songs and plenty of laughs, is a timeless story about the power of imagination… and spectacular proof that you never really have to grow up.

Complete casting includes Billy Harrigan Tighe (Pippin, The Book of Mormon) and Lael Van Keuren (Finding Neverland, Sister Act), with John Davidson (Wicked, Oklahoma), Karen Murphy (A Little Night Music, My Vaudeville Man),Turner Birthisel, Connor Jameson Casey, Wyatt Cirbus, Bergman Freedman, Tyler Patrick Hennessy, Colin Wheeler, Caitlyn Caughell, Sarah Marie Charles, Calvin L. Cooper, Ixchel Cuellar, Dwelvan David, Matthew Davies, Nathan Duszny, Mary Kate Hartung, Victoria Huston-Elem, Thomas Miller, Noah Plomgren, Matthew Quinn, Will Ray, Kristine Reese, Dee Tomasetta, Karl Skyler Urban,  Jayme Wapple and Matt Wolpe.

WATCH:

We caught up with Lael Van Keuren, who plays Sylvia, to dish on Finding Neverland.

At what age did you begin singing/acting?

I come from a very musical family! My dad plays the piano and the drums, and both my mom and my sister used to dance, so music and the arts have been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. I started dancing when I was about 3 years old, and I grew up singing in church and in various school plays. I started to seriously study acting upon moving to NYC when I was in the 8th grade.

What was your first professional/paid gig?

My first professional Equity job was a production of Carousel at the Reagle Music Theatre just outside of Boston. Shirley Jones (who plays Julie Jordan in the 1956 movie) was our Nettie, and listening to her sing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” each night was a dream! I was 17, and I was deliriously happy to be dancing the original DeMille choreography, especially the dream ballet in Act 2.

Other than this show, what role has been your favorite to play and why?

I made my Broadway debut in Sister Act, and I went on to play the role of Sister Mary Robert in the 1st National Tour. That entire experience was wonderfully fulfilling. I loved playing Mary Robert because she goes on this incredible transformation throughout the course of the show. She starts out as a girl who is terrified to speak up (let alone sing out), and she ends up this brave, outspoken young woman who would willingly sacrifice her life for her friends and sisters. That kind of an arc was so satisfying artistically.

What’s your fantasy role?

This is always a tough question! I’d love to take a stab at Dot in Sunday In The Park With George, and Polly in Crazy For You would be super fun. In my wildest fantasy, I would love the opportunity to create a role – something with singing, dancing, and an incredible story. To be perfectly honest, having the chance to play Sylvia in Finding Neverland has been like a fantasy thus far! I love this character.

What should the South Florida audiences expect out of this touring company of Finding Neverland?

Audiences should expect some of the finest performances and most breathtaking visual effects I have ever seen. Our leading man Billy Harrigan Tighe is a force, and our entire company consists of the best singers and dancers in the field. Finding Neverland is such a magical show, because you are able to follow the real life journey of J.M. Barrie as he is inspired to write one of the most beloved stories of all time – Peter Pan. This is not a children’s show, but it is a musical that will engage audiences of all ages and will make you want to hold your loved ones a little tighter.

The production features scenic design by Tony Award-winner Scott Pask (Pippin, Book of Mormon), lighting design by Tony Award-winner Kenneth Posner (The Coast of Utopia, Pippin), costume design by Suttirat Larlarb (Of Mice and Men), sound design by Tony Award-nominee Jonathan Deans (Pippin, La Cage aux Folles), hair and make-up design by Richard Mawbey, projection design by Jon Driscoll, music supervision by Fred Lassen, musical direction by Ryan Cantwell and casting by Stewart/Whitley.

Tickets to Finding Neverland are available through the Arsht Center Box Office in person at 1300 Biscayne Blvd. Miami, FL 33132, by calling 305.949.6722, or online at Arshtcenter.org. Ticket prices start at $29*.

For more information: FindingNeverlandTheMusical.com.

from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2017/12/21/an-interview-with-finding-neverland-star-lael-van-keuren/ from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.tumblr.com/post/168787998115

[hotspotsmagazine]

An Interview with ‘Finding Neverland’ Star Lael Van Keuren

Broadway.com’s Audience Choice Award Winner for Best Musical, Finding Neverland (@FNLmusical) is coming to the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County (@ArshtCenter) for a limited time on December 26 – 31, with tickets are on sale now!

Families are encouraged to attend and enjoy fun free activities at Kid’s Night On Broadway on opening night, Tuesday, December 26 from 6 pm. to 7:30 p.m. in the Arsht Center’s Ziff Ballet Opera House lobby. The Finding Neverland “Imagination Station” will feature face painting, balloon artists, and interactive fun decorating fairy wings and pirate hats.

*** Special offer ***Buy One Adult Ticket, Bring One Child Free!* Use promo code KIDSNIGHT by 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 22.

WATCH:

Based on the Academy Award-winning Miramax motion picture by David Magee, and the play The Man who was Peter Pan by Allan Knee, Finding Neverland follows the relationship between playwright J.M. Barrie and the family that inspired Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up – one of the most beloved stories of all time. Directed by Tony-winner Diane Paulus (Pippin, Hair) with book by Olivier Award-nominee James Graham, music and lyrics by Gary Barlow (Take That) and Grammy Award-winner Eliot Kennedy, and choreography by Emmy Award-winner Mia Michaels (“So You Think You Can Dance,” Cirque du Soleil’s Delirium), this new musical, packed with mesmerizing visuals, irresistible songs and plenty of laughs, is a timeless story about the power of imagination… and spectacular proof that you never really have to grow up.

Complete casting includes Billy Harrigan Tighe (Pippin, The Book of Mormon) and Lael Van Keuren (Finding Neverland, Sister Act), with John Davidson (Wicked, Oklahoma), Karen Murphy (A Little Night Music, My Vaudeville Man),Turner Birthisel, Connor Jameson Casey, Wyatt Cirbus, Bergman Freedman, Tyler Patrick Hennessy, Colin Wheeler, Caitlyn Caughell, Sarah Marie Charles, Calvin L. Cooper, Ixchel Cuellar, Dwelvan David, Matthew Davies, Nathan Duszny, Mary Kate Hartung, Victoria Huston-Elem, Thomas Miller, Noah Plomgren, Matthew Quinn, Will Ray, Kristine Reese, Dee Tomasetta, Karl Skyler Urban,  Jayme Wapple and Matt Wolpe.

WATCH:

We caught up with Lael Van Keuren, who plays Sylvia, to dish on Finding Neverland.

At what age did you begin singing/acting?

I come from a very musical family! My dad plays the piano and the drums, and both my mom and my sister used to dance, so music and the arts have been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. I started dancing when I was about 3 years old, and I grew up singing in church and in various school plays. I started to seriously study acting upon moving to NYC when I was in the 8th grade.

What was your first professional/paid gig?

My first professional Equity job was a production of Carousel at the Reagle Music Theatre just outside of Boston. Shirley Jones (who plays Julie Jordan in the 1956 movie) was our Nettie, and listening to her sing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” each night was a dream! I was 17, and I was deliriously happy to be dancing the original DeMille choreography, especially the dream ballet in Act 2.

Other than this show, what role has been your favorite to play and why?

I made my Broadway debut in Sister Act, and I went on to play the role of Sister Mary Robert in the 1st National Tour. That entire experience was wonderfully fulfilling. I loved playing Mary Robert because she goes on this incredible transformation throughout the course of the show. She starts out as a girl who is terrified to speak up (let alone sing out), and she ends up this brave, outspoken young woman who would willingly sacrifice her life for her friends and sisters. That kind of an arc was so satisfying artistically.

What’s your fantasy role?

This is always a tough question! I’d love to take a stab at Dot in Sunday In The Park With George, and Polly in Crazy For You would be super fun. In my wildest fantasy, I would love the opportunity to create a role – something with singing, dancing, and an incredible story. To be perfectly honest, having the chance to play Sylvia in Finding Neverland has been like a fantasy thus far! I love this character.

What should the South Florida audiences expect out of this touring company of Finding Neverland?

Audiences should expect some of the finest performances and most breathtaking visual effects I have ever seen. Our leading man Billy Harrigan Tighe is a force, and our entire company consists of the best singers and dancers in the field. Finding Neverland is such a magical show, because you are able to follow the real life journey of J.M. Barrie as he is inspired to write one of the most beloved stories of all time – Peter Pan. This is not a children’s show, but it is a musical that will engage audiences of all ages and will make you want to hold your loved ones a little tighter.

The production features scenic design by Tony Award-winner Scott Pask (Pippin, Book of Mormon), lighting design by Tony Award-winner Kenneth Posner (The Coast of Utopia, Pippin), costume design by Suttirat Larlarb (Of Mice and Men), sound design by Tony Award-nominee Jonathan Deans (Pippin, La Cage aux Folles), hair and make-up design by Richard Mawbey, projection design by Jon Driscoll, music supervision by Fred Lassen, musical direction by Ryan Cantwell and casting by Stewart/Whitley.

Tickets to Finding Neverland are available through the Arsht Center Box Office in person at 1300 Biscayne Blvd. Miami, FL 33132, by calling 305.949.6722, or online at Arshtcenter.org. Ticket prices start at $29*.

For more information: FindingNeverlandTheMusical.com.

from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2017/12/21/an-interview-with-finding-neverland-star-lael-van-keuren/

[thisisafoundation-blog]

Berkeley Councilmember Ben Bartlett says his mom was priced out of housing, which motivated him to work on homelessness issues.

Berkeley’s new, progressive-majority City Council is moving quickly to prioritize homelessness issues — and advocates say it’s almost too good to be true.

“They’re hoping it’s going to happen, but they don’t believe it,” said homeless resident and activist Mike Lee, on some of Berkeley’s recent policy proposals.

Specifically, he was referring to how Mayor Jesse Arreguin helped push through an initiative to build micro-homes for homeless individuals. After years of inaction, and persecution, on homelessness, Lee says the new developments signal a turn in the City Council’s treatment of those who remain housing insecure.

Last month, Berkeley City Council unanimously passed a “Step Up Housing” initiative, part of which will pay for 100 stackable “micro-PADS,” or prefabricated affordable units, built to house the city’s most vulnerable homeless residents.

From the outside, the units resemble glorified shipping containers. Inside, however, each is equipped with a bathroom and kitchenette, resembling a small studio apartment.

The initiative was championed by newly elected Councilmember Ben Bartlett, who over the course of a year spoke with homeless individuals to learn what they most urgently needed.

“I kept coming back to the lack of housing, the lack of a place to lock a door at night,” Bartlett told the

Express

.

Enter the micro-PAD: stackable units, that possibly will be built into larger complexes, with housing upstairs and fully equipped health and social-services locations on the ground floor. Bartlett envisions these on-site services as “a form of micro-hospital” that will take the place of single-resident-occupancy hotels.

“In terms of [homeless people] who are actively in need of support, and seeking to step-up into a better life, this is for them,” Bartlett said.

Lee agreed, calling the initiative a turning point in the city’s treatment of homeless people. “In the old regime, people weren’t provided anything,” Lee said. “[The City of Berkeley] spent at least one-third of their homeless services budget on the police.”

Both Bartlett and Lee cited the extensive wait list for Berkeley senior housing as an indication of the flawed system currently in place. Lee specifically said that he’s gone through three case managers in two years, and still hasn’t obtained housing. And Bartlett witnessed his mother experience similar hardship when she was priced out of her own living situation, and could not find housing through the senior center.

But, while touring a camp in Los Angeles, Bartlett discovered the smaller, modular-housing solution. That was only just over a year ago. With an estimated 1,200 people on Berkeley’s streets, and likely more, the need for solutions is urgent.

“Clearly, the status quo was not going to work,” Bartlett said. “It hasn’t worked for some time, and it’s not going to work now.”

A subcommittee has been placed in charge of scouting possible city-owned locations for the stackable units. The committee will also choose the developers, following a competitive bidding process.

For a week in January, a micro-unit was staged on Allston Way, but this micro-PAD was just a prototype — the actual units may differ.

So far, the amount that will be spent on the micro-homes has not been established, but should follow shortly after the request for proposal is approved.

The micro-housing plan is part of the city’s larger vision for homelessness.

This past Thursday, for instance, Arreguin held a press conference to discuss his big-picture “Pathways Project,” a multimillion-dollar proposal to tackle chronic homelessness issues in Berkeley.

One highlight of this plan is the “Bridge Living Community”: a small community, not unlike a “tent city,” where individuals can live for up to four months and access services before moving on to more permanent housing.

Arreguin’s plan, conceived in partnership with Councilmember Sophie Hahn, would also include hiring outreach workers to engage homeless people on the streets, and also the establishment of a “STAIR Center,” which is not unlike the homeless navigation center in San Francisco. This would be a place where people could stay for a few months at a time and obtain help while transitioning into more permanent housing.

For Matthew Lewis, chairman of UC Berkeley’s ASUC Housing Commission, these new initiatives mark the “start of a new era with this progressive majority,” of Berkeley’s City Council — one that is finally taking housing and homelessness seriously.

A sub-committee appointed by Arreguin will be in charge of deciding who gets to live in the new micro units. The city must abide federal Housing and Urban Development guidelines, which take into account age, disabilities, and veteran status.

A mock-up financing plan drawn up by Bartlett estimates that inhabitants of the micro-units would pay about $300 per month in rent.

The construction of the micro-units also adheres to a more immediate timeline. Compared to more traditional-housing models, micro-unit homes can be constructed within six months.

Bartlett was quick to differentiate micro-PADS from “tiny homes,” or small, individualized dwellings that are trending across the United States. Earlier this month, for instance, a community in Portland, Oregon, approved the construction of a tiny-house village for homeless women. He explained that tiny homes might be the right fit for smaller communities with more land at their disposal. But for a city with 10 percent of the population on the streets, tiny homes are not space efficient.

click to enlarge

Hayden Britton

In Oakland, city council recently contracted Laney College to build prototype tiny homes.

Land is a similar obstacle over in Oakland, where City Council recently approved a contract with Laney College for two prototype tiny homes, built through the school’s carpentry department. There is discussion that these tiny homes will be used on Laney’s campus for students who are housing insecure.

Matt Wolpe, an instructor at the carpentry department, said he has witnessed student homelessness firsthand: He says he was temporarily boarding a Laney student who otherwise would be unable to afford housing.

An advocate for the tiny-home solution, Wolpe recognizes they can be built affordably and “can have all the basic things that a regular house should have, just on a smaller scale.” He also stressed the importance of local production, as with the prototypes built by Laney carpentry students.

“I think there is a lot of potential in including locals in the construction, as well as the clerical distribution of whoever gets the houses in the end,” Wolpe said.

While the prototypes are not being built specifically with students in mind, the team is cognizant of making them easy to maintain. “We’re trying to design something that is as low-maintenance as possible, something that solves more problems than it creates,” Wolpe explained.

As for the micro-units in Berkley, Bartlett says he hopes the structures will be standing and operational within the next seven months.

It’s a prospect that, again, is almost too good to be true for some.

“People [in the homeless community] don’t actually believe it’s going to happen,” Lee admitted.

Emma Courtright is a news intern with the

Express

. She’s also an English and Media Studies student at UC Berkeley and a former Voice of America intern in Washington, D.C.

[typeintegrity]

Albertus, New Century Schoolbook, Amplitude and Beorcana

Albertus is a "glyphic serif" typeface developed by Berthold Wolpe for the company, Monotype in the 1930s. This typeface is characterized by strong stroke width and low stroke contrast in its capitals. All the letters are relatively straight. Albertus is also known for its strong, narrow italic subset.

The original Century Schoolbook was created as a typeface for maximum legibility for elementary school texts, where legibility is the most key component. New Century Schoolbook is a newer version of this typeface, with its characteristics of legtibiltiy optimized.

Amplitude was developed by Christian Schwartz, with a focus on legibility under less than ideal conditions. It is characterized by its angled cuts to make smallers sizes still legible, while still maintaining character in each letter.

Beorcana was released in 2007 by Carl Crossgrove. It is a transitional sans serif. It has very broad and angular strokes. It maintains legibility, even from a distance, through the relationships between the different letters.

Matt

[ianlitovichguitar-blog-blog]

So for the last couple of months I’ve been on a crazy ride going from job to job working really late nights either at the studio or rehearsals. I am working at the moment in a little more permanent basis with Matt Wolpe & The Bedside Romeos as their guitar player which has been so much fun.

It’s really hard to find players who besides being super chill and nice, can also actually play. Besides that I have been doing some studio sessions with some latin artists from PR/NYC in New Jersey where we should expect to hear some stuff out soon (pretty exciting) AND also I’m on the works with working with NYC based Singer/Songwriter Eric Alan who is currently working on recording an album which hopefully we will start to work on soon.

Besides all this I’ve been doing some work on the side, and guitar sessions from home, and also some engineering sessions at Michiko Studios NYC. It’s been a hell of a month but It’s all worth it! I love music and I love being able to work in it.

[fuckyeahoncethemusical]

Happy trails to Claire Wellin, Raymond Bokhour, Matt Wolpe, Tiffany Topol and Estelle Bajou who all leave the first national tour tonight!

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Ultimate 90s Mashup - Tiffany Topol and Matt Wolpe

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"Where Is My Mind" (Pixies cover) - Tiffany Topol and Claire Wellin joined by Matt Wolpe and Ryan Link

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The Pilot Episode of The Intermission Talk Show. Guest - Alex Nee