Author: May S Ruiz

‘Summer with Shakespeare’ Teaches Children Soft Skills

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 13 May 2019 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

Acting for 15-year-olds | Photo by Brian Feinzimer / A Noise Within

A Noise Within’s (ANW) ‘Summer With Shakespeare’ acting camp will once again be open from June 17 to July 19, 2019 and children don’t have to be aspiring actors to attend it. The most important skills that they will gain, in fact, are those that help them in their day-to-day life.

“Our focus is social learning and the soft skills which are going to help our students succeed as they get older, regardless of whether or not acting is a passion of theirs,” emphasizes Alicia Green, ANW’s Director of Education and Community Outreach. “Those include empathy, self-confidence, team-building, compromise, public speaking skills – the things that are really going to help them stand out in the current climate of technology where most kids are so used to working on their computer instead of interacting with others. These are inherent in a theatre class or theatre camp.”

“And if kids are interested in pursuing theatre, it’s an incredible place to train,” Green adds. “We’re a professional repertory theatre and all our instructors are working artists in their craft who have pedagogical backgrounds as well. However, we also have a lot of kids who are just interested in exploring the texts or because it’s fun for them and they enjoy being here. I don’t even think that they always know the soft skills they are developing. They come for the friendships that they’ve made. Sometimes, too, they come back because this is a place where they feel good about themselves. Truly, there are so many reasons we have such a high return rate with our students. It’s one thing to go to camp and have fun all day with your friends but it’s another to make it so meaningful that kids come back year after year.”

An 8-year-old learns sword-fighting | Photo by Brian Feinzimer / A Noise Within

Parents, whose children have gone to the ‘Summer with Shakespeare’ camp, only have high praise for the program. Green gets several gratifying feedback including, “Thank you so much for providing a wonderful camp experience for my five-year-old daughter. She came home the first day reciting Shakespeare and was excited to go every day. As a parent, I was really impressed by how it wasn’t just a singing and dancing camp; she learned a lot about all aspects of Shakespeare!”

“It’s a really well-run program, with enough structure for those who need it but freedom and flexibility to make it fun,” another parent points out. “The kids really learn about theatre and acting in a fun, productive atmosphere. It’s also great that it happens in a real theatre space.”

One Dad says, “The proof is in the pudding. As I sat in the audience watching the effects that a summer of A Noise Within had had on my 13-year old daughter, I was – in a word – becalmed. It was wonderful that she was appreciated so much and given a hefty amount of responsibility (read trust) onstage. We will be forever grateful for this summer!”

“Your children will be challenged, encouraged, nurtured, and leave with a broad range of skills and a new level of confidence,” is how one parent puts it.

Campers themselves have amazing testimonials to share. One of them claims, “‘Summer with Shakespeare’ was a life-changing experience I will never forget!”

Another camper enthuses, “I love this camp!!! They actually taught me stuff about acting and teamwork! ‘Summer With Shakespeare’ helped me achieve my goals and encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone and also taught me how to do things, such as making a prop or a costume!”

7-year-olds play with hula hoops | Photo by Brian Feinzimer / A Noise Within

The five-week camp is open for children who are as young as 3 all the way to 18 years old – from pre-school to high school. Green describes the different options students have.

“If you’re in high school you’ll perform ‘Julius Caesar.’ And in that five weeks, from beginning to end, their goal is to self-produce every aspect it takes to do a play. They do their own set, costumes, text work, swords. There will be movement, light, and sound elements. They will then perform on our stage with their sets, costumes, and everything they’ve developed in those five weeks.

“We have an identical program for middle school. This year they’ll be doing ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ and it’s the same exact thing – sets, costumes, props, etc. Everything is really on them, we provide the skills, material, and support that they need. But the expectation is that they’re responsible for building the set and making their costume. The finished product looks like kids made it instead of it looking like we have professional technicians come in. And that’s part of the plan. The kids are really proud of what they’ve accomplished – this is theirs and they’re going to present what is theirs at the end of the five weeks.”

Green continues, “We also have weekly camp options and every week has a theme. For each week that has a theme, there will not be a performative element. We’re very much process over product. There’s an open house at the end of every themed week so that parents can come in and observe and see what their kids have been doing for the past week.

“Week 1 is Comedy. They’ll do commedia and focus on the comedic text – they’ll sing,  dance, and have a great time. Week 2 is Tragedy. We incorporate swords, stage combat, ‘Macbeth,’ ‘Hamlet,’ and the tragic text. Kids love this week because, you know, who doesn’t love a good tragedy? Week 3 is Histories and Romances. We keep the swords, but we throw in a little bit more – it’s a combo week. Weeks 4 and 5, for the weekly option, will have the same production. For ages 6 to 9 and 10 to 13 – those two weeks are a more condensed, less intense version of the five weeks. They’ll make their set and costumes, and at the end of those two weeks they’ll perform on our stage.”

Friendships are built at ‘Summer with Shakespeare’ | Photo by Brian Feinzimer / A Noise Within

“We have our pre-school week, which is incredible!,” effuses Green. “I’ve never had such feedback from parents so surprised that their 3-year-old was reciting Shakespeare a year later. Kids are still developing language and that’s something that’s so magical about doing a Shakespeare camp with kids. Adults tend to find Shakespeare intimidating. It’s different for kids because they’re still learning language, books, and texts in school. So if we don’t make it scary, they’re not scared of it. They’ll approach it with a great deal of excitement, they’ll learn the origins of language, and they’ll get to play with characters. Something that’s so great about doing camp here at A Noise Within is we’re a classical repertory company. We’re doing the plays that have permeated history for hundreds of years because they resonate with us as humans. Kids get these texts because they understand what the characters are going through. For instance, they meet characters who get jealous of somebody. They see what that feels like and what the repercussions of that are. These are all things that permeate all of Shakespeare’s texts and it’s really exciting to grasp that natural connection. We’re not only helping kids by learning Shakespeare which is great for them in school, but by building soft skills like empathy, and  becoming better humans in the process.”

“It’s definitely a natural pathway for children who want to be actors, too,” clarifies Green. “Rafael Goldstein, one of our resident artists, was one student from years back, who transitioned from ‘Summer with Shakespeare’ camp to the ANW stage. Sam Christian has been doing ‘Summer with Shakespeare’ now for six years, I believe, and he was in ‘Raisin in the Sun’ last season. This past season, he was in ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead’ and he just finished ‘Argonautika.’ And a lot of our summer camp students do end up with our ‘Christmas Carol’ for all the young people’s roles.”

So let your kids have a grand time learning how to sword-fight this summer! The skills they acquire are guaranteed to stay with them long after the summer months. And they will look back to that time with both pleasure and gratitude.

‘Noises Off’ Brings the House Down at a Noise Within

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 6 May 2019 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

‘Noises Off’ ensemble | Photo by Craig Schwartz / A Noise Within

A Noise Within (ANW) culminates its 2018-2019 season with another staging of ‘Noises Off’ that’s guaranteed to make audiences laugh their socks off. This smash hit production of Michael Frayn’s riotous comedy will run on a limited engagement from May 21 through June 9.

Frayn’s joyfully out-of-control British farce features an under-rehearsed and over-worked cast and crew with a penchant for drama more personal than professional, preparing for the world premiere of a new play aptly titled ‘Nothing On.’ As the production progresses, the bumbling cast brings the house down – literally.

Reprising his role as Garry Lejeune, is Kasey Mahaffy, who was recently awarded by the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle (LADCC) ‘Best Lead Performance’ for his role as Rosencrantz in ANW’s production of ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.’ ANW also won the McCulloh Award for ‘Best Revival for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead’ and Geoff Elliott won for ‘Best Direction’ for the play.

Kasey Mahaffy in his winning performance of Rosencrantz | Photo by Craig Schwartz / A Noise Within

Still basking from his newly received honor, Mahaffy sits down with me to talk about being a resident artist (RA) at ANW, ‘Noises Off,’ winning the LADCC award, and how theatre changed his life.

“I always knew I wanted to be an actor. My parents had cable and, when I was really young, I would watch a lot of Tom Hanks comedies like ‘Splash’ and ‘The Money Pit.’ I wanted to do what he was doing. But that was as far as that went. I wasn’t talented at anything; I couldn’t do sports – I couldn’t catch a pop fly, I couldn’t run. I was pretty good at Nintendo but that was about it. I felt worthless; I was an insecure, fat, gay (but didn’t know it) kid. In junior high, I was picked apart, shoved in lockers, and called faggot. Children would chase me after school and every day I would come home crying. I spent two years in agony, sobbing and wishing I could snap my fingers and disappear. I don’t want to trivialize it, but I was so sad, depressed, and scared of bullies that I contemplated suicide. I didn’t just want to hide, I wanted to disappear. In my heart if this was what life was, I didn’t want to be a part of it anymore.”

“But I stuck with it through that summer before high school and then I saw this group of people in high school putting on a play, which prompted me to audition for the theatre program,” continues Mahaffy. “I got into my first play which was ‘Dr. Doolittle’ where I was Monkey #3. It was my premiere and I was hooked! I instantly had a family who told me that I had value, that I had something to contribute to the group. They laughed at my jokes and said I was handsome. It was the first time in my life someone thought I was handsome! There wasn’t even a question, I knew I was home. That was when I was 13 and this year I’m going to be 40 and it will be my home for the rest of my life. Theatre illuminated a way out for me; it’s the place that made me feel good and trust myself.”

Mahaffy, a Portland, Oregon native, went on to earn his BFA in Acting from Southern Oregon University. He completed an Actors’ Ensemble Internship at the Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts (PCPA) in Santa Maria, California then moved to New York City and did regional theatre for three or four years before coming to Los Angeles.

“I did the Hollywood schlog and some plays, but mostly I worked in retail,” Mahaffy reveals. “I was miserable at selling women’s shoes at Bloomingdale’s and that’s the worst thing you could ever wish on someone to do. My entire life changed when Geoff (Elliott) and Julia (Rodriguez-Elliott) invited me to be an RA at A Noise Within because that meant my day job was theatre. I didn’t have to wait a table again, sell shoes, or work in a mall. I could come here and do what I love and make money and have insurance. I can still get to audition and work for TV. I personally feel that I’m the luckiest actor in this town.”

Mahaffy as Garry Lejeune | Photo by Craig Schwartz / A Noise Within

The role of Garry Lejeune was one he had dreamed of. Mahaffy says, “I’ve wanted to play this part for 23 years. I originally saw ‘Noises Off’ when I was in high school – three acts of an ensemble running up and down stairs, tripping around, and telling the funniest jokes that I’ve ever heard. I looked at the guy who played Garry and I thought, ‘That! That’s the role I want! But it took 23 years for me to get it. I’ve auditioned for many productions of it and have been offered Tim, the stage manager, two different times in my career and turned them down. Nothing against him, Tim is a great part but I didn’t want to be in a play where I was watching my dream role be done by somebody else. I knew that Garry was the role for me. Geoff and Julia took a chance on me. I’ve played some really great supporting parts here but up until then, that was the biggest thing they’d given me. From day one, I knew who he was, what I wanted to do with it, and where I wanted to take it.

“Last year we had half the rehearsal time because it was a remount and most of the cast had already done it. But I was new and I had, arguably, the hardest and biggest role. I had a condensed period to memorize all my lines. It was a crazy rehearsal process. This sounds so tacky, but I think the thing that helped me get there quickly was that intense desire to play this part. Of course, Geoff and Julia, co-directing it and having experienced this play a few times before, gave me pointers on what to avoid and the pitfalls. You really have to pay attention to Michael Frayn’s direction particularly in Act 2 which has practically no words, just running around backstage. It’s wild. You can put your own spin to these roles but it’s all in his script. You have to do what’s written or you get off track and the whole thing falls down like a house of cards.

“It went so well, but it was one of the hardest things I’d ever done. I had to be in peak physical shape – I had never been in that shape my whole life so I’m kind of excited to get back to it so I can get abs again. I do three hours of cardio and I could eat anything I want during the show, which is fabulous. But it’s tough on the body – three hours of non-stop running and shouting. I have to fall down a flight of stairs twice – pants on, pants off, and shoelaces tied. It’s pretty taxing but worth it.”

While the actors put in so much physical exertion, they make it look like they’re having fun on stage and the audience never catches them sweating. ‘Noises Off’ is really a play made to showcase ANW’s ensemble work but the show belongs to Mahaffy’s Garry. He’s the one who’s doing the most on stage, trying to right all the wrongs, and keeping the show on track. He also has the best punch lines.

Rafael Golstein (left) and Kasey Mahaffy (right) in ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead’ | Photo by Craig Schwartz / A Noise Within

Mahaffy is extremely proud to be at ANW. He says, “We’re pushing and stretching ourselves to do the shows. This company has always been incredible but, in the last five or six years, I’ve felt that they’re leaping into a new level of excellence. Julia is fantastic, she can tell a story while making everything visually stunning. Geoff, whom I had never been directed by and then got directed by him two shows in a row – ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead’ and ‘Glass Menagerie,’ – is an actor’s director. As an actor himself, he knows how to speak like an actor and how to deliver a note, so he gets these acting ensembles just singing. They’re in a really exciting place artistically and our productions are more ambitious. Audiences can tell. They come up to us and say ‘We’ve been subscribers for ten years and the shows are great, but they’ve gotten better and better the last three or four years and we’re bringing in people!’

“A Noise Within opened doors for me. I’d never been up for anything before now and I just won the L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award a couple of weeks ago for ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.’ I tied with Tom Hanks! He’s my idol! Watching him in movies all those years ago made me want to be an actor – it sort of looped back around. He wouldn’t remember me but I’ve met him a few times, mostly during catering jobs when I served him shrimp, and he’s just as lovely as you think he is. It would be a dream come true to work with him one day. But it was a neat moment, particularly, to call home and tell my mom ‘I just won best actor in L.A. and I tied with Tom Hanks!,’ and my mom going, ‘What the f– are you talking about? Wha….’ I’m sorry, I know I sound really smug, but it was just this really glorious moment for me.”

In the last two years, Mahaffy has done frequent TV guest appearances, like NCIS. Additionally, he’s had some life-changing auditions for a network series – they were at the point where it was him and another actor. And while they didn’t work out, he knows it was a matter of time so he has to keep away at it.

Mahaffy adds, “I’ve also done a couple of those Wix commercials, which were filmed in Tel Aviv, Israel. I had to fly there – it was really beautiful and exotic and fun. Next month I’m going to Hong Kong to do a play. I’m flying around the world to do art; I’m getting closer and closer with those TV jobs. My TV agent is so supportive – they come out here and see our plays. So when they see ‘Noises Off’ they know how to pitch me and call casting directors and producers and say, ‘Listen, you’ve got to come over and see this kid fall down a flight of stairs,’ and they do. Ever since I became an RA here, my life has been expanding and I owe this company the world for that.”

‘Noises Off’ ensemble | Photo by Craig Schwartz / A Noise Within

As to roles he would like to play someday, Mahaffy discloses, “I’ll tell you an interesting story. My other dream role was Tom in ‘The Glass Menagerie’ and they offered it to Raf (Rafael Goldstein, a resident artist an ANW). He’s my brother so it was fine, but I was going to be a little bit jealous nevertheless. Geoff said, ‘I want you to play the ‘gentleman caller.’’ I read it 15 years ago and I just remember him as the guy who comes in, kisses Laura, and they dance and then he leaves. But in the rehearsal of that show, I realized Jim is the role I want to do, not Tom. There are so many pockets and corners of this character that you could explore. I had the time of my life playing the ‘gentleman caller’ because of that, which surprised me.

“I’ve only got a few more years left to play Prior in ‘Angels in America.’ It’s another role I’ve been chasing around for 20 years. There have been other opportunities where I’ve almost gotten it, but it wasn’t quite right. But, who knows, maybe they’ll do it here one day. I’m not egotistical enough to think they’d do a show based on their RA or do star vehicles for people. But we have a whole group of RAs and we can do ‘Angels in America’ here – it’s one of the hardest shows to put on and it hasn’t been done in L.A.

“Coming from the theatre, I like shows that have different layers – those which are actor and character-driven, like ‘Russian Doll.’ I don’t know if you’ve seen it on Netflix, but the tone of ‘Russian Doll’ is very much like what I enjoy – dark, funny, quirky, and surprising. A dream would be a series on HBO. People who create for cable, like Allan Ball, who did ‘Six Feet Under’ and ‘True Blood’ for HBO, want to get to the nitty gritty of stuff and his characters express their ugliness and their pain in the most truthful manner possible. You really can’t do that with network because they’re worried about advertisers and if they’re going to push away people in the mid-west.”

“Being able to play a variety of roles is one of the blessings of being at A Noise Within. And to win an award for a show that was like an existential treatise on death – what happens when people disappear from your life – not long after my brother’s passing meant a lot. I dedicated that show to his memory, he was with me the entire time. And then there’s ‘Noises Off’ where you carry boxes and fall down stairs – they couldn’t be any more different in tone. But that’s why we do theatre and the fun of being an RA is that you could do crazy, dark things one show and then walk around wearing a big mustache and make an idiot of yourself. By the way, I based the look of my character off of Burt Reynolds – I was going for a ginger Burt Reynolds. My character loves getting all the ladies so I grew that mustache and it was my homage to Burt,” Mahaffy says with mirth.

The same day that Mahaffy and I meet, A Noise Within announced the theme for its 2019-2020 season, an event as highly anticipated as it was closely guarded, that all the resident artists were on pins and needles to learn their fate. ‘They Played With Fire’ season begins with the California premiere of Nick Dear’s adaptation of the chilling fable by Mary Shelley, ‘Frankenstein’ (August 11 to September 8, 2019) to be directed by Boston Court Pasadena’s Artistic Director Michael Michetti.

As if to underscore the diversity of acting parts he tackles and his versatility in inhabiting these characters, Mahaffy will be taking on the role of Victor Frankenstein. I can’t wait to see what he does with it!

May College Search Guide

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 2 May 2019 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

San Jose State University | Courtesy Photo

The road to college

In a few weeks the school year will be over!!! Freshmen are looking forward to their last month, relieved that they are almost done with 9th grade. Meanwhile, it is a bittersweet time for seniors as they anticipate the end of their high school career and spend the last remaining weeks with lifelong friends.

FRESHMAN

This is the last call for your 9th graders who need to improve their grades! Make them focus on staying on top of school and homework. Get them up to speed on their studies and ready for  final exams. Their final grades will be on their transcript, one of the most important components of your children’s college application.

If their marks are not adequate for college acceptance requirements, they need to meet with their college counselors to arrange for remedial summer classes.

Remind them to get their summer projects lined up. If they need to get approval for a particular service activity they want to pursue, they need to speak to their grade level dean right away. Get them to spend their summer months in programs to supplement an art interest by applying for internships or jobs. There are companies which have internships that students have to pay for while there are a few that actually pay their interns to work during the summer. Get your children to research the various organizations in town or in nearby cities.

Admissions officers look for students who have demonstrated sustained community service in a few well-chosen areas. It isn’t the quantity of activities but the quality that’s important – they want to gauge the depth of students’ intellectual and ethical engagement to a given cause. The summer after their freshman year is the time for your children to find activities that truly speak to their interest and passion. Let them choose one that really resonates with them which they should carry through their four years in high school.            

The long summer months are also a great time for your children to read. Encourage them to explore various genres and different authors. At the very least, reading will help them expand their vocabulary and expose them to different writing styles. This will come in handy when they write their personal statement and supplementary essays for their college application.

SOPHOMORE

Sophomore year is when your children have fully transitioned into high school. They are comfortable about how this phase fits into the whole secondary school experience. They have taken the practice PSAT, as a preparation for junior year when the results determine their eligibility for the National Merit Scholarship. They have also taken some AP tests, if they took an AP course.

Hopefully, your children have also done well in their studies, have maintained good grades this entire year, and have prepared for final exams. Admissions officers expect grades that are consistent, and if their freshman marks weren’t that great, their sophomore grades should at least show improvement over last year’s.    

Make sure your children have lined up their summer activities. These should be an extension or an expansion of what they did in the summer of freshman year. Admissions officers want to see commitment to a particular interest.

JUNIOR

Make sure your children have registered to take all the required standardized tests for college admissions. The Cal State and UC schools start taking applications in October of their 12th  grade, and if your children are applying through early action or early decision to other colleges, they need to have taken the SAT or ACT this summer. 

Your children’s final grades are extremely important! Eleventh grade is the last complete year that college admissions officers will see on the application and they expect grades that are either consistent with, or better than the first two years’. They need to prepare well for final exams.

SENIOR

If your children are still sweating it on the waitlist of their first-choice college, they need to  ensure their final grades are terrific! They should keep up with all other school and extra-curricular classes and send the college admissions officers any updates on awards and honors they receive. They should ask their college counselor if an additional letter of recommendation might be helpful. Keeping in touch with the admissions office reinforces their interest in attending the school if accepted.

They should have put a deposit on their second-choice school to guarantee them a place for the incoming class in the fall. Although, if they come off the waitlist on their first choice, they will lose this deposit.

Be there for your children to support them whatever the outcome of their college application. It has been a significant phase of reaching adulthood and was a very important learning experience.   In the end, what matters is not where they had been accepted; the college they attend will not guarantee success in the real world. It’s how they use their education that determines how well they do in life.

A Spectacular ‘Argonautika’ Sails at a Noise Within

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 22 April 2019 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

Veralyn Jones (left) as Hera and Trisha Miller (right) as Athena | Photo by Craig Schwartz / A Noise Within

Pasadenans have until May 5 to catch A Noise Within’s (ANW) spectacular production of ‘Argonautika,’ before it sails into the sunset. An epic theatrical journey by Tony Award-winning director and playwright Mary Zimmerman, it made its world premiere in 2006 at Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre.

Directed by ANW’s Producing Artistic Director Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, ‘Argonautika’ is a modern take on the classic Greek myth ‘The Voyage of Jason and the Argonauts’ which tells about his quest for the Golden Fleece. It features an ensemble of multi-talented actors led by Ty Mayberry as Jason, Trisha Miller as Athena, Veralyn Jones as Hera, and many others.

In this story, the Greek goddesses Athena and Hera are collaborators in their common goal to help Jason. Miller and Jones share scenes for the better part of the show and have such a wonderful time. On a recent mid-morning, they chat with us about this production, their roles, and how proud they are to be on the show.

As if proving just how in sync they are, Miller and Jones exclaim at the same time, “We had never been on stage together before now, we met at the audition.”

“Veralyn and I bonded from day one, which was great because so much of the challenge of the show was trying to figure out who we are in this mix,” begins Miller. “There’s such an interesting order in a show like this where there are immortal goddesses and semi-gods. And then there are the Argonauts. The first couple of weeks of rehearsals we had so many conversations about what exactly does it mean to be a goddess.”

The interaction between Miller and Jones on stage is such a delight to watch as they seem like two friends who are comfortable with each other. And, as in true relationships, there are bound to be some disagreements. There’s one scene when the displeasure on Athena’s face is utterly hilarious to behold.

“Our characters have little spats throughout the show because we have completely different ways of approaching the problem,” elucidates Miller. “Athena is very methodical, she’s very much into strategy and she’s an anti-romantic. So when Hera comes up with the idea to go to Aphrodite, Athena thinks ‘That’s the last person I want to see at this point.’ Hera uses love to get Medea to go along with their plan, and Athena’s thinking ‘Oh this is going to be a terrible idea.’ I loved showing not real anger but playful exasperation.”

Jones pipes in, “Exactly! Like you say, Athena’s all methodical. And I think Hera is all emotion, she’s very vengeful. That’s such an amusing dynamic.”

Both Jones and Miller credit Rodriguez-Elliott for this show’s unique vision.

“In the published version of the script, Mary Zimmerman wrote that she struggled whether or not to put how she created all these monsters in the first production because she said so much of the fun of theatre is problem-solving and figuring things out,” Miller explains. “I think this was the perfect show for Julia because what she does best, I think, is coming up with a lot of inventive design and movement. And that’s the magic of this show!”

Ty Mayberry (left) as Jason and Angela Gulner (right) as Medea | Photo by Craig Schwartz / A Noise Within

“It’s interesting, you said that,” observes Jones. “When I first read the script, I wondered how Julia was envisioning how everything that’s in the script was going to materialize on the stage. Then there are also moments when we appear some place by flying in. Not having seen the production before, I tried finding photographs but there wasn’t that much out there. So, as an actor, you just have to wait and trust that the director has a vision, and she did. Not being in her head, you don’t know initially how all this is going to happen. But as we started rehearsing, and day after day, it was very clear for her. She just kind of put it out there and somehow we got it; it all came together.

“They did a lot of pre-production work; I think she said they had been working on this for five months prior to rehearsals. She had all hands on deck for this show. It’s a huge production! People told me when they saw it they had no idea they were coming in to see all the acrobats and gymnasts – someone falling from the sky and all that. There’s even a dragon, and I’m always so charmed by that dragon.”

Miller discloses, “Julia mentioned before that Mary Zimmerman’s work has a very strong directorial DNA to it in how she writes and uses her actors. I had done her ‘Metamorphoses’ before at a theatre in Dallas and it has the same sort of style to it. I joked to Julia one time that I’ve been chasing the Mary Zimmerman dragon ever since because I had so much fun doing that production. There’s so much humanity and camaraderie in her work too. This story is so much about determination and that meshes with what we all love about doing theater in the first place.”

“… Being able to collaborate in ensemble work,” interjects Jones. “We’re part of something bigger than life. That’s what I love about this show – the idea that we’re all in this to start the process and finish it. Everyone’s in sync; that’s true ensemble work. I see those Argonauts out there and how they throw their bodies into what they’re doing. I’m in total awe of the production I’m in, which I find exciting.”

“You’re absolutely right,” concurs Miller. “There are moments when there’s such precision in this show so that, like you said, if any movement is off, it takes so much focus from everybody. There’s one point in the show right when the ship launches and I’m up on the bridge with all the Argonauts and they start rowing … there’s all this movement and choreography that’s so precise. People are jumping down from the bridge and climbing up and down ladders, it’s to the second – you have to be precise. And it’s really, really difficult, but when it all comes together there’s no greater feeling in the world.”

“The scope of this production is bigger,” Miller claims. “I didn’t see the original ‘Argonautika’ but I do know that they didn’t use silks. The sea monster was completely different – I think it was just fabric and two eyeballs. I believe Mary Zimmerman only had a month to write and put it together, which is how she usually works. I think the benefit of us having more time is that Julia was able to find and use all the talent she needed to realize her vision. She has a cast that includes Marc (Leclerc), who’s actually a stuntman and can come down from the rafters, Cassandra (Marie Murphy) who can sing and act while she’s hanging upside down from a silk rope, and Richy (Storrs) who can play every instrument you hand him. She brought in a movement coach, Stephanie Shroyer, and Ken (Merckx, Jr.) who’s the fight choreographer.”

“This piece is really made for ANW in terms of how they want to utilize their physical space on and off the stage,” Jones supplies. “This is the big type of ensemble work they like to do; although this is far more ambitious than anything I’ve seen them do. That they have two other shows in repertory just makes it all the more incredible.

“It’s crazy backstage. There’s as much going on there as on stage. We only have three crew members and they do so much – running to get us what we need, move props and sets. They’re also the dragon puppeteers and they have to light the lanterns. They are multi-tasking in a big, big way.”

The ensemble | Photo by Craig Schwartz / A Noise Within

Asked if Rodriguez-Elliott gave specific directions in what she wanted to see from each character, Jones responds, “You, as the actor, have to come in with the knowledge about the character and bring that to her so she can direct you. She clarified that Hera is a goddess and that she’s the queen of heaven. So my task is to figure out how to play that physically and emotionally in world of this play. For me, the character unfolds itself as I go along. What I learn about the character informs me how to perform it for the audience.”

“For me, Athena has such a strong point of view about how she approaches things,” answers Miller. “She wants to think things through before making a decision, which is completely different from Hera’s. That’s a fun dynamic to have. But also, it was really helpful for this show knowing what our costumes were going to be like from the beginning. On the first day of rehearsal, our costume designer Jenny (Foldenauer) gave a presentation so we knew what we were going to be wearing. All the armor that Athena’s wearing gives the feeling that she’s powerful but, at the same time, it also restricts movement. So, for me, a lot of that was finding economy of movement and stillness. I think that also reflects who Athena is, someone with an intense focus. Part of my rehearsal process is just paring down my action and making everything  purposeful and well thought-out.”

As to what they want the audience to feel when they leave the theatre, Jones declares, “Hera has a sense of who she is. Right or wrong, she goes after what she wants. I want women in the audience to be empowered – to know that she has the ability to take her destiny in her own hands. I’d love for women to feel they could rule – that they could take their own power and do with it what they will. I’d love for them to have that sense of ownership of purpose in their physical and emotional power. Hopefully, it’s directed in the right way.”

To which, Miller says, “That’s a good answer and it’s true. All three of us here are actually parents to daughters and that’s so much more important for me now – to play strong female characters for young women to emulate.

“Let me add that our dramaturge Miranda came in to talk to us about Greek mythology and the characters and what she found in this play that was important ,‘The whole play is about the humanity, the dogged determination, and the camaraderie within this voyage, and community to take care of each other.’ That’s so much what I hope people leave with. And I think the last scene of the play’s so beautiful where the Argonauts become the stars and constellations. They went on this great journey that they were so uncertain of, but they did it. They pulled together through sheer will, camaraderie, and determination. They were able to take control of their destiny and they’re still watching over us. I’m so proud of this show and it’s thrilling to be part of it.”

This could very well be ANW’s most extravagant production yet – complete with an actor dropping down from the rafters, another one singing as she hangs upside down from a silk rope, an unexpectedly likeable dragon, and a ferocious sea monster. It is a feat of inventiveness and creativity that is sure to entertain and please an audience used to lavish sets. That ‘Argonautika’ also imparts a message of empowerment for all women only makes it a show no one would want to miss!

CSArts-SGV Premieres ‘Blend: Music and Motion’

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 16 April 2019 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

Martin Chalifour during CSArts-SGV’s Master Class | Courtesy photo

California School of the Arts – San Gabriel Valley (CSArts-SGV) premieres ‘Blend: Music and Motion’ featuring Los Angeles Philharmonic Concertmaster Martin Chalifour on Friday, April 19 at 7:00 pm at the Duarte Performing Arts Center. Chalifour will be the soloist with CSArts-SGV’s Philharmonic Strings and Classical & Contemporary Dance Conservatory students. The concert will highlight Edvard Grieg’s “Holberg” Suite, “Portraits” by Joel McNeely, “Navarra” by Pablo de Sarasate, and “Verano Porteño” from “The Four Seasons from Buenos Aires” by Astor Piazzolla.

Chalifour has been the principal concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 1995. A violinist with a career in orchestral, solo, and chamber music, he actively performs a diverse repertoire of more than 60 concertos, appearing as soloist with many prominent conductors and orchestras worldwide. Chalifour received a Certificate of Honor at Moscow’s International Tchaikovsky Competition, and is also a laureate of the Montreal International Musical Competition. He teaches at the USC Thornton School of Music and Caltech.

Prior to the concert, CSArts-SGV, in partnership with founding campus Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA), hosted a master class with Chalifour on March 1st as part of the Master Artist Series. Students from each school’s Instrumental Music Conservatory performed for Chalifour and received expert coaching and instruction. An additional 150 students from both schools observed to learn from the renowned concertmaster and their peers.

The Master Artist Series at CSArts-SGV and OCSA gives students the opportunity to gain valuable arts training and career advice from guest artists, teachers and industry professionals. Renowned specialists from the fields of dance, fine and media arts, music, and theater provide workshops, lessons, and performances to motivate students and provide once-in-a-lifetime learning experiences within their arts discipline.

Jeffrey de Seriere, Director of the Instrumental Music Conservatory, along with students Reece Fong, a high school sophomore, and Erin Braden, a 12th grader, happily talk about the Master Class and upcoming concert.

“This is the first time that Martin will be performing with our school,” de Seriere says. “We got in contact with him through Dr. Sakura Tsai, one of our string faculty members who teaches violin and viola. She had performed with Martin in the past and she thought it would be a great idea for him to work with our students. It’s a unique concert because we are also collaborating  with our classical and contemporary dance conservatory. We integrate all the grade levels – 7th grade through senior – in the ensemble. There are 33 students from the philharmonic strings and 15 students from the dance conservatory on stage for this. It’s a full concert production with a total of seven pieces, two of which include some choreography.”

Fong describes the master class, “There were four participants who played the solo pieces they’ve been working on. Martin listened to them, then gave feedback, and offered  suggestions on what they should improve on. It was a cool experience because we got to see Martin’s take on any music – he didn’t know beforehand what they were going to play.”

Chalifour gives suggestions | Courtesy photo

“Both Reece and Erin are on all the pieces in the concert. Erin is our second chair violinist in the orchestra and Reece is our second chair violist,” explains de Seriere. “We started rehearsing at the beginning of this semester after we came back from our winter break. Some of the music they’ve already played before but the bulk of it we only started rehearsing in January. This group rehearses regularly twice a week for one hour and ten minutes, but our soloists had two rehearsals with Martin for two hours. So we’ve only had a total of four hours rehearsing with him, with one more rehearsal with him before our performance.

“The thing that’s different for us at CSArts than other public schools is that public schools usually rehearse every single day during the week because they have a band block every single day. We only have two hours and 20 minutes of rehearsal every week combined for this group. There’s not a lot of rehearsal time which means that students have to do a lot more preparation on their own. When they come into rehearsal it’s expected of them to understand their part so we focus on putting it together as an ensemble rather than working on individual parts. Practicing is doing everything they can on their own and rehearsing is doing everything they can with everyone else and how their parts lock in together. It’s something I constantly reiterate.”

Braden pipes in, “That’s what I noticed with orchestra rehearsals – they’re short and we don’t have a lot of time within the week. It’s like a master class in that you play your piece to the best of your ability up to that point. Then coming to rehearsal pushes you further so you can learn more from the piece, get the little details you couldn’t do on your own, and polish the music. Then our conductor can help us integrate as a group and create something better.”

“One of the things Martin brought up when I first started talking with him was that he was really interested in working with dancers,” de Seriere adds. “I thought it was fantastic, as we happen to have a Classical and Contemporary Dance Conservatory. So I spoke with the dance conservatory director, Alison Dambach, and she was also excited with the idea. She got involved in the process of picking the music as well. The two pieces that Martin is soloing in with us were music that we all decided would be great to have choreography to. One of them is a piece by Argentinian composer named Astor Piazzolla, something that’s essentially a tango but is also modeled after Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, which a lot of people are familiar with. So there’s a little bit of Vivaldi in there too.”

Continues de Seriere, “So it’s not a typical orchestra concert because we have a soloist on the multiple pieces and choreography going on. We normally do our rehearsals twice a week but since we’ve had this added layer to it, we’re holding more rehearsals. Last night for example, we had the dancers in our rehearsal room over here and we were running through it to make sure the tempo was right for the dancers.”

Fong agrees, “It was a good rehearsal – it was the first time that we got to hear Dr. Tsai play the solo with Martin. They were both really prepared and played very well; I think the audience will be super impressed.”

“It’s different,” Braden supplements. “I don’t think we’ve had a concert where we’ve been on stage with two soloists and choreography dance. It gives a different vibe. We don’t do this very often and I think it’s a pretty good experience for us and the audience. I’m excited and I think it’s really cool that we’re doing the dance. It’s fun watching them dance. Usually you’re focused on the piece but now we’re connecting with another group of students.”

Ballet dancers join the rehearsal | Courtesy photo

Elaborates de Seriere, “They’ve both mentioned that they’re excited about doing this performance with dancers because one of the things I want to do here is ensure that students are involved in collaborations which may not be available at a normal public school. Musicians and dancers collaborate all the time in the entertainment world. But students in high school don’t usually get to interact at this high art level. Ballet is something that is very popular and there’s plenty of music that’s been written for ballet – both Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky have written for ballet – but it’s not as popular today. I don’t think it’s because it’s not a viable thing, it’s just not happening enough. This is their first time accompanying dancers who are trained in ballet.”

“Yesterday we worked on the speed and tempo, which musicians know well,” de Seriere continues. “As the conductor, I have to follow the dancers and figure out what works best for them. We’re all collaborating and seeing what’s going to be most beneficial to the overall product. That’s something they wouldn’t normally get at a public high school, but it was something that Alison and I thought would be a good experience for them. And it’s great for the dancers too because they’re hearing a lot of the lingo we’re throwing around – like dynamic and tempo – that crosses over to dance, but some will be completely new to them. We call it co-lab because it really is a lab where students are seeing and interacting with the other artists who are outside of their subject area.”

Asked what CSArts-SGV offers, Fong responds, “I’ve been playing the viola since 6th grade. Before I went to CSArts I didn’t have an environment where I constantly knew what I had to do to improve and have fun with it as well. At my old school it was just orchestra and we had one performance at the end of the semester. Here, you’re focused on your craft and you have more time to work on it. Mr. D and Dr. Tsai both know what you have to do and they push you and that really helps.”

“I think it’s a really good place because it’s a nurturing environment; we all learn together,” Braden answers. “Of course there are other schools like LACHSA and Colburn which concentrate on music and arts but I like this school because it also has great academics. At the same time, we each have so much focus on our instruments or our talents. Dr. Tsai helps us with the details on our pieces that other schools won’t provide. There’s orchestra but that’s about it in normal school. We also have the chance to perform for other students. If you want to be a performance major, that’s something you can focus on here and teachers can help you. Each teacher knows each kid pretty well here – we’re not a huge school yet – and ensures they get where they want to be. It’s good for goals. I’m hoping to pursue a degree in Music to be a music teacher or music therapist and attend either Southern Utah University or BYU (Brigham Young University) and CSArts-SGV has provided me with excellent preparation.”

De Seriere expounds, “This is the second year that the school has existed and this year we’ve had three performances with this orchestra. We played for the City of Hope Tree Lighting, we had our own Fall Concert, and we played at Festival. We have the performance with Martin, then there’s another Festival that we’re performing at, then we have our end-of-the-year production. By the time the year is done, we would have had eight performances.”

This weekend, Braden and Fong will perform and demonstrate how far they’ve come since. And with Chalifour to imbue the concert with gravitas, it should be a magnificent treat for us!

Prepare to be Moved by ‘Tiny Beautiful Things’ at the Pasadena Playhouse

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 8 April 2019 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

Nia Vardalos as Sugar | Photo by Joan Marcus / Courtesy of the Public Theater

‘Tiny Beautiful Things,’ which was a New York Times Critics’ Pick when it debuted at the Public Theater, is coming to the Pasadena Playhouse on April 10 until May 5, 2019. It stars Nia Vardalos as Sugar and features Sameerah Luqmaan-Harris, who will play the role of Sugar at select performances, Teddy Cañez, Natalie Woolams-Torres, Giovanni Adams, Adam J. Smith, and Sarah Hollis. Sherri Eden Barber will restage this production based on the original direction by Thomas Kail (of the ‘Hamilton’ fame).

Vardalos, who originated the role of Sugar at the Public Theater under the direction of Thomas Kail, also created the stage adaptation of ‘Tiny Beautiful Things’ based on the New York Times Bestseller of the same name by Cheryl Strayed. The project was conceived by Vardalos in conjunction with Thomas Kail and Marshall Hayman.

Speaking with us on the first day of rehearsals, Vardalos recalls what drew her to Strayed’s book. “Tommy Kail gave me the book and said ‘I think there might be a play in this.’ I read the book on a plane and was overwhelmed by the letters – I cried so hard that I think people must have thought something was wrong. It wasn’t that they’re sad, but it was that I was unleashed, unzipped, opened. It was catharsis.

“The letter writers – their naked emotions and the lack of conceal in any way – were what struck me. The letters were so well-written and Cheryl’s responses were not advice. I didn’t know how I could write it. It terrified me. It was so outside of my comfort zone and, yet, that was what drew me to it. I had finished the script for ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2,’ and I knew at the time that we were about to start filming it. So I felt it was the perfect moment to just jump in on something different.”

“Ironically, it was through social media that we found Cheryl,” Vardalos continues. “We contacted her on Twitter and asked for the rights to the book. It’s a daunting experience to adapt someone else’s writing. And to do it, I had to really get to know Cheryl, which was not a hardship in any way. She’s the most wonderful person and we bonded. It was an incredible partnership from beginning to end.”

“What I found absolutely transformative was the moment I realized that Cheryl wrote the unpaid column particularly because she, too, was grieving and thus was able to relate to the letter writer,” discloses Vardalos. “I was faithful to her words but then I started to get really brave and pulled from one piece and put it in another. Right within her words, I arced the play, and added a narrative. To create conflict, I had the letter writers question me, when the ones in her book  didn’t because they loved her right away.”

Teddy Canez, Nia Vardalos, and Natalie Woolams-Torres | Photo by Joan Marcus / Courtesy of the Public Theatre

From the time she started to adapt the book to getting it staged, took three years. Vardalos says, “It was a process that didn’t have boundaries because, luckily, with theatre you have a long time to do it. So I did the workshops for ‘Tiny Beautiful Things’ in between filming, editing, and world-touring for ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2,’ then I came back and did the play. After the first run I changed it again to add some humor for the second run. I realized that even though there was a funny bit in the latter part of the play, the audience didn’t know they had permission to laugh – I put humor in the beginning so they would know.”

It’s surprising to learn that when ‘Tiny Beautiful Things’ played in New York, more than 50 percent of the audience was male. Vardalos conjectures, “I think that anyone can sit there in the audience and feel. These pieces are open to everyone’s interpretation. For example, even though I cannot personally relate to some of the pieces, what gets me every time is the advice because it’s illuminating rather than instructional, nobody wants to be told what to do. And it seems that Cheryl intuitively knows that, and that’s why I love her advice columns – they’re not authoritative, they’re transparent, and storytelling. It was heartening to look out there and see at least half the audience be men and that they would come back. It was amazing.”

When Vardalos started adapting the book, she hadn’t thought about who would play the role of Sugar. She says, “Cheryl has a way of knowing the truth. After sitting down with her, she asked me, ‘Do you want to play Sugar?’ and in that moment I realized I did. And I was as honest as I always am, and I said ‘Yes, please.’”

However, knowing the characters intimately doesn’t inevitably mean the writer could do a better job of playing the part. Vardalos explains, “In my entire career, I have seen actors take my words and give them life. I don’t think the person who puts fingertips to keyboard is necessarily the best person to play a role. Tommy and I set out to create a role and many roles that were not bound by ethnicity, age, or gender because we want it to be as open as Cheryl is.

“I’ve now seen Sugar played by an African American woman named Opal Alladin who knocked it out of the park in San Diego. Cheryl has seen a woman play Sugar in Portland who is white. It’s going on stage in New Haven, Connecticut and in Seattle, Washington. So it’s really cool! It’s gender-less and race-less and it’s all the things we want it to be. I want to learn and see what other people do with it. In fact, I wrote in the notes ‘I look forward to upcoming productions in which you will interpret this play with your love, creativity, and ingenuity. Above all, I hope you will always remember that the letters are real.’”

Nia Vardalos | Photo by Joan Marcus / Courtesy of the Public Theater

“Can we talk about the cast now?” Vardalos requests excitedly, “We had to cast people who were incredibly diverse. Tommy had envisioned them to embody the characters without changing costumes, voices, or accents; it was all about attitude, character, emotions, and personality. We tried a lot of different ways of accomplishing this when we were workshopping. And Tommy obviously knows what he’s doing; he knows when something feels right and he doesn’t waver. I also love that he would ask me ‘Okay? Feel good to you?’ And there was never a moment when I didn’t go ‘Yeah! Okay!’”

“So we have these wonderfully multi-talented actors. For example, one actor plays a man who’s confused about whether to tell his girlfriend how he feels. Then 20 minutes into the play, the same actor plays a transgender person. We have a man who’s my online troll and is incessantly vulgar, needling Sugar with online abuse. And by the end of the play, is a grieving father. Natalie has the role of someone who doubts me the most in the play, then becomes my mother who showers love on Sugar.”

About her experience playing the role of Sugar, Vardalos describes, “We did eight shows a week for three months during the first round, then we did eight shows a week for four months during the second round. Whenever I’m asked how many times I’ve played Sugar I say ‘not enough,’ and it’s not meant to be a glib answer. Every time I think I’m finished with the run, I can’t wait to do it again. There’s something about the play that always affects us– we’ll sit in the wings and hear the audience coming in and we get really excited because they haven’t heard it yet. And the stories are so uplifting and cathartic. The audience walks out happy and high because they felt something. Isn’t that where we’re all at right now? Just to feel something that will let us get away from all the craziness. We’ve got political fatigue; the news cycles just weigh on us.”

The audience reaction is as varied as the number of times the play is staged. Clarifies Vardalos, “Each audience is different, which is what’s great about live theatre. But, more often than not, the story that I tell about my mother is the one that affects people. It’s where Natalie plays the part of a young girl who was raped. There’s a part when I’m heading downstage and Natalie goes upstage, then goes over to the side and becomes Sugar’s mother. That’s my favorite moment in the play because to see this young actress who’s 28 years old transform like that … it gives me the shivers every time. She literally goes from being vulnerable to commanding and I love it! In just a turn, she transforms! And I love the reaction of the audience.”

Much has transpired since ‘Tiny Beautiful Things’ opened in New York, Vardalos enthuses, “We published the play and it has been licensed by approximately 25 theatres across the U.S. It’s been translated to Spanish and it’s going to be in Mexico and Uruguay. I hope to bring it to Greece and it’s going to be a touring production. This Pasadena production is the first time the New York cast is being brought back from the Public Theatre. It’s so exciting! This is so unique because I didn’t just pull one or two people –  it’s all the actors, the production designer, the costumer, the sound designer, Tommy’s associate Sherry Barber – it’s everybody. We’re all still so close, which is rare. We played it one year and two months ago in New York. We closed December 18, 2017 and we’re opening here on April 10, 2019.”

“When Pasadenans see ‘Tiny Beautiful Things’ I just want them to say ‘That’s me!’ Because as Chery Strayed says ‘We’re all Sugar,’” Vardalos pronounces.

Local Opera Virtuoso Leads the Verdi Chorus

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 2 April 2019 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

Anne Marie Ketchum during rehearsal | Courtesy photo / Verdi Chorus

It might surprise some people to know that the Pasadena City College (PCC) has an opera music program. In fact, PCC’s administrators themselves didn’t think to offer the course until Anne Marie Ketchum, a full-time faculty teacher, established it.

Ketchum, a South Pasadena resident, is also the master behind the Santa Monica-based Verdi Chorus, which is celebrating its 36th season with a Spring Concert ‘L’Amore e la Vita’ (Love and Life). It will hold two performances at First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica on April 6 and 7, 2019.

A few weeks before Verdi Chorus’s spring concert, Ketchum sat down with us to talk about her two major endeavors.

“I started teaching at PCC in 1981 where we had a song and dance group that performed with the big band, which became the musical theatre workshop. But my love was classical music and I found there was an awful lot of interest among the students. The administrators had no clue, they thought the kids wouldn’t be interested. So I set them straight and started the opera music program, which became an immediate success. It grew to the point that we were doing major productions once a year. We did a workshop program in the fall and a full opera production in the spring – sometimes it was a series of one-acts and at other times it was a full opera. We did ‘The Magic Flute,’ ‘The Marriage of Figaro,’ ‘Merry Widow,’ and many other well-known operas. The last one we did was ‘Tales of Hoffman.’”

Continues Ketchum, “I taught at PCC for 34 years and, in fact, just recently retired. I enjoyed teaching, but it was time to change my focus and do other things. And I was lucky enough to be able to retire at an age when I could still do that. I wanted to make sure that the opera program continued, so, along with some of my colleagues, we made a push to engage someone to replace me as opera director. They hired Maria Fortuna Dean and she’s doing a wonderful job keeping that program robust.”

The Verdi Chorus | Courtesy photo

At the time Ketchum was teaching at PCC, she was also an opera singer at a dining place in Santa Monica called The Verdi Restaurant. She recalls, “The Verdi Restaurant was a beautiful place with elegant décor, served delicious Italian food, and had dinner shows. I was one of about 25 opera singers who would sing three or four songs. On any given night, we would do a show of opera arias, duets, etc., and then a late night performance of Broadway hits.

“The owners of the restaurant decided it would be a good idea to form a chorus made up of patrons. They asked me to lead it because I had some conducting experience – having done my undergraduate degree in choral conducting. The professional singers from the restaurant, like me, did solos with the patrons who were part of the chorus. Every time the chorus sang the restaurant had a full house because all their friends and relatives came. They loved it so much that when the restaurant closed, the chorus didn’t want to quit. Consequently, several of them got together and raised some money to keep it going. They asked me if I wanted to head the group and I said yes, with the stipulation that we auditioned everybody. It wasn’t something we did then because the owners of the restaurant didn’t want to turn anyone away. But when I took over, I thought it was important to elevate the quality of our show. My other condition was that they take care of all the business and leave all of the artistic decisions to me. It’s highly unusual for an arts organization to give its artistic director complete control, but they agreed. Thus, in 1983, Verdi Chorus was born.

“We found various places to perform until we finally ended up at the First Methodist Church in Santa Monica. We grew into a huge company of strong singers and good musicians of all ages from every walk of life and every place on earth. I have 15 section leaders – which is also very unusual in a group like this – of young, paid opera singers to sing with the group and to do some of the small solos.”

The section leaders, named the Walter Fox Singers after the family who donated the funds to maintain it, became an offshoot of the Verdi Chorus. These are young, serious-minded talents who are pursuing a career in opera. Describes Ketchum, “Most of them are either opera students in the universities, or grad students, or those who have just graduated and starting careers. This gives them an opportunity to learn music that they might not have learned, probably because as a young singer they don’t do all the big heavy singing. We’re doing Verdi, Puccini, and some of the big opera; this also gives them the chance to sing solos, which they may not have gotten to do in school. It’s like a launching pad for them.”

Asked if she has helped start someone’s career in opera this way, Ketchum responds, “Yes, as a matter of fact, there’s one that comes to mind – Babatunde Akinboboye who’s from Nigeria. We call him Bobby and he was a Walter Fox singer for several sessions. He’s done marvelous work and has flourished. Another one is David Childs, who was with us for several sessions a year ago, and is now going to Rabbinical School. He’s going to become cantor and I think he’s just absolutely perfect for that. There are several who have gone in various directions in music.”

(Left to right): Returning soloists Nathan Granner and Jamie Chamberlin with Anne Marie Ketchum and her husband Aurelio de la Vega | Courtesy photo / Verdi Chorus

Verdi Chorus’s ‘L’Amore e la Vita’ features two returning soloists, Nathan Granner and Jamie Chamberlin, for whom this year’s performance marks a particularly happy occasion. Ketchum elucidates, “When they sang with us last season, the Sunday matinee culminated with Nathan proposing marriage to Jamie onstage, to the delight and surprise of the audience and Jamie. She not only accepted, but did so with several high Cs! To have them back as husband and wife, and heralded by Verdi Chorus with ‘Si celebri alfine’ from Verdi’s ‘I Vespri Siciliani,’ seems wonderfully right! I’m also thrilled to have the wonderful Danielle Marcelle Bond, who I am a huge fan of, joining us. Additionally, I’m delighted to welcome back Roberto Perlas Gomez, one of our favorite baritones and part of the Verdi Chorus family. The fact that these four incredible soloists are also connected as dear friends makes having all of them together for this concert even more special.”

The longevity and success of Verdi Chorus seems incredible given the general belief that opera isn’t mainstream and is a niche. Making it accessible and appealing to a larger population could prove to be challenge. While Ketchum agrees with that assumption, she contends, “Sure, there is a wide swath of the populace that’s clueless about opera. But I have to say that people who love opera are often fanatical about it. They champion it wholeheartedly and go to great lengths to support it. Furthermore, our chorus members and Walter Fox Singers are involved in many things in their daily lives and meet other people. Through simple word of mouth, people are finding out about us. But we are also very consciously doing a lot to actively promote the work that we do – we now have a PR company that publicizes us, we’re on social media like Facebook and Twitter.

“One other thing I want to point out is that our ticket prices are much lower than other opera events. In many instances, someone will come to the concert and get turned on to opera because of that. It’s not as expensive, it’s a one-night thing, and it’s a couple of hours. We don’t have sets and we’re not in costumes, yet there’s something powerful and lyrical in the acting and the soloists’ performance. It’s different from your normal choral music because there’s so much going on, it’s exciting and magnificent. Opera might be one of the most complex of the performing arts. Opera is theatre – there’s passion and intrigue, comedy and tragedy, and everything in between – and that’s why the art has survived over a long period of time.”

This weekend, let the Verdi Chorus transport you into another world for a celebration of love and life. For opera allows us to escape the monotony of our mundane life even as it mirrors its confounding complexities.

Pasadena Filmmaker’s Short Documentary Attracts Tens of Thousands of Online Viewers

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 27 March 2019 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

Frank Gallant and Issam Hadhad in ‘Brothers’ | Courtesy photo / Magnetic North Pictures

Jonathan Keijser is a young filmmaker in Pasadena who has been working on a based-on-a-true-story feature narrative about the Hadhad family, who moved from Damascus, to Lebanon, and eventually to Nova Scotia in Canada, and how the community came together and rebuilt the Hadhads’ business from scratch.

In the process, Keijser met Frank Gallant, one of the Nova Scotians who helped the Hadhads. That circle of friendship – between Gallant, Hadhad, and Keijser – led to the production of another, much shorter documentary about a camping trip. And that film, called ‘Brothers,’  became part of ‘The Atlantic Selects,’ an online showcase of short documentaries from independent creators, curated by The Atlantic. It has been online for three weeks and seen by several thousand viewers.

Taking a break from his feature film project, Keijser chats about how this short documentary came about.

“When I was researching about the main people involved in the story, I came across Frank who was the Canadian local who befriended Issam and helped him build his chocolate business out of nothing. Frank provided valuable assistance when I was writing the script. We would communicate by phone every couple of weeks or so, and we struck up a friendship.

“Last summer, after Frank and I had been talking on the phone for a year, I asked what he was doing for the summer and he said he wanted to do some Canadian things out in the wilderness with Issam. Issam’s never gone camping and Frank loves to go camping. And I thought that would be such a cool film and decided to do something about it. So I called Frank and told him I would like to follow him and Issam on their first camping trip together. While Frank wasn’t sure what anyone would find interesting in it, he good-naturedly agreed.”

Keijser adds, “In documentary filmmaking, it’s imperative to establish trust between you and your subject because if they don’t trust you, not only will the things they tell you sound inauthentic, but you won’t have the kind of access necessary. In this case, Frank could have said ‘I wouldn’t be comfortable with you filming that.’

“During production, there were only two of us, which allowed us to embed into scenes more easily. Typically when you’re trying to shoot observational footage, it’s always a challenge to stay inconspicuous. But after a few hours of us being together, Frank and Issam, for the most part, forgot we were even there. However, there was one instance where Issam broke the fourth wall and offered us some food he had just cooked at the campsite, knowing we hadn’t had dinner yet. Frank had to gently remind Issam that we, the crew, ‘were invisible.’ Issam quickly apologized but we silently smiled because it was just another example of how kind and considerate Issam’s nature is.”

“Being invisible is such an interesting skill – in fiction, it’s all about the camera, doing the takes, having the light, getting everything perfect; in documentary, it’s about you disappearing, you’re non-existent, you’re a fly on the wall,” Keijser elucidates.

Courtesy photo | Peace by Chocolate

Their little adventure, which took two days of filming and two months of editing, is called ‘Brothers’ for a reason. Keijser discloses, “The title is based on Frank’s and Issam’s brotherly friendship. In the campfire scene in the film, Frank mentions how happy he is to be camping with Issam, like brothers. Issam also stated during our interviews with him that he thinks of Frank as a brother.”

‘Brothers’ may be a short documentary but Keijser paid as much attention to details as he would making a feature film. He utilized the knowledge he gained from his Master of Fine Arts degree from University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts and his Bachelor of Music degree (in classical doubles bass performance) from McGill University’s Schulich School of Music for it to approximate a movie experience.

“The music is a completely original score,” Keijser says. “As a musician myself, I was pleased to have been able to collaborate with composer David Bertok on the shaping of the style and tone of the music. It was important that the music reflected the celebration of cultures in the story. We did this by blending traditional Nova Scotian and Middle Eastern sounds in the instrumentation. The accordion is used throughout, which is rooted in the Scottish heritage of Nova Scotia as well as the darbuka, a goblet drum, often used in Middle Eastern music.”

Keijser sent his short documentary to The Atlantic, a prestigious publication, where it has gained worldwide viewership. He adds, “The film will be available to the public indefinitely. It shares a timeless message that is increasingly more relevant today. It has subsequently been picked up by other media outlets, including Mother Jones.”

But Keijser is hardly an amateur in the genre. He is an award-winning storyteller with a strong focus on creating socially conscious content. As a film and theatre director, and screenwriter, he is committed to sharing compelling stories of progressive communities and people, with the goal of helping encourage positive social change in the world.

Before his film career, Keijser founded a non-profit theatre company for emerging artists in Montreal, Canada. He directed fully-staged Broadway productions, including ‘Into The Woods’ and ‘Cabaret,’ both of which received critical acclaim. Pat Donnelly of the Montreal Gazette called him ‘a promising young director’ and described his shows as ‘packing an unusually powerful punch, with a cast that works like a team.’ His films and stage productions have played at over thirty festivals and venues around the world since.

In 2016, Keijser’s feature film, ‘What Would Beethoven Do?,’ had its world premiere at the Cleveland International Film Festival where it held three sold-out screenings and took home an audience award. The film questions why we create art by following three superstar musical renegades as they independently take action to repair the fractured and ailing world of classical music, reinstating its relevance in the 21st century.

Jonathan Keijser | Courtesy photo / Magnetic North Pictures

Keijser believes that in order to inspire and challenge audience perceptions, content must be both reflective and humorous. To make an impact, stories must go beyond a single message approach and allow viewers to draw their own informed conclusions. Instead of providing definitive answers to difficult questions, he encourages increased awareness to help broaden perspectives as a way to spark curiosity and effect positive change.

It was in that spirit that Keijser created a larger project about Peace by Chocolate, the Hadhads’ family business. He clarifies, “The feature film follows the Hadhad family from their immigration to Antigonish, Nova Scotia, to the process of their rebuilding their lives in their new Canadian homeland. Although the short documentary, ‘Brothers’ is a separate story and is not directly related to the storyline of the feature film, it shares a similar tone in its warmth and sweetness. It is particularly special to me as I grew up in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Not only does the warmth of the community reflect my experiences in Nova Scotia, but also the importance of spending lots of time in the wilderness and natural beauty of the province.”

“I’m very happy the documentary launched in The Atlantic, where people can just go online and watch it,” continues Keijser. “Its purpose is more a social cause than financial gain. In the short time it’s been up, I’ve gotten tons of comments – most of them have been very, very heartening. People are saying, ‘Finally, something positive’ or ‘Finally, something uplifting!’ But that’s the theme in all my work. I want to leave the audience with some hope for the future, to believe they can actually do something that makes a difference. And it doesn’t have to be on a grand scale – it could be a simple interaction with someone else.”

“My vision for the ‘Brothers’ documentary was very much what Frank said at the end,” explains Keijser. “Starting a conversation with somebody is the basis for a connection. And vice-versa, connection can lead to a conversation. That’s what the documentary is about – we’re more similar than we are different as human beings. It only takes you having a conversation or connection with someone to realize it and to shrink that gap.

“I hope Issam’s and Frank’s friendship encourages audiences to be more open when meeting someone seemingly different from themselves. Although we don’t all share the same background or speak the same language, we are all the same underneath. Stories like theirs are proof that good can come from love, inclusion, and acceptance. When we turn people away, it not only furthers the divide between us, it builds resentment as well. Films like this can give hope to the millions of displaced refugees around the world and inspire others to help. We never know when we ourselves may need a helping hand.”

Keijser’s ‘Brothers’ could not have come at a better time. Given today’s political and social climate, we are in dire need of constructive examples to emulate.

Monrovia’s Pathways to Stem Cell Science Makes Learning Fun for Even the Youngest Students

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 26 March 2019 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

Science is one of those tricky subjects that can’t be learned just by sitting in a classroom, reading about it, and looking at pictures. Mention ‘stem cells’ and it becomes more complicated still. Right away you’ll think it’s certainly not something 4-year-olds would even grasp. Yet, it’s basic to life on earth. And so, the scientists at Pathways to Stem Cell Science have made it their mission to educate children from pre-K to 12th grade.

In 2016, Dr. Victoria Fox, a former professor at the University of Southern California’s (USC) Department of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology, founded the non-profit Pathways to Stem Cell Science (Pathways) with a team of professionals in this field. They conduct research on a contract basis for universities and companies. The work they do generates skills and knowledge which they translate into the courses that provide hands-on learning with stem cells.

Describing one of the classes they offer, Fox says, “A two-week course for high school students called ‘Regenerative Medicine and Disease Modeling’ teaches them how to isolate a skin cell, turn it into a stem cell, and then turn that stem cell into a heart cell for use in medicine and research. Each course is based on the science that we do. Students learn hands-on skills and real-life science. They gain the confidence and the social experiences working in a private sector workplace they couldn’t get in a university teaching lab.”

Now Pathways is extending their course offerings to the pre-K level.

Explains Fox, “To effectively inspire, guide, and prepare students for STEM fields, you have to start early. We left USC partly because their focus is on college and professional training, but we want to support the entire education pipeline from pre-K to 12, college and industry professionals. We’ve developed a unique curriculum to get children interested in science right as they’re beginning their early childhood education. I’m convinced I could teach authentic science to students as young as pre-Kindergarten. My son is in kindergarten so I know what he can and cannot understand. We’ve worked closely with his pre-K and elementary school to make sure this curriculum can be delivered.

“The culmination of this is Pathways’s newly developed Stem Cell Explorers program, which consists of five one-and-a-half -hour sessions on the weekends held over five weeks and a one-hour mobile lab program called ‘Did Dinosaurs Have stem Cells.’ This latter course came about because my son learned about dinosaurs in school. Kids are fascinated with dinosaurs, which are basically the ancestors of birds and reptiles. Some lizards have an amazing capacity to regenerate their limbs because of the presence of active stem cell populations in their tissues. Over dinner one night, we were pondering whether dinosaurs would have had the same capacity for limb regeneration because they are related through evolution.”

That conversation over dinner led Fox to develop an inquiry-based session. Students can observe stem cells in action – regenerating lizards limbs – then they formulate an experimental plan for how one might test if dinosaurs had similar regenerative capacity.

Courtesy photo | Pathways to Stem Cell Science

“After that they do a hands-on experiment that demonstrates how real-life scientists might test a dinosaur tissue for the presence of stem cells, should you be lucky enough to find one that hadn’t been fossilized,” expands Fox. “This involves applying a chemical assay solution to four types of cells we’ve grown in the lab – skin cells, muscle cells, neurons, and stem cells. The solution reacts only with stem cells, turning them pink. They then observe what dinosaur stem cells might have looked like using a professional lab microscope. These are real tests I carry out in my work on a regular basis that we’ve adapted to teach authentic science to elementary school children in a fun context they can relate to.

“Session 3 of our Stem Cell Explorers program is probably the coolest and the most interesting – it focuses on the role of stem cells in human development,” Fox continues. “I’m not aware of any other curriculum like this for pre-school and elementary school children. It demonstrates how human life begins from a single stem cell and how that cell goes on to divide and create different tissues of the adult body. Students learn about the different stages of human development using our specially designed ‘development calendar’ which places images of growing human embryos side-by-side on a large floor-sized calendar.

“We also model some of the stages with Play-Doh to promote active learning and fine motor skills. Young children love this class because they often have younger siblings and are interested in understanding where babies come from. This session satisfies that curiosity in a way that’s authentic but still accessible for young audiences.”

Fox expounds further, “We also talk about the role of stem cells in therapies like bone marrow transplants. We’ve created a life-size model that enables students to perform a ‘mock bone marrow transplant.’ They harvest and inject a red fluid containing pretend bone marrow stem cells and observe them circulating around the body. They get to play doctor – something young children enjoy.

“In session 4 of the Stem Cell Explorers Program, we touch on the importance of keeping cells healthy by eating nutritious food, breathing fresh air, drinking clean water, and exercising regularly. We discuss why these are essential for cells and what happens to your cells if they’re unhealthy and die. They take part in a cooking exercise where they learn to make a healthy snack. The curriculum is cross-disciplinary – combining science with other subjects like cooking, art, math, literacy and geography – not only to stimulate scientific curiosity but to also prepare students broadly for success in school and in life.”

“The final day of Stem Cell Explorers centers on experimental stem cell science,” Fox says. “It’s in this session where students perform a real-life experiment with beating heart cells we’ve derived from stem cells. They count the number of times heart cells beat before and after adding ice to the medium, demonstrating the effect of temperature on heart function. They then draw a simple bar graph and, with our help, analyze their data. This experiment shows what would happen to your heart cells if they were cold – hypothermic. It’s a very striking visualization they can understand.”

According to Fox, the Dinosaur stem cell program is an hour long and designed specifically as a mobile lab to go into classrooms. It can be taught to large assemblies in groups of 20 students. They charge a small fee to cover the cost of materials and time, much like other mobile lab programs. They are still working out a fee structure, but it would be somewhere in the range of $300 to $500 per session – which is close to what other mobile programs charge. Additionally, Fox’s team is engaged in fundraising to provide subsidies for low income communities and will work collaboratively with specific schools to raise tuition money.

The science lab | Courtesy photo / Pathways to Stem Cell Science

“We ensure our curriculum aligns with the NGSS (Next Generation Science Standard) so students learn about new topics in a way that also informs their core science instruction,” clarifies Fox. “Our courses are devised to augment existing school programs, providing real-world context to the science students learn in the classrooms. These are particularly useful for schools that teach a lot of textbook science but don’t have the capacity to offer hands-on activities. There are other mobile labs that work this way, but they are usually pretty simple and don’t provide the same real-life experiments and concepts we are able to teach. And it’s the real-life context that makes our science so fascinating to young students.

“We’ve developed a number of different course for students of all ages. Some of our programs – particularly the high school and college courses – have been offered for many years. However, not many people know we exist. Raising awareness for our programs and the unique learning opportunities these offer is one of the biggest challenges we face.”

Getting more girls interested in STEM fields is one of the more daunting tasks schools are faced with and they’re hiring more female science teachers to help in this endeavor. College counselors advocate that high school seniors follow their passion when choosing what degrees to pursue, and for good reason. Students succeed when they’re studying something they find engrossing and captivating.

Fox points out, “Teaching exciting real-life science when they’re still young is a great way to entice girls into this field because by the time they get into high school, it’s often too late. This is at the heart of what we do – building that pipeline from pre-K to professional level. It obviously helps that I’m female and have children. It’s important for female students to see a woman who’s also a mother leading a science organization – it helps them to see themselves becoming a professional scientist.”

Pathways’s program bucks the norm, though. Program Director Dr. Mickey Pentecost discloses, “We attract more female students into our program than male students. Our goal is to provide students a variety of role models. Showing them the diversity of careers they could go into with a STEM background is also a key part of our mission. My concern is that if students are only exposed to academia, which struggles to retain women and minorities, they’ll think ‘Oh, I’m going to get this far and then the door is closed to me.’”

Pathways to Stem Cell Science attracts more female students to its programs | Courtesy photo / Pathways to Stem Cell Science

Additionally, the delivery method for science courses is outdated, as Fox elaborates on. “I think the college education system, which still relies heavily on lecturing, is antiquated. It dates back to a time when there were limited textbooks. So if you wanted to learn a particular science subject, you had to go to a college lecture and learn first-hand from a professor who was an expert in it. That was even true to a certain extent when I was doing my undergraduate degree – there were only a few textbooks for each topic and they weren’t that great so you really relied on the theoretical knowledge the professor provided. But so much has happened in the time since I took my undergraduate degree. The Internet, online textbooks, and online teaching modalities enable science theory to be taught and learned outside of formal lecture settings. By leveraging these technologies, science education programs could dedicate more time to vocational activities that offer students the skills they need to compete for jobs.

“Biotechnology is going through the same boom Silicon Valley went through with Facebook and Google. This is driving a demand for professional scientists with a range of skills set; 21st century bioscience has become so complex it requires sophisticated skills that one can’t get in a lecture hall. Yet many universities continue to emphasize lecture-based teaching, a system that’s more compatible with preparing students for academic career paths versus the private sector jobs they’re more likely to seek out. A lot of schools are not really teaching in an active way that meets the requirements of biotech and private sector science. Yet private sector science industries currently offer more jobs than university science departments. The system needs some modernization to ensure students are prepared more broadly for the jobs that are available to them in the sciences.”

Fox adds, “All our teaching courses are hands-on and taught in a real-world context. We created Pathways to offer these courses because many universities feel this type of teaching is too expensive to provide. Teaching in lectures is much cheaper because you only need one classroom and one person to reach hundreds of students. I think the lack of real-world hands-on activities could deter girls from going into science – it’s just not that interesting sitting in lecture halls, listening to lectures, even when you like science.

“I don’t want to detract from the importance of a college degree – the knowledge that’s gained in university is essential to enter any bioscience profession. However, the academic career track tends to create university professors with similar backgrounds and experiences, by favoring scientists with high impact factor publications from a limited number of Ivy League institutions. This produces a scientific faculty with qualifications that are crucial for grant writing and lecturing, but not necessarily the diversity of experiences required to prepare students for the wider world. If you browse at the backgrounds of private sector bioscience professionals you’ll notice experiences are much broader. Exposing students to the array of experiences they will need to plan viable careers, train for future employment, and become successful scientists was another reason I founded Pathways.”

And today’s students are much better for it.

Arcadia’s Maki Hsieh is Honored 22nd District’s ‘Woman of the Year’

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 12 March 2019 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

Maki Hsieh (left) being honored by Senator Susan Rubio (right) | Courtesy photo / Arcadia Performing Arts Foundation

On March 4, Maki Hsieh, Arcadia Performing Arts Foundation Executive Director, was honored as the 2019 Woman of the Year by Senator Susan Rubio of the 22nd district. Since 1987, the California Legislative Women’s Caucus has awarded women in each State and Assembly district this recognition at a ceremony held at the California State Senate Chamber at the state capitol.

The day after the event, Hsieh is still in disbelief at the unexpected accolade. I’m sitting at her dining table to chat about the award, how she was chosen, and what it means to her.

“I didn’t know this was coming and I was caught completely by surprise!” Hsieh declares. “I spearheaded Arcadia’s first formal Chinese New Year’s festival in January. This was the first time the city sponsored it, and the foundation organized and helped promote it. Because it was a special event, elected public officials attended it and gave certificates.

“One of the officials was Senator Susan Rubio, who was a teacher at Monrovia for 17 years. She was really impressed by how hard the Foundation works for arts education and arts excellence in school. When it came time for her to honor her first ‘Woman of the Year,’ she and her staff went through a whole vetting process. She has a million people in her district and they looked at a lot of candidates. And my name came up.”

Continues Hsieh, “ Her team contacted me from Sacramento and asked me for my biography but  I really didn’t have one. The last time I wrote something about myself was for a press release that went out in 2017 when I was appointed Executive Director for the Foundation. So I dug up the press release from our website, downloaded the PDF, and sent it to them. When I asked what it was for, they said ‘We’re looking at ways to increase our arts outreach to the community so we wanted to learn more about you.’

“Then in February, her office kept trying to schedule time on my calendar. And every time they requested to reserve an appointment with me, they said ‘The senator would like to speak with you for a few minutes to tell you about the award.’ All along I thought it was about arts outreach. But, again, other things took precedence, like fundraising and dealing with a lot of issues.

Arcadia’s first official Chinese New Year Festival with Arcadia Mayor Sho Tay (far left), Congresswoman Judy Chu (center), Senator Susan Rubio, Mayor Pro Tem April Verlato, and Maki Hsieh (far right) | Courtesy photo / Arcadia Performing Arts Foundation

“Finally, they called and said, ‘Please, you have to speak with the senator for a few minutes.’ I was in Las Vegas then and this was when the city had three snowfall days for the first time in over a decade. I was stuck at the airport and couldn’t leave. But they insisted that Senator Rubio needed a few minutes to speak with me. So I asked, ‘What is this in regard to? If this relating to the art outreach program, I would be happy to connect with her at a later time.’ They still didn’t tell me what it was about or that the senator needed to speak with me because they had to book my flight.

“When we ultimately connected, I said ‘Thank you very much, Senator, for giving me a call. I look forward to hearing how you would like us to help you.’ And she said, ‘No, it’s not about you helping me. It’s about me honoring you!’ And I said, ‘Honoring me for what?’ Then she said, ‘Every year the California State Senate honors a ‘Woman of the Year’ from their district. This year I would like you to be my very first ‘Woman of the Year’ and we will fly you to Sacramento.’ It was an immense surprise to me, I started tearing up, and all I managed to utter was ‘Really?! Me?!’”

Hsieh adds, “Being bestowed this honor got me thinking about my mother’s journey. She started her new life in this country with nothing but a dream. She first came here in the 1950s to Sacramento, with two suitcases, not knowing any English. She was 19 years old. She toiled her way through Sacramento City College and then Cal State Sacramento – as a busser at Sacramento’s German restaurant; as a live-in maid at former Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy’s home, for free room and board; and as a laborer at the Chinese laundromat, for ten cents an hour – until she eventually got her Masters at USC. And here I am one generation later, getting this award. Going back to Sacramento, recalling my mom’s path, had special meaning to me.”

This recognition isn’t merely an achievement for Hsieh, but for the Foundation as well. She explains, “We have a shoestring budget so getting free publicity is a god-send. I always say ‘A rising tide lifts all boats.’ And if I’m that rising tide in the region, it will lift the foundation in many ways. Fundraising is one thing, but more important than fundraising is awareness that arts excellence is a legacy and it will go away if we don’t support it. Arts excellence is not funded by the state and it is severely lacking in focus and vision. This honor will elevate the region as a cultural mecca and Arcadia as a destination for kids who already are high achievers but can really benefit from something more.”

Photo taken during Maki Hsieh’s Album concert at Arcadia Performing Arts Center (left to right): Camilla Leonard (Maki’s daughter); Maki Hsieh; Mary Hsieh (Maki’s mother); and Aubrey Leonard (Maki’s daughter) | Courtesy photo / Arcadia Performing Arts Foundation

“A crucial mission of mine is getting young people off the screen,” Hsieh explains. We have to give them a lot of things to do – activities that are fun – that have direct impact in their lives. It was, therefore, a fortunate development when the district rolled out and funded mandatory orchestra or general music in 4th and 5th grade, for one period a week, throughout all six elementary schools. In the past, music was a pull-out system where you signed out and you were pulled out of class. But those kids were always the ones who didn’t want to be in class and needed a reason not to be there. Now it’s mandatory, everyone’s on the same page.

“I didn’t think it was a big deal until my 10-year old daughter came home one day and said ‘We have to pick an instrument.’ I said, ‘But you’re already doing drums and piano.’ To which she replied, ‘No, this is mandatory, it’s going to be part of our school day and we’re all really excited. Every day at lunch we’re talking about a different instrument to pick so we could have a quartet, or we can have a band, or we can do this …’ and on and on she went.

“It isn’t just about learning to play an instrument or being on stage. It’s about having a shared experience with their peers, which is something they’re missing. Today kids play ‘Overwatch’ on the TV with a headset that connects through WiFi with other kids in their home doing the game. They’re playing and watching a game but they’re not having a communal shared social experience, it’s all on the screen. Furthermore, seniors aren’t able to participate in children’s lives because they don’t play computer games on TV. And suddenly you have a whole generation of kids who are disengaged from their parents, grandparents, veterans, and those people who can really pass on their wisdom. Children can use their artistic talents to be involved with them. ”

Most of the honorees in the ‘Woman of the Year’ are in the academic, medical, or political fields and the write-ups about them in the event book reflected that. Hsieh’s bio spotlighted her artistic achievements before touching on her professional career, which helps tremendously in providing a model for young people to emulate.

Hsieh expands on the point. “Artistic talent is a gift from your family, from ancestors, from DNA, from the heavens. And what you do with it is your gift to the community and the world. If you do it as a side thing and have fun, that’s fine too in its own merit. But, I think, if you focus on your gifts and work on them, they would evolve into being a means to effect change. It’s an agency to help your community and, in a way, it becomes a public service. My musical ability made me the right fit for my position at the Foundation, which led to my being honored. I didn’t appreciate that until now.”

Maki Hsieh | Courtesy photo / Arcadia Performing Arts Foundation

And Hsieh’s accomplishments at the Foundation are as impressive as her artistic talent. She discloses, “When I first started, our fundraising wasn’t covering operations –we were in the red and we had a debt obligation we couldn’t pay. Diversity programming was almost non-existent and it was focused on a certain demographic. The founder, Mickey Segal, actually walked out on the board because he didn’t feel that the Foundation was doing what it was called on to do. I inherited a lot of things that needed to be fixed pretty quickly. It wasn’t a five-year plan, it had to be done now or we were going under. Fast forward to today, we’ve paid off our debt and we’re going to be in the black for the first time in our operation’s history. We had a 114% net sales growth; we’ve just acquired a match challenge – in seven days we raised $88,000 towards that match. We recently secured our first $1 million planned gift. We’re really starting to see traction in both awareness and funding for arts excellence. Art excellence is such a great legacy in our region and it can’t go away. It’s a battle we have to win.”

Offering her assessment of what this honor means, Hsieh says, “The ‘Woman of the Year’ has been an annual tradition during the Women in History month. But this year, I believe, it has a greater significance to many people because of the growing trend in giving female leaders a place in the national scene. At the awards yesterday, we had the first female lieutenant governor of California.

“Being chosen ‘Woman of the Year’ out of one million people in the 14 cities in Senator Rubio’s district, heralds a wonderful opportunity for Asian females. Until now, we didn’t a voice. When my Mom came here, there were signs that said ‘Japs should not sit here,’ ‘Japs are not allowed,’ ‘Chinks go to the back.’ She wanted to work for the state and she interviewed constantly, but they always picked the Caucasian male. The door was closed. While the door isn’t entirely open, I feel the welcome mat is there. We still have to knock on the door to be admitted, but at least we’re no longer being sent away.”

As a woman, I am proud of Hsieh’s award. And as an Asian, I would like to think that it is as much her singular honor as it is her mother’s and the other Asian women who arrived in America before her. It so eloquently speaks to how far we’ve come as a people in this country. And it is so reflective of our silent crusade to be recognized, not by going out in the streets to rant about the acknowledgement we deserve, but by quietly demonstrating through talent and action what we’re made of and what we’re capable of accomplishing.