The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

The Inside Press

The Wait Room to be Performed Outside Sing Sing

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OSSINING, NY- The Sing Sing Prison Museum and Bethany Arts Community proudly present the East Coast premiere of The Wait Room, an outdoor dance program honoring the lives of women whose loved ones are incarcerated.

Commissioned by San Francisco’s Flyaway Productions, four performances will be presented Friday, September 20 at 8 pm; Saturday, September 21 at 3 pm and 8 pm; and Sunday, September 22 at 3 pm at Louis Engel Park on the Hudson River waterfront, just outside the walls of Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining.

Choreographer Jo Kreiter, recipient of a 2019 Guggenheim Fellowship who has had a loved one incarcerated, says, “The Wait Room is the most personal work I’ve undertaken since founding Flyaway Productions in 1996. The dance is performed on a motorized set piece that invokes the instability experienced by wives, mothers and daughters when their loved ones are imprisoned.”

The setting in Ossining’s Louis Engel Park is near a decommissioned prison guard tower and a children’s play area, which is a comment on the theme of the dance relating to how families and children are affected by incarceration.

The first presentation of The Wait Room on the East Coast has been made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Tickets to see The Wait Room are $25 each and are available online at

The Wait Room All proceeds will benefit the Sing Sing Prison Museum and are tax-deductible. Donations beyond the purchase price will be used to give free tickets to the families of incarcerated individuals. For more information, contact the Sing Sing Prison Museum at 914-236-5407 or at info@singsingprisonmuseum.org.

ABOUT FLYAWAY PRODUCTIONS

Founded in 1996 by Jo Kreiter, Flyaway Productions is an apparatus-based dance company that explores the range and power of female physicality and advances social issues in the public realm. The company uses the artistry of spinning, flying and suspension to engage political issues. Flyaway creates dances on both architectural and fabricated steel objects, with dancers suspended anywhere from two to 100 feet off the ground. Flyaway has a long history of transforming oral history into public art, articulating the experiences of unseen women. www.flyawayproductions.com

ABOUT SING SING PRISON MUSEUM

Sing Sing Prison Museum, slated to open in 2025, will be the extraordinary location where the complex and compelling stories of two hundred years of incarceration will be shared with the public on the grounds of America’s most historic active prison, Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, NY.  Through its exhibitions, collections and programs, Sing Sing Prison Museum will provide a forum for the examination of historic and contemporary issues in the criminal justice system, and their social, political and cultural impact.  www.singsingprisonmuseum.org

ABOUT BETHANY ARTS COMMUNITY

The mission of Bethany Arts Community is to create a space and environment where the many forms of art can be learned, produced and flourish. Artists of all ages and levels of experience are welcome to explore and create art that the community can experience and be engaged in while enhancing their perception and perspective of the world. BAC aims to inspire sharing, connection and collaboration in a culture designed for the benefit of the local community and beyond. www.bethanyarts.org.

REVIEWS FROM WEST COAST PERFORMANCES

SF CHRONICLE REVIEW

INDEPENDENT REVIEW

48 HILLS

IN DANCE

VIMEO TRAILER

News courtesy of Sing Sing Prison Museum and Bethany Arts Community

Armonk Resident to Star in TUCK EVERLASTING the Musical

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Nick Varsames

For Nick Varsames, performing has always been an integral part of his life; he loves it because for him, it is an escape from everyday life. Soon, he will have a chance to perform once again. The Armonk resident has been cast in the White Plains Performing Arts Center’s Stage 2 production of Tuck Everlasting, opening this weekend and running August 2-11.

Varsames started performing at the age of seven while living in Colorado. When he moved to New York five years ago, WPPAC became his theatrical home. At sixteen years old, this was the first year he was eligible to audition for the Stage 2 program and he jumped at the chance. He loves Tuck Everlasting, because, in his words, “this show specifically holds both a sense of realism and escapism with the idea of immortality.”
 
A heartwarming, rapturous musical about living life to the fullest, Tuck Everlasting centers around a girl named Winnie Foster. When she goes looking for adventure and meets a family with a fabulous secret, their chance encounter will change them all forever. The show explores eternal love, never-ending life, and what it means to truly feel alive.
 
Along with Varsames, Tuck Everlasting stars Haylie Shea as Winnie Foster and features Matthew Rafanelli as Jesse Tuck, Mikey Marmann as Miles Tuck, Gabi Garcia as Mae Tuck, Daniel Pivovar as Angus Tuck, Maurice Chinnery as Constable Joe, Nathan Clift as Hugo, and local favorite John Anthony Lopez, as the Man in the Yellow Suit. The cast also includes Gracie Bryant, Kimberly Burgering, Catherine Cavender, Kyle Hanchar, Jason Herring, Liberty Laferriere, Quiana Leigh, Kevin Lynch, Annastasia Mercedes, Leighann Navarro, Alexis Paige Miller, Sierra Nelson, Paolo Robert Perri, Sammy Quinn, Zack Tashoff, Remi Tuckman, Christie Vozniak, Madison Watson, and Rebecca Zeller.
 
TUCK EVERLASTING is directed by Amy Griffin and choreographed by Kelli Gautreau with musical direction by Stephen Ferri. Scenic Design by Travis A. George, Costume Design by Heather Craig, Lighting Design by Jamie Roderick, Sound Design by Joel Abbott, Stage Managed by Jack Rhea. Music by Chris Miller, lyrics by Nathan Tysen, book by Claudia Shear and Tim Federle, based upon the novel by Natalie Babbitt.
 
For tickets visit the theatre box office Monday-Friday (11am-6pm), purchase the tickets online at wppac.com or call 914-328-1600. For Group Sales, please contact boxoffice@wppac.com.
 
TUCK EVERLASTING is produced by Stage 2, a program created by WPPAC to bridge the gap between our Education programs and Mainstage, giving college and community performers the chance to work in a regional theatre under the guidance of professional artists. More information can be found at http://wppac.com/shows/tuck-everlasting/
 
News courtesy of the White Plains Performing Arts Center

Third Thursday in Armonk: NOTE RAIN DATE PLANS/Changes

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Autos and Music, and Sales… Oh My

Due to the weather forecast, the Armonk Car Show will be held Friday, July 19, in downtown Armonk starting at 5pm. Tomorrow’s concert, 1 Stop Pony Band, will still be on Thursday, July 18, but will be held at the North Castle Library’s Whippoorwill Hall. 

SCHEDULE

  • CAR SHOW AND PARADE DOWNTOWN: FRIDAY, JULY 19, begins 5 P.M
  • FREE CONCERT, 1 Stop Pony Band, has been moved to the North Castle Library’s Whippoorwill Hall
  • SALE DAYS IN ARMONK as planned

 

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Donate Your Graduation Gowns

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Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and New Jersey has teamed up with Horace Greeley High School Junior Daniel Greenstein to recover graduation gowns.  Goodwill has agreed to accept the donated gowns as a part of its sustainability efforts.

After the big day, graduating seniors, and even alumni, can drop off their gowns and caps at the high school.   Graduates can look for the bins outside the gym at the graduation, and for the week after graduation.   The gowns will be donated to Goodwill Industries of Greater New York & Northern New Jersey.

Daniel Greenstein said “hundreds of graduation gowns worn by students sit in closets for years before they end up in the trash.  We need to keep graduation gowns out of landfills.  This effort will maximize the sustainability of graduation gowns”

About Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey

Goodwill NYNJ is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.  They exist to uplift the local communities of New York and Northern New Jersey by using funds generated in their retail stores and donation centers to support employment opportunities for people with disabilities or other obstacles to employment.

For more information contact Daniel Greenstein –dgreenstein221@gmail.com

Northern Westchester Hospital Receives The Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award ™ 2019

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Mt. Kisco, New York— Northern Westchester Hospital has received The Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award™ 2019, which recognizes hospitals for outstanding performance in delivering a positive experience for patients during their hospital stay. The annual award given by Healthgrades, a leading online resource for information about physicians and hospitals, recognizes hospitals around the country that make patient safety a top priority and provide an outstanding patient experience.

“We are delighted to be recognized with this important award,” said Maria Hale, PsyD, MBA, Associate Executive Director at NWH. “As a teaching hospital and nationally recognized leader for patient-centered care, NWH is committed to creating innovative programs and services that are fundamentally attentive to the needs of our patients and their families.

Our patients’ health and well-being is our top priority, and we strive to provide our patients and their families with the best possible experience. We have a number of programs in place including the Ken Hamilton Caregivers Center, the Aranow Art Cart, our Food is Care program, Pet Therapy and Integrative Medicine, which support the delivery of patient-centered care, which we believe is essential in ensuring the best outcomes for our patients and their families.”

In 2019, 434 hospitals received The Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award™, representing the top 15 percent of hospitals in the nation for patient experience. As part of the analysis, Healthgrades evaluated 3,449 hospitals that submitted at least 100 patient experience surveys to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), covering admissions from January 2017 through December 2017 to identify hospital performance in this area.

“Consumers are becoming more involved in their own health care, and are spending more time researching and selecting the right provider and hospital for their specific needs. Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award™ highlights the hospitals that are making patient experience a priority and will help patients feel confident to make more informed decisions about their health care,” said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical officer, Healthgrades.

Healthgrades evaluated hospital performance by applying a scoring methodology to nine patient experience measures, using data collected from a 32-question patient experience survey of the hospital’s own patients. The survey questions focus on patients’ perspectives of their care in the hospital, ranging from cleanliness and noise levels in patient rooms to factors such as provider communication. The measures also include whether a patient would recommend the hospital to friends or family.

Healthgrades found that 81 percent of patients would recommend Northern Westchester Hospital, 11 percent higher than the national average. It also found that 79 percent of patients gave the hospital a rating of nine or 10, 10 percent higher than the national average.

This is the third year that Northern Westchester Hospital was awarded Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award ™. It also received Healthgrades Stroke Care Excellence Award in 2019, 2018 and 2017.

For more information about Patient Centered Care and Innovation at NWH, visit https://nwhc.net/about-us/patient-centered-care.

About Northern Westchester Hospital

Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH), a member of Northwell Health, provides quality, patient-centered care that is close to home through a unique combination of medical expertise, leading-edge technology, and a commitment to humanity. Over 650 highly-skilled physicians, state-of-the-art technology and professional staff of caregivers are all in place to ensure that you and your family receive treatment in a caring, respectful and nurturing environment. NWH has established extensive internal quality measurements that surpass the standards defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA) National Hospital Quality Measures. Our high-quality standards help to ensure that the treatment you receive at NWH is among the best in the nation. For more information, please visit www.nwhc.net and connect with us on Facebook

 About Northwell Health

Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 23 hospitals, about 750 outpatient facilities and more than 13,600 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 69,000 employees – 16,000-plus nurses and 4,000 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We’re training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu.