The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Gotta Have Arts

Take One, Take Two, and … ‘Take Three!’

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The Exciting New Wine Bar & Cafe Debuts at the Jacob Burns Film Center

The Take 3 Wine Bar & Café has opened on the top floor of the Jacob Burns Film Center! The culmination of the recent theater renovation project, Take 3 offers JBFC patrons the opportunity to elevate their moviegoing experience by “coming early or staying late” to discuss films with other moviegoers over food and drinks. Take 3 Wine Bar & Café is open to the public and ticketholders during the hours of operation Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 10 p.m.

“Last spring, we completed renovations on our three original theaters, and now we are thrilled to introduce Take 3 Wine Bar & Café to our patrons,” said Mary Jo Ziesel, JBFC Executive Director. “This exciting addition reaffirms JBFC’s commitment to being a dynamic cultural destination where art, community, and now a delightful selection of food and beverages come together. Our aim is to provide a welcoming space for our patrons to gather, converse, and savor moments before or after enjoying a film.”

Take 3 Wine Bar & Café’s menu will feature sandwiches, salads, pastries, charcuterie, mac n’’cheese, pretzels, and baked goods from local businesses including Second Mouse Cheese Shop, Irving Farm, Posh Pretzels, Feel Good Booch – and renowned New York City restaurant Balthazar. The beer will be sourced from the Captain Lawrence Brewing Company as well as Soul Brewing Company, along with cider from Thompson’s Cider Mill. The wines include a selection of reds, whites, rosés, and sparkling. Boasting kid-friendly fare as well as non-alcoholic beverage options, Take 3 Wine Bar & Café is also the perfect place for families to kick back and relax after a JBFC Kids screening.

“The expertise and creative touch of Laureen Barber, a dedicated JBFC board member and co-owner and designer of Blue Hill at Stone Barns, has been invaluable throughout this project. Laureen’s design sensibility has truly shaped the ambiance and aesthetic of the space, transforming it into a place of comfort and elegance,” said JBFC Board Chair Lynn Sobel.

Adjacent to Take 3, the Jane Peck Gallery features an exclusive new exhibit, Bill Gold: 70 Years of Iconic Movies, which offers an unprecedented glimpse into the private collection of Bill Gold–arguably the most prolific movie poster designer of his time–curated by his widow and collaborator Susan Gold. It will present one-of-a-kind original illustrations, alternate poster designs, and interesting behind-the-scenes stories spanning seven decades of iconic movie classics, from Casablanca to Mystic River. We encourage visitors to explore the exhibit, immerse themselves in cinematic history, and learn about Bill Gold’s visionary approach to creating some of the world’s most unforgettable movie posters. The Jane Peck Gallery is open seven days a week during Theater operating hours.

This spring and summer will busy at the JBFC as it welcomes new, hotly anticipated first-run films like Wicked Little Letters with Olivia Colman, Oscar-nominated Robot Dreams, and The Bikeriders with Jodie Comer, among many others. Family-friendly screenings continue on Saturdays with Belle, Ferngully: The Last Rainforest, Ernest & Celestine, an Encanto Sing-Along, Brave, and Hugo in 3D.

Limited series Nicholas Ray: Hollywood Maverick kicks off in April with monthly screenings through June, including Rebel Without a Cause on 35mm.

The JBFC celebrated Earth Day in April with three Focus on Nature special events, while in May, the JBFC screened Star Wars: A New Hope, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi for the first time in its history. May also saw the advent of Restored & Rediscovered: A Film Preservation Film Festival – an ambitious new venture designed to not only offer screenings of newly-restored and rarely-seen films, but also highlighted the extensive and labor-intensive work of film preservation by celebrating the institutions, organizations, and individuals who are saving cinema’s past for future audiences.

Next time you see a movie at the JBFC, be sure to stop by Take 3 Wine Bar & Café!

Byram Hills High School Gets a New Art Gallery

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A pair of shoes slung over a utility line in Paris. Ice skaters in New York’s Central Park. A glacier surrounded by mountains in Alaska. A lone black crow atop an Armonk supermarket. A single, beautiful orchid in the kitchen.

These scenes and others, photographed in locales near and very far away, made up “Captured Adventures: A Journey in Photographs,” the first exhibit in Byram Hills High School’s new student-run art gallery, Art Works.

The travel photography show, featuring 26 pieces, celebrated memories from meaningful places and the stories behind them. With classical music playing, students, families, teachers, and administrators surveyed the art and engaged in lively conversation at an opening reception on the evening of December 4.

“This wonderful event brought our community together in a very real and organic way,” said art teacher Michael Chuney, the adviser to the Art Works club. “It was really nice to see how supportive the artists were to each other, talking about their work, and watching everyone engage in conversations about the art and asking questions. Art truly brings people together.”

The gallery, located in a transformed, freshly painted area in the back of the high school library, was created as a dedicated space to display art created by Byram Hills students, teachers and staff members, giving an artistic outlet to the entire school.

“The gallery serves as a creative hub, fostering ideas and celebrating artistic expression,” Mr. Chuney said. “It provides a venue not only for students but also for people outside of art classes to showcase their artistic side. The gallery also opens up possibilities for those who may have never recognized their artistic voice.”

Through the club, students learn how to put together a thematic art show and run a gallery. For the first show, the students solicited travel photography, curated the artwork, helped prepare the gallery space for the inaugural show, and hung the photographs.

The photography exhibit will run for six to eight weeks, and two other school-wide exhibitions are planned for this year. The space may also be used for students who want to stage a solo show.

Soothe your Soul at a Caramoor Springtime Concert

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Lakecia Benjamin & Phoenix (April 19)

This month marks the first performances of the year at Caramoor Center for Music & The Arts in Katonah, all set in the warmth and beauty of the Music Room at the Rosen House.

The Spring Season features three chamber concerts: Ivalas Quartet (Sunday, February 25), multi-Grammy winning Pacifica Quartet (Sunday, April 14), and Abeo Quartet (Sunday, May 5), Caramoor’s 2023-24 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence. Vocal music fans will want to catch Caramoor’s Schwab Vocal Rising Stars (Sunday, March 17) and Will Liverman (Sunday, March 24).

Will Liverman, baritone (March 24th)

In April, in partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center, Caramoor will present charismatic alto saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin & Phoenix, for an evening that fuses jazz, hip-hop, and soul (Friday, April 19).

This May, in collaboration with City Winery, Caramoor presents Smithsonian Folkways artist and multi-instrumentalist Jack Blount who will share his interpretations of Black folk music via the banjo, fiddle, electric guitar and synthesizer (Saturday, May 11). May also brings a sold-out performance from the Chopin International Competition-winning piano virtuoso Seong-Jin Cho (Wednesday, May 15), just days before his sold-out performance at Carnegie Hall.

The Spring season wraps up on Sunday, May 19, with Caramoor’s first outdoor concert of the year. This Family Concert on Friends Field features Sonia de los Santos, offering delightful songs for children and adults of all ages, and vocals in English and Spanish. Tickets for Caramoor’s Spring concerts, as well as Saturday Rosen House Tours and the popular Afternoon Teas, are on sale now… and, not to fear: the full Caramoor Summer Season will be announced on Tuesday, March 5! Tickets for summer will go on sale that day to members, followed by the public on sale on Tuesday, March 12. Please visit caramoor.org.

The Chappaqua Performing Arts Center: Flourishing Now and Into the Spring

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“We want to choose productions that bring in different types of audiences when we’re programming for the season,” began Michele Gregson, Chair of Friends of The Chappaqua Performing Arts Center (ChappPac for short), during a recent Inside Press interview. They have certainly succeeded as the beautiful 425-seat theater located in the former Reader’s Digest campus boasts a diverse and vibrant lineup of upcoming productions this year. From shorter shows for children like Theater Works’ new musical Dot, Dot, Dot, to an Office TV show trivia night hosted by fan-favorite Office cast-member, David Koechner, ChappPac has something for everyone to get excited about this spring. “And there truly isn’t a bad seat in the house,” said Gregson, who says she always enjoys spending time in the beautiful space.

What’s Coming

“People are already freaking out about ‘Office Trivia Night,’ they’re so excited,” said Gregson. Fans of The Office will be thrilled to see David Koechner, who played the obnoxious Todd Packer on the show. “I like the idea because it’s different. It’s people competing, but there’s still a story to tell,” she said.

Excitement is already building around Dot, Dot, Dot, as well, a colorful and vibrant musical for kids adapted from an award-winning series of picture books that, “celebrates the power of originality, self-expression, and opening our eyes to look beyond the expected.”

“I would love to have the Taylor Swift movie here too,” said Gregson. “It’s all about community,” she said. “I would love to have all those people gathering here instead of just watching it in their homes.” With monthly rotating events planned, she noted, “We want ChappPac to be a true art center.”

“Part of our vision is to have a theater company of our own,” said Gregson. This vision also includes launching a children’s theater company, as well as instructional classes. “Everyone on the board went to theater school and is either an actor or writer by trade. We already have all the pieces we need,” said Gregson. The proof is in the pudding, as one of their original productions, Interactive Elf, an interactive watch-along experience set to the movie Elf, starring Will Ferrel, just celebrated its second year this past holiday season.

Interactive Elf came about when Gregson sought to stage a watchalong event for the cult film, Rocky Horror Picture Show, which has a long history of midnight watchalong screenings. Interactive screenings typically involve a script that each audience member receives that tells them how to react (shouting something out, throwing popcorn at the screen, etc.) when a key moment comes up in the film. Instead of doing another Rocky Horror event for adults, Gregson decided to apply the same concept to a kid’s movie, which proved to be a big hit for kids and adults alike. “We always tell parents to bring your kids who can’t sit still,” said Gregson. “This show is for them!”

ChappPac received a grant last year to bring back Comedy Nights – unique comedy shows in which each comedian is essentially their own show. “When we bring people in, we want them to come back, and we want them to recommend ChappPac to their friends,” said Gregson. “We got a lot of great comedians through referrals!”

A Community Within A Community/Additional Programming

Creating a community with the artists they work with, as well as being a part of their own community in Chappaqua, is a basic goal. “We love partnering with town committees and locals whenever we have the opportunity,” said Gregson. Every year ChappPac spotlights young artists in their 20s who grew up in Chappaqua. “We don’t want anyone to think that unless you’re an investment banker, there’s no hope for you. We want young people to know that you can make money and have a profession in the arts.” In ChappPac, there just might be a treasured venue to perhaps showcase your talent one day.  

Additional programming came to our attention, post press time: a Dance Performance Benefit for Skyla Schreter’s Dance Company, and a forum titled “Says Who” with Dr. Anne Curzan.

And a Fond Look Back: 

Theater goers had the opportunity to observe three young women breaking barriers in a program hosted by Frank Shiner and Michele Gregson. Producer Diana Cody, (Chappaqua’s!) Lindsay Shiner (luminous as “Bonnie”) and writer/director Josie Hull (who is 19!) shared film clips and discussed their award-winning short films Cookbook for Southern Housewives and Black Velvet. Online, we noted the stylish and compelling performances by Shiner (who is reminiscent of a young Elizabeth Taylor–her sparkling eyes and sultry soulfulness!) in lead roles. – Grace Bennett

Skyla Schreter Dance Performance Benefit Coming to Chappaqua Performing Arts Center on March 22

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Friday March 22nd at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center

480 N Bedford Ave, Chappaqua NY 10514

8pm GA | 7pm VIP

Skyla Schreter Dance is a genre-defying dance company led by Choreographer and Artistic Director Skyla Schreter. Born and raised in Chappaqua, NY, Skyla was invited to the world-renowned School of American Ballet in New York City at the age of 9. Following years of performances with New York City Ballet before the age of 17, Skyla went on to join the Boston Ballet, and then to join the internationally acclaimed San Francisco Ballet. Skyla’s choreography has been commissioned and presented by prestigious New York festivals such as the Hudson Valley Dance Festival and the Fire Island Dance Festival, events produced by Dancers Responding to AIDS, a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. Skyla has also received national recognition for her dance films, which she has produced, directed and choreographed. She is a 2024 grant recipient of the New York State Council on the Arts Award for Choreography and has been selected for the New York State Danceforce Choreographer’s Initiative Award for 2024. Skyla is also a Professor of Dance at Vassar College.

On March 22, 2024 the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center in Chappaqua, NY will be hosting a fundraising event to benefit Skyla Schreter Dance, raising funds to support the creation and presentation of the company’s upcoming new works – to be performed throughout the Hudson Valley and NYC. The Skyla Schreter Dance Performance Benefit is a rare opportunity to see world-class professional dance in Westchester, and to be a vital part of supporting an innovative, female choreographer-led dance company as they continue their ascent with their uniquely ground-breaking performances. 

The Benefit will include a World Premiere performance of Skyla Schreter’s newest dance piece, “The Flock” – never before presented publicly. Following the performance will be a moderated artist panel with the dancers and collaborating artists of Skyla Schreter Dance. There will be a cash bar and a Silent Auction featuring original paintings by Skyla Schreter Dance collaborating artists Michelle Silver and Aaron Sanders, exclusively available for bidding at the Performance Benefit.

Tickets available at: https://ssdbenefit.bpt.me

                   ~ VIP $100 | GA $60 ~

Press contact: skylaschreterdance@gmail.com

Learn More at skylaschreterdance.com/benefit, and on Instagram @skylaschreter.dance

 

News & Photos Courtesy of Skyla Schreter Dance