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Harvey Presents: An Afternoon with Actress Glenn Close on November 5

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KATONAH, NY– Stage, screen and TV actress Glenn Close will appear at The Harvey School on Sunday, November 5 at 4 p.m. as part of the community program series Harvey Presents. Close, a six time Academy Award nominee and winner of three Tonys and three Emmys, will appear at Harvey’s Walker Center for the Arts. The event will be moderated by special guest host, acclaimed film and theater critic Pat Collins.

General admission is $50. Seating is limited.

To order tickets go to www.harveyschool.org/harveypresents or call (914) 232-3161 ext. 161 for more information.

 

 

More on Glenn Close and Pat Collins

A six-time Academy Award nominee, Close stars in the title role of the film adaptation of Meg Wolitzer’s bestselling novel, The Wife, with Jonathan Pryce and Christian Slater for Swedish director Bjorn Runge. The film had its world debut at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival premiering to rave reviews for her performance. Close is also in Julian Fellow’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Crooked House alongside an all-star cast that included Max Irons, Christina Hendricks, Gillian Anderson and Terence Stamp.

Close reprised her Tony Award-winning role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Sunset Boulevard in a new production at the London Coliseum in the Spring of 2016.  For that performance she won a London Evening Standard Award and was nominated for an Olivier Award. The full production, starring Close, opened on Broadway this February, for an exclusive limited engagement.

Close made her feature film debut in George Roy Hill’s The World According to Garp, earning her awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Board of Review as well as her first Academy Award nomination. She was subsequently Oscar-nominated for The Big Chill, The Natural, Fatal Attraction and Stephen Frears’ Dangerous Liaisons (for which she was also a BAFTA Award nominee).

Close received her sixth Academy Award nomination in 2012, along with Golden Globe and SAG nominations, for Albert Nobbs. She wrote the screenplay with (Man Booker prize-winning novelist) John Banville. Close was also a producer on the film and composed the lyrics for the Golden Globe and World Soundtrack-nominated song, “Lay Your Head Down.” For Albert Nobbs, she received the Irish Film and Television Award (IFTA) as “Best Foreign Actress,” was voted “Best Actress” at the 2011 Tokyo International Film Festival, and was honored for her performance by the San Sebastian Film Festival (Donostia Award), Hollywood Film Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival and the Palm Springs Film Festival.

Her recent film appearances include What Happened to Monday, The Girl With All the Gifts, Wilde Wedding and the upcoming comedy Bastards. Her film credits include Richard Marquand’s Jagged Edge, Barbet Schroeder’s Reversal of Fortune, Franco Zeffirelli’s Hamlet, István Szabó’s Meeting Venus, Ron Howard’s The Paper, Stephen Herek’s 101 Dalmatians, Kevin Lima’s 102 Dalmatians, Wolfgang Petersen’s Air Force One, Robert Altman’s Cookie’s Fortune, Rose Troche’s The Safety of Objects, Merchant Ivory’s Le Divorce, Chris Terrio’s Heights, Rodrigo García’s Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her and Nine Lives, Evening, Low Down, 5 to 7, Anesthesia, The Great Gilly Hopkins and Guardians of the Galaxy.

In 2012, Close headlined the fifth and final season of the critically-acclaimed original legal thriller, Damages. For her riveting portrayal of high-stakes litigator ‘Patty Hewes’, Close won two consecutive Emmys as “Best Actress in a Drama Series” and two subsequent Emmy nominations, along with a Golden Globe Award and three SAG Award nominations.

Close’s twelve Golden Globe nominations include a Best Actress win for Andrei Konchalovsky’s adaptation of The Lion in Winter (which also earned her a SAG Award). Among the television projects that have brought her twelve Emmy nominations, is an Emmy Award for her performance as Margarethe Cammermeyer in Serving in Silence: the Margarethe Cammermeyer Story (for which she also received a Peabody Award as executive producer).

Other television credits include The Shield, The Elephant Man, Something About Amelia, Stones for Ibarra, The Ballad of Lucy Whipple and In the Gloaming, for which she won a CableACE Award. She executive produced and starred in Richard Pearce’s musical remake of South Pacific for ABC TV. She also executive produced the Sarah, Plain and Tall trilogy for the Hallmark Hall of Fame, starring in all three opposite Christopher Walken.

Close made her theatre, and Broadway, debut in Harold Prince’s revival of Love for Love. Her theater credits include The Crucifer of Blood, The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs (Obie Award), Barnum (Tony nomination) and Tony Awards for her performances in The Real Thing and Death and the Maiden, both directed by Mike Nichols. In London, she reteamed with the director of the original Sunset Boulevard stage production, Trevor Nunn, in his Royal National Theatre revival of A Streetcar Named Desire. She returned to Broadway for the 2014 revival production of Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance.

In 2009, Glenn Close co-founded Bring Change 2 Mind, a charity dedicated to confronting, head-on, the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness by empowering people to start the conversation. The idea for the organization came about following Close’s first-hand observation of battles with mental illness within her family. For more information, please visit www.Bringchange2mind.org.

Close actively supports Puppies Behind Bars and their program Dog Tags: Service Dogs for Those Who’ve Served Us. Close is a Founding Member and current Co-Chair of the Conservation Council for Panthera.  Panthera is an international nonprofit whose sole mission is conservation of the world’s 36 species of wild cats. She is a trustee emeritus of The Sundance Institute, having served as a board member for 16 years.

 

Pat Collins

Pat Collins, an Emmy Award-winning critic, has enjoyed a long professional relationship with Glenn Close from the actress’s early roles on screen and on Broadway. Collins won Emmys for “The Pat Collins Show” and as a member of the news team at WCBS TV where she served as its film and theater critic. Subsequently, she covered entertainment news for “Good Morning America” and “The CBS Morning News.” At WWOR-TV, Collins hosted a number of behind-the-scenes-Broadway specials in addition to reviewing film and theater for the “10 O’ Clock News.” Collins has hosted several specials for CUNY TV including “Kinky Boots: The Road To Broadway,” a three-part series on independent films, and a special marking the 50th anniversary of “Fiddler On The Roof.” 

Collins serves as the president of The Joe Raposo Music Group which administers the catalogue of compositions of her late husband Joe Raposo, a co-creator of “Sesame Street” and its longtime musical director. Pat and her husband William Sarnoff live in Bedford.

 

 

Arc of Westchester Hosts Art Reception at Chappaqua Library Gallery

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L-R: Robert E. Miss, chair, Advisory Committee, gallery265; Nancy Patota, executive director, Arc of Westchester Foundation; Rita Ross, Chappaqua resident and board member, Arc of Westchester; Tom Hoffman, donor, Arc of Westchester; Jean Hoffman; Ric Swierat, executive director, Arc of Westchester

Chappaqua, NY – Arc of Westchester hosted a reception on Thursday, September 7, at the Chappaqua Library Gallery to view and discuss “In the Moment,” which features works from talented artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities. All of the artists are participants in gallery265, Arc of Westchester’s creative arts program. “In the Moment” was on exhibit through September 23. For more information, visit www.arcwestchester.org.

Arc of Westchester donor Tom Hoffman and his wife Jean purchase a painting by John Israel, a gallery265 artist.

 

 

 

Kathy Higgins and Rita Ross, Chappaqua residents and members of The Exceptional People Committee, a New Castle organization that is trying to find ways to better the lives of people in the town who have special needs, in the areas of social, educational, training and vocational opportunities, transportation, housing, and care services.

 

 

 

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About Arc of Westchester

Arc of Westchester, founded in 1949, is the largest agency in Westchester County supporting children, teens and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including individuals on the autism spectrum, and their families. Over 800 employees provide more than 2,000 individuals throughout the county with a broad range of innovative and effective programs and services designed to foster independence, productivity and participation in community life. The mission of Arc of Westchester is to empower children, teens and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including individuals on the autism spectrum, to achieve their potential by strengthening families and encouraging personal choices, abilities and interests. Arc of Westchester is a chapter of NYSARC, Inc. and The Arc.

Supporting ‘The Perfect Spot’ at MKCCC’s Feed Me Fresh Gala Fundraiser

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Article and Photos by Grace Bennett

(L-R) Kelly Sullivan, Helen Bock, Patty Black and Dawn Meyerski hosting the 13th Annual Feed Me Fresh gala fundraiser for the Mount Kisco Child Care Center

Bedford Hills, September 16–In the warm and bucolic setting of gorgeous Ivanna Farms, a spectacular evening unfolded Saturday night with the singular goal of supporting the Mount Kisco Child Care Center (MKCCC), their efforts to provide quality child care and to make child care affordable to as many working parents as possible.  The event was MKCCC’s 13th annual ‘Feed Me Fresh’ gala fundraiser and it came complete with mingling and learning early on in the ‘lower tent,’ wonderful music by The Shaves and Chappaqua’s own Jon Cobert, a culinary feast featuring samplings from multiple area restaurants and eateries in the ‘upper tent,’ a live auction, and of course a celebration of MKCCC’s 2017 honorees. 

The Honorees were: Eric Hadar (long-time supporter and host with honorary co-chairs Margery Hadar and Karen Newman), Fran Osborne (MKCCC board member and honorary co-chairs Toni Kelly and Betsy Towl) and ‘Team Amy’ and honorary co-chairs Madeline Crabtree and John Crabtree.  

Kelly Sullivan, chair of Feed Me Fresh, noted the generous time volunteers give to the event both in terms of planning and decorating, “to throw the nicest party of the year.” Board member and child care expert Barbara Klein related to the Inside Press that her grandchild is now being cared for at MKCCC. “Having run the Chappaqua Children’s Workshop for many years where I worked with older children, this is my first experience observing an infant in child care. I was very impressed with the care and commitment.  It’s a setting with very special people doing an amazing job. I firmly believe our family picked the perfect spot.”

Attendees Colleen and Ron Pascione of Millwood proudly stated that they had three children cared for at MKCCC and the oldest now volunteers there too. Chappaqua’s Claire Frieder said she supports the event because of the invaluable ‘peace of mind’ available to working parents “and especially those who can’t afford the regular costs of child care.”

More of the Center’s ‘Feed Me Fresh’ news coming soon and will be added here about the generous support  raised ‘to help provide access to quality child care for working families’ at the Mount Kisco Child Care Center. To follow updates about the event too,  or to donate, visit mkccc.org.

Delicious cilantro pesto samples were offered courtesy of these young volunteers who learn how to grow their own, and the benefit of home gardens, at MKCCC’s very own garden, too.
Honoree Fran Osborne (left) and friends at Feed Me Fresh.

100 Years of Women’s Suffrage in New York State with a “Party in Greeley’s Garden”

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2017 marks the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in New York State.  New York State awarded this right to women three years before the 19th Amendment expanded it nationwide.

In honor of this significant anniversary, the New Castle Historical Society (located in downtown Chappaqua) is hosting “A Party in Greeley’s Garden: Celebrating 100 Years of Women’s Suffrage in NYS,” on Friday, September 15, 2017, from 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm, at the Horace Greeley House Museum. 

All proceeds from the event support the NCHS; and a portion of these funds will be used toward the creation of a special exhibition exploring the Women’s Suffrage Movement and the life of Carrie Chapman Catt, a leading suffragist and a former New Castle resident. The exhibition will open in this fall.

“Carrie Chapman Catt, along with her many suffragist contemporaries, will forever be remembered for their steadfast struggle to empower women by solidifying their right to vote.  These women, many of whom were extremely active in Westchester County and throughout New York State, exemplify to the fullest what it means to embody strength, courage, and tenacity.  Catt’s legacy of determination and independence will inspire girls and boys, and women and men, for generations to come,” said Cassie Ward, Executive Director of the New Castle Historical Society.

“It is important that we recognize, remember, and discuss influential historical figures like Carrie Chapman Catt; for it is in the exploration and understanding of their lives and legacies, that we often find inspiration and guidance for our own, modern lives. The NCHS’s upcoming Garden Party celebration and exhibition provide us with the perfect opportunity to remember, recognize, and discuss these leaders.”

The Women’s Suffrage Garden Party celebration will include 20th century suffrage-related music, wine, hors d’oeuvres, and a silent auction. At the party, guests will enjoy the historic outdoor space just as the Greeley Family did over 160 years ago. Guests are encouraged to dress like their favorite suffragist, or to dress as the suffragists did, entirely in white.

To buy tickets or to become a sponsor, please visit newcastlehs.org, call (914) 238-4666, or email Cassie Ward at director@newcastlehs.org. Sponsored by: The Inside Press (Media Sponsor), Nicolaysen Agency, Inc., and Douglas Elliman Real Estate.

The New Castle Historical Society is a non-profit organization that discovers, collects, preserves, and communicates the history of the Town of New Castle.

P.O. Box 55 | 100 King Street | Chappaqua, NY 10514 | (914) 238-4666 | newcastlehs.org

A Summer Solstice and ‘Interconnected’ Energy at the On Your Mat For Mental Health Yoga Event!

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 ‘A calm, peaceful, introspective evening’ lead by Beryl Bender Birch continued MHA of Westchester’s work in spreading awareness and removing the stigma

By Amanda Kraus

Nearly one in five Americans experience mental illness first hand. Considering this staggering fact, it is likely that everyone is affected by psychological diseases in one way or another. We all know someone–a sister or brother, parent, friend, or coworker–who struggles with one or more of the myriad of mental illnesses. But if mental illness is so prevalent in our society, then why are we so reluctant to talk about it?

In order to get Westchester County thinking, The Mental Health Association of Westchester (MHA) hosted an “On Your Mat For Mental Health” yoga event, in which Beryl Bender Birch, a renowned yoga instructor, lead a yoga class for all ages and abilities, in White Plains’ J Harvey Turnure Memorial Park.

It was meant to be; the rain held out, giving way to a beautiful, temperate evening, that also happened to be the summer solstice and the International Day of Yoga. The park was graced by the soothing, unique sounds of the Brooklyn-based group, House of Waters, preceding the yoga class, as well as a Yoga Marketplace, which featured local vendors, businesses, and organizations.

Before handing over the stage to Beryl, Charlotte Ostman, the CEO of MHA shared a few words. The purpose of hosting this event was to raise awareness of the issues surrounding mental illness as well as funds for their organization, and most importantly, to start a conversation within the community. “Shame, stigma, and discrimination have no place in our organization,” said Ostman. What better way to bring the community together than through yoga, a practice that not only benefits us physically, but also mentally and spiritually.

“Yoga isn’t just what you do on the mat, it’s what you do in your community to keep mentally and physically healthy,” remarked Birch upon gracing the stage. She spoke about the mental and spiritual benefits of yoga, and how it can help us keep in touch with ourselves and the present moment. Accompanying the conversation of mental health is the spread of practicing yoga. When we can acknowledge that yoga and health are undeniably connected, we can make more progress in our communities and our lives.

Even Beryl couldn’t deny the incredibly interconnected energy that was flowing throughout the park.  I even forgot that we were in the middle of a bustling city. It was a calm, peaceful, introspective evening, that unfortunately had to draw to a close. But it doesn’t have to end there; the conversation is just starting. It takes one to influence many, to influence many more. A community is only great if it supports everyone in it. Since everyone is affected by mental illness, it is important that we get everyone talking about it. Once we normalize mental illness, we can begin to rid of its stigma.

Inside Press summer intern Amanda Kraus is a rising junior at Tulane University studying English, Philosophy, and Psychology.