The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Armonk

Byram Hills High School Theater Program Celebrates its Golden Anniversary with New ‘Theater Honors Wall’

by

The entire cast of Les Misérables at Byram Hills High School
PRESTIGE PORTRAITS BY LIFETOUCH

 

For the past five decades, Byram Hills Theater Program has been churning out an impressive array of students who have eventually pursued successful careers in movies, television and stage productions.

Alumni of the program were honored this past March and were invited to partake in an unveiling ceremony of a new Theater Honors Wall displayed outside the high school’s theater.

The ceremony took place before the current theater group’s matinee production of Les Misérables which several of the honorees attended.

Faculty and current members of the theater group recognized 26 honorees–24 alumni plus two former directors of the program and included actor Eddie Cahill of the shows CSI: NY and Friends; Bryce Dallas Howard, one of the leads in the 2015 blockbuster Jurassic World; and David Harbour, who played Police Chief Jim Hopper in the Netflix hit Stranger Things.

They also include producers, lighting designers, composers, arts educators and people involved in regional theater across the U.S. Each year the wall will have additional alumni added to it.

Many of the alumni credit the strong theater program with helping propel them towards a career in the arts. Grant Sturiale (Class of 1975) who attended the ceremony and is now a Broadway conductor and composer reminisced about how he participated in Byram Hills productions every year while in high school under the direction of theater teacher Gene Bissell. Commented Sturiale: “Bissell was a life force in the theater. He directed shows like we were opening at the Winter Garden Theater on Broadway. It imbued on all of us this tremendous sense of responsibility. He was a dynamic man and teacher.”

Byram Hills Theater Honorees stand by the new ‘Theater Honors Walls.’ Alumni (L-R): Grant Sturiale, Christopher Cummings, Michael Cummings, Sobha Kavanakudiyil and Stephanie Failing Saletan with her son
PHOTO BY PUTNAM-NORTHERN WESTCHESTER BOCES

 

Another alumni Christopher Cummings (Class of 1995) who is now an exhibit designer for museums, visitor centers and aquariums loved working under the tutelage of director Joy Varley. “Byram Hills had such strong theater productions and all the shows were top-notch. That feeling of the show must go on and the stress and anticipation of everyone working together left an impression on me.”

Stellar theater productions continue to live on at Byram Hills. The latest show, Les Misérables, under the direction of John Lopez, received thunderous applause and a nightly standing ovation by the audience including, the alumni honorees in attendance.

Inside Press Editor Grace Bennett, who attended opening night, stated effusively, “I’ve seen Les Misérables on Brodaway, and believe it or not, I found this production every bit as enjoyable. Kudos to all the kids, Mr. Lopez and all involved in bringing Les Misérables to Byram Hills.”

She added that “the high caliber show showcases incredible high school acting and singing talent that is so obviously being nurtured at Byram Hills. It was a thoroughly professional, impressive and ultimately, moving evening of theater! I think there were not too many dry eyes. Also, the joy at the cast party immediately following the production was palpable!”

At an opening night party (L-R): ‘Marius’ (Michael Ramsey, ‘17) Eponine (Dominique Karanfilian, ‘18) Javert’ (Shae Gordon, ‘19) Valjean’ (Charles Winston, ‘17)
PHOTO BY GRACE BENNETT

Charlie Winston, a senior who played lead Jean Valjean and who plans to study acting in college noted that “one day he hopes to be on the honor wall like the alumni.” With a little luck and successes like this one, that just might happen.

The Small Town Theater Company Presents: Steel Magnolias

by

Dates/Locations: May 12 • 13 • 8PM

The Hergenhan Center • Armonk, NY

Reservations

Directions

 

Synopsis

Steel Magnolias met with immediate critical and popular acceptance in its premier New York production. The play is alternately hilarious and touching and, in the end, deeply revealing of the strength and purposefulness which underlies the antic banter of its characters.

The action is set in Truvy’s beauty salon in Chinquapin, Louisiana, where all the ladies who are “anybody” come to have their hair done. Helped by her eager new assistant, Annelle, the outspoken, wise-cracking Truvy dispenses shampoos and free advice to the town’s rich curmudgeon, Ouiser; an eccentric millionaire, Miss Clairee; and the local social leader, M’Lynn, whose daughter, Shelby, is about to marry a “good ole boy.”

Laura Donaldson
Shelby

Laura was last seen in our production of Talley’s Folley as well as Dangerous Liaisons. She has performed both professionally and locally for over 20 years. Favorite roles include Fantine in Les Miserables, Doralee in 9 to 5, Florence in Chess, Ellen in Miss Saigon, Gypsy Rose Lee in Gypsy, Cathy in The Last 5 Years, Julie Jordan in Carousel, The Witch in Into the Woods and the title role in Violet.

Colleen Fay
Truvy

Colleen was last seen in The Small Town Theater Company’s production of How I Learned to Drive. She has also been seen in The Vagina Monalogues at the Sandbox Theater.

Irene Howard
Ouiser

Irene has been entertaining audiences for nearly four decades portraying every Broadway belter from Mama Rose to Reno Sweeney to Miss Hannigan on every stage from the “Church Circuit” to the Westchester Broadway Theatre to Lincoln Center. She met husband Jay while starring opposite him in Annie Get Your Gun more than 30 years ago and they are still waging the “Battle of the Sexes” in New Fairfield, CT.

Liz Harrington
Annelle

Liz Harrington is proud to be making her Small Town Theatre Company debut in a favorite role. Recent roles include: Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Mandy in Time Stands Stills, Esther in Meet Me in St. Louis, and Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof. She first had the privilege of playing Annelle in 2010 with the Harrison Players.

Nellie O’Brien
M’Lynn

Nellie has performed in many national and local venues including the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, The Westchester Broadway Theatre, Tarrytown Music Hall, The Emelin Theatre, Salt City Center and The Performing Arts Foundation. She has TV, radio, voiceovers, comedy improv and cabaret to her credit and was a recipient of the Irene Ryan Award for Excellence in Acting.

Misti Tindiglia
Clairee

An award winning actress, Misti works in independent films (three have gone to the Cannes Film Festival), commercials, animated films, voice overs, industrials and appears on stage in theaters throughout the New York area. Favorite role is Katharine Gerad in Mothers and Sons. SAG-AFTRA

Tom Kramer
Director

Tom has acted and directed at The Small Town Theatre Company. Acting roles include Charlotte von Mahlsdorf in I Am My Own Wife, Ben Franklin in 1776, Oscar Wilde in Gross Indecency, Malvolio in Twelfth Night, and The Steward in Into The Woods. Pays Tom directed include Follies, Gypsy, The Grapes of Wrath, Master Class, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Little Night Music, Evita, and Fiddler on the Roof.

Armonk Native Jeremy Blum and his Sixth Sense for Electrical Engineering

by

Jeremy Blum working on a product at Shaper, a company that makes hand-held robotic power tools to help people make things.

 

When Jeremy Blum, 26, needs something, he just builds it.

The Armonk native and San Francisco transplant could never remember to bring his umbrella. So, he designed an umbrella stand that lights up when the forecast calls for rain. Not only that, the erudite electrical engineer’s stand is a customized 3D print, which also pings your phone if, despite the illuminated stand, you still forget your umbrella.

“You can teach yourself pretty much anything if you’re willing to spend a few hours on the Internet,” said Blum, head of electrical engineering at Shaper, a young company that makes hand-held robotic power tools.

In January, Forbes Magazine listed the prolific inventor as one of its 30 under 30 in the manufacturing and industry category. Forbes cites his work on Google Glass, his multiple patents and popular YouTube channel–which has many millions of views–dedicated to teaching people about electrical engineering.

“For me, something that’s really important is engineering education and basically making the prospect of building things cheaper and easier, and more accessible to more people,” he said, eager to bring up the subject.

“Because, I think if we have more people who are literate at building things and making things then we’re more likely to have people who are solving problems in a positive way that can impact the world.”

Jeremy Blum was a lead electrical system engineer at Google X, an innovation lab tasked by Google with coming up with solutions to big problems using technology.

At age 23, Blum published a book, “Exploring Arduino,” with the same intent, by walking readers through the “prototyping platform for embedded electronics” called Arduino.

“It’s basically an easy way to get started designing electronic systems,” he said. Blum describes it as a self-help book for self-starters. The book has been translated into several languages and is used at universities across the country, including his alma mater, Cornell University.

“Actually, this book was inspired by my class, and Jeremy did a great job presenting the key concepts of Arduino programming,” said Francois Guimbretière, associate professor at Cornell University and Blum’s professor for the rapid prototyping class where he first learned about Arduino. “It is only fitting for me to adopt it as a textbook.”

“I once asked him, ‘What is his dream life like?’” said Brenda Wilder, Blum’s grandmother, whose career teaching college-level biology sparked his early interest in science. “And he said, ‘Well, I do want to make money. But, only because I want to be able to stop working and get involved in projects like STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). In other words, help students learn science… He’s very altruistic, his heart is very much in the right place and I think one day he’s going to make a very big difference in this world. He actually already has.” The most high-profile of which is Google Glass, which took the world by storm in 2012.

“For a variety of technical, but more so social reasons, I don’t think it was every really destined to be the consumer product that people envisioned it might be,” said Blum, who worked on its system architecture and electrical design.

After Google Glass lost its luster in the public eye, Google refocused the product for enterprise situations, like assembly lines, medicine and health care, which Blum said is a lot of what he worked on.

He left Google X, an innovation lab under the Google umbrella at the time of his employment, for Shaper in October 2015 wanting to work on something new.

At a recent symposium for Byram Hills High School’s Science Research Program, Blum returned home to give a keynote address and show off some of the cool stuff he’s inventing these days. “He’s a real legacy here and we talk about him a lot,” said Stephanie Greenwald, one of the teachers for the Authentic Science Research Program at Byram Hills High School. “And he was so the same, genuine and kind and giving.”

The school’s Science Research Program, one of the first in the country, is a three-year science elective course in which students pick a topic, identify and work with a mentor in a related field and produce an original piece of research.

Combining his passion to help people with his interest in robotics, Blum designed and built a prosthetic control technology that used force sensors to supplement existing technology to build a prosthetic hand. His design was also intended to make the prosthetic more cost effective.

“Jeremy was always tinkering with something. I think his philosophy was something like, ‘Gee, I wonder if I could…’ and then he would,” said David Keith, director of the school’s Authentic Science Research Program.

At Cornell, Blum continued exploring robotics, while studying electrical and computer engineering for both his undergraduate and master’s program.

“Once you’ve built a bunch of stuff you just start to get a sense, kind of like a sixth sense, of what you need to make something happen,” he said.

Now, at Shaper, his focus is making power tools that make it easier for people to make their own things.

“I think it’s every person’s responsibility to leave some sort of positive impact on the world,” he said. “And I think there’s two ways to do that. You either directly impact people’s lives in some way… or, you make the tools that make it easier for a larger group of people to kind of pave their own way.”

Brian Donnelly is a Westchester native. He has been a local reporter in Westchester, national news health editor and public relations and social media specialist.

Promise of Spring

by

I’m thrilled to be into a fourth year of publishing Inside Armonk Magazine, and to add finishing touches to an early spring edition while basking in an unseasonably warm late February day. Please enjoy this edition chock full of “strong starts” snapshots into North Castle living with a special spotlight on the North Castle Public Library…and on many area libraries in fact. I often wondered how our libraries are faring in this increasingly digital world, so was delighted to read that they continue to engage us with ever evolving and innovative programming. Please enjoy the issue, and the always welcome promise of spring!  In sweet anticipation of it, I joined many area merchants for an enjoyable evening of networking hosted by two Castle Chambers, per below!  — Grace

A Two-Chamber Affair at The Seafood Grille

Members of both the Chappaqua-Millwood Chamber of Commerce and the Armonk Chamber of Commerce met in February to network and enjoy tastings recently at Armonk’s exciting newcomer, The Seafood Grille. Everyone enjoyed ocean delicacies ranging from sesame crusted tuna and Japanese sea scallop to Maine lobster and buratta salad and crunchy halibut tacos. Pictured (L-R): Neal Schwartz, president, Armonk Chamber; owner Michael Mazzella and his wife Taeko; Dawn Dankner Rosen, President, Chappaqua-Millwood Chamber; and Michael Weinberg, Chappaqua Chamber member.
Armonk Chamber’s Stacy Wilder (right) and Susan Goldstein.

 

 

Interactive Discussion on The Rise of Anti-Semitism and Hate is TONIGHT

by

With Anti-Defamation League Regional Director at Congregation B’nai Yisrael

ARMONK, NY –Congregation B’nai Yisrael (CBY) will be hosting an evening discussion “The Rise of Anti-Semitism and Hate Pre and Post-Election” featuring Evan Bernstein from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The event will take place on Thursday, March 2, 2017 at 7:30 pm at CBY in Armonk, New York. The event is free of charge, but registration is required. Participants can register at: www.cbyarmonk.org/the-rise-of-anti-semitism.

Evan Bernstein, who is the New York Regional Director at the Anti-Defamation League, will host an interactive discussion about the current rise of anti-Semitism and the spread of hate in all forms, both locally and globally. Bernstein will share details about the ADL’s many projects and initiatives to combat hate, educate students about the value diversity and respect for all, and address anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias on college campuses.

The number of violent anti-Semitic assaults taking place in the U.S. rose dramatically in 2015, contributing to a three percent rise in the total number of anti-Jewish incidents worldwide, according to ADL’s recently published report Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents.

“We are disturbed that violent anti-Semitic incidents are rising,” Jonathan A. Greenblatt, CEO of the ADL, stated in a press release. “And we know that for every incident reported, there’s likely another that goes unreported. So even as the total incidents have remained statistically steady from year to year, the trend toward anti-Semitic violence is very concerning.”

As the New York Regional Director at the Anti-Defamation League, Evan Bernstein is responsible for all initiatives across New York state. He is regularly quoted in prominent local and national news sources about issues related to civil rights and Boycott Divestment Sanction against Israel and anti-Semitism.

“I, like many in our community and across the country, am alarmed by and concerned about the rise of anti-Semitism in this country and abroad,” says Ross Honig, President of CBY. “By having open and interactive discussions with groups like the ADL, we can all learn how to combat hateful speech and actions, and to teach our children appropriate methods to combat anti-Semitism.”