The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

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L.O.V.E.R. Baring it All! Runs June 8th – June 25th at the Schoolhouse Theater and Arts Center

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The Schoolhouse Theater and Arts Center in North Salem presents Lois Robbins’ new play: L.O.V.E.R. (Baring it All!) The play will run weekends beginning Thursday, June 8th through Sunday June 25th. Shows run Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sunday Matinees at 3 p.m. at the Schoolhouse Theater & Arts Center in Croton Falls. Tickets are $ 38 Individuals and $ 35 Seniors.

L.O.V.E.R. (Baring it All!) is the world premier of a new theater work written and performed by Lois Robbins. It’s a comic and poignant riff she describes to us as: A TALE OF LOVE AND LUST FROM A #GROWN-UP WOMAN’S P.O.V. It is fast-paced, sophisticated and very funny-one woman’s journey from childhood to adulthood.

Lois Robbins is a native New Yorker and an accomplished actress. She is best known for her roles on daytime television including One Life to Live, Loving, Ryan’s Hope and All My Children. She was most recently seen in Blowtorch, opposite Billy Baldwin, Kathy Najimy and Armand Assante. Earlier this year, she wrapped production on two independent films; Juvie, alongside Eric Roberts, and Ithaca, directed by Meg Ryan and produced by Playtone (Tom Hanks’ production company.) In Ithaca, she plays the role of Mrs. Beaufrere and co-stars with Sam Shepherd, Melanie Griffith and Meg Ryan. This fall, Ms. Robbins will shoot the independent film The Aspern Papers, in Venice, Italy alongside Vanessa Redgrave, Jolie Richardson and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

For tickets please go online to www.schoolhousetheater.org. Contact: Lynne D. Darlington, Managing Director Schoolhouse Theater and Arts Center, PO Box 300, Croton Falls, NY 10519 Cell – (914) 420-3884 Office – (914) 277-8477

Greeley Theater Company: Growing a New Generation of Thespians and Fans

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The Horace Greeley Theater Company under the direction of Mr. Jonathan Gellert has had an incredible 2016-2017 season and shows no signs of slowing down. The musical Into the Woods kicked off the season this fall and this past month the students performed the play, The Laramie Project. The senior musical Grease performed the last week in March had a record breaking 200+ seniors participating in the show. In total, the theater program will put on a total of six productions for the school year!

Gellert admits that it is “an ambitious high school program and I see no reason of changing that.” In the spring of 2018, he hopes to include a second musical–a children’s show geared to a younger audience to bring in the community and also gives students the opportunity to participate more.

“We want kids in the community to be really excited about Greeley theater,” said Gellert. He also hopes to offer some plays by Shakespeare and more mentoring to students who show promise as directors next season.

The Laramie Project, a play which addresses the brutal murder of openly gay teenager Matthew Shepard in the small town of Laramie, Wyoming, sparked national debate in the late 1990s. Gellert chose the show because it could “maximize student potential and growth. It provides many opportunities for student exploration of character and place. It is about the celebration of what makes us all human and what happens when an event causes us to reflect as a community, and personally of who we are and what we are. This is the very nature of all drama.”

The performance was sold-out and extremely well received by the audience. Grace Bennett, Publisher and Editor of the Inside Press, who attended, stated: “Bravo to the entire cast! Through powerful, passionate performances, anyone watching could see that the kids understood so many nuances of human behavior and were deeply empathetic to the heart wrenching subject matter.”

Violet Gautreau, a junior who played several roles in The Laramie Project enjoyed working with a smaller cast because it “allowed us to really forge bonds and make deeper emotional connections with each other, which came through onstage. I’ve never had such an emotional experience onstage before. It was incredibly rewarding to be in such an important show about human rights.”

Gellert’s goal of the theater program is to “offer a variety of productions and classes that serve all kids who want to explore and express themselves in theatre work during their times here at Greeley.

That includes both students who want to get on stage for the first time and feel more comfortable doing so, along with those who strongly desire an additional four years of pre-college or career training so that they can be competitive and continue to grow as they pursue the theater.”

Gellert also takes pride in offering stagecraft classes and opportunities for students who wish to work in set design and building. Jake O’Donovan, a junior who has worked on set design for several shows enjoys the fact that “Mr. Gellert gives myself and the crew a lot of independence on how we organize ourselves and work.”

The senior musical Grease funded by the Chappaqua PTA was directed by a former student of Gellert’s, Lee Kasper, who most recently served as an associate director for the Broadway revival of You Can’t Take it with You.The senior musical has been a yearly tradition at Greeley and proceeds from the show benefit the Horace Greeley Scholarship Fund.

Ilene Benjamin, an audience member at Grease, commented on Chappaqua Moms that “we do not have a senior in it, but we do have a strong sense of community spirit to keep the arts going in our schools. These students, all talented in their own right, worked very hard and the audience gave back the love with loud cheering and a standing ovation… Go ahead, the world is really your stage!”

The Armonk Players presents a free reading of “Love, Loss, and What I Wore” February 10

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ArmonkPlayersLogoSmall

Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at 8pm
Simply Theatre! Play Readings By The Armonk Players
Tonight: Love, Loss, and What I Wore
By Nora and Delia Ephron
Directed by Leah Wendt
With Joy Arzaga, Grace Bennett, Flori Doyle, Patti Henderson, Michelle Moriarty, Carmel Riggs and Benna Strober
Admission: Free (voluntary donations cheerfully accepted)

Women bring to life the hilarious, poignant moments when they wore that unforgettable dress.

Join us for a yummy reception after the reading and the opportunity to voice your opinions about the play in a discussion with the actors and director.

No advance ticket sales for this performance.

We perform at Whippoorwill Hall (adjacent to the North Castle Public Library) at 19 Whippoorwill Road East, Armonk, NY 10504 (use the Kent Place entrance, please). You can get travel directions here.

For up-to-date information, visit our website. If you would like to make a tax-free donation to the Friends of the North Castle Public Library to support the Armonk Players, you can do so here.

A Few of My Favorite Things

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By Maggie Mae…with Ronni Diamondstein

Maggie Mae with her Wee-Nut and Jive Ball. Which one to play with first?
Maggie Mae with her Wee-Nut and Jive Ball. Which one to play with first?
Photo by Ronni Diamondstein

There’s nothing I like to do more than sleep, eat and cuddle with my owner except play.  I am  not fussy about my playthings. I love socks and tags and rags so I don’t need fancy toys but I do like them. Since it’s the time of year to think about gifts I want to tell you about some of my favorite toys. Your dog might like them too.

I am a chewer, I will confess. You may not believe a petite poodle like me could be so destructive, but when I was a puppy I tore through two Orvis Tough Chew Dog Beds. Because of this I don’t get some toys that other dogs enjoy so I decided to get some advice from Jeremy Tubbs, DVM of Millwood Animal Hospital. “Know your pet,” says Dr. Tubbs.  “Toys are anything they get excited about. Every dog is different, just like their owners.”

I love to fetch. I have many bones and balls.   I place one of them at my owner’s feet and if she doesn’t pick it up and throw it, I let her know! I love treats so I love Kong toys because there is always something delicious inside them. I have to work hard to get the treat out. I also love my Wee-Nut: it’s a smaller version of the Peanut by Ruff Dawg. I bring it to my owner and when she picks it ups I play tug with her too. She said that she likes this toy because it is a soft rubber and gentle on my teeth. It doesn’t tear and it is made in the United States, which she says is important to her.  My favorite ball to fetch, West Paw Design’s Zogo-flex Jive ball, is eco-friendly, which also makes my owner happy.

Some dogs, like my friend Buddy, a Labradoodle, like to cuddle with a little stuffed animal. A lot of my dog friends like those comfort toys. Although I got over my big chewing problem and have managed not to destroy my new Tough Chew Dog beds, my owner doesn’t let me have any of those toys. So these days I am happy when I can snatch a washcloth or towel and snuggle with it.

But you have to be careful about plush toys.  Any toy with squeakers can be a problem if the squeaker gets swallowed, and Dr. Tubbs says, “If your dog tends to chew these toys up, its best to take them away before they do.”

Dr. Tubbs says he is a big fan of rawhide chew toys. But he offers a little warning about them too, “They are great for teeth and stimulating gum tissue. But if your pet swallows large pieces, or gets some gastrointestinal issue, I would stay away from them.”  He says that owners who give their dogs these rawhide toys should be very careful because they can be dangerous. My friend Jules, a rescue dog, got a piece stuck in his throat and he did not survive. “It is important to monitor your pets, see how they handle and tolerate any particular toy before walking away and leaving them unsupervised.”

Toys of all kinds can be fun for you and your dog. “It can be as simple as picking up a stick outside. You just have to find toys that match your dog’s personality and what you like to do,” says Dr. Tubbs.  “Exercise and quality time with your dog is most important.” I could not agree with him more. So just have fun and be safe in this holiday season and all year round.

Contact Maggie Mae Pup ReporterTM at maggiemae10514@gmail.com

Maggie Mae lives in Chappaqua with her adoring owner Ronni Diamondstein, who, when she isn’t walking Maggie is a freelance writer, PR consultant and award-winning photographer who has worked in the United States and abroad.

Maggie Mae’s Must Do:

Gifts can be to charities which my owner tells me are tax deductions too! 
Here are some local pet charities 
I hope you will consider:

SPCA of Westchester- A no-kill shelter in Briarcliff Manor, New York.
Visit their website: spca914.org/donations

East Coast Assistance Dogs, Inc.
ECAD- breeds and trains Assistance Dogs for clients with a wide variety of disabilities and needs in our area.
Visit their website: ecad1.org/default.htm

Pets Alive Westchester: A no-kill animal sanctuary located in Elmsford, NY.
Visit their website: petsalivewest.org