South Shore Arts: June 2013

Friday, June 28, 2013

Long Island High School of the Arts Graduation

(From right to left) Cailin Curtis, Matthew Kunkel and James Kilmeade perform “Old Friends" from MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG” at the Long Island High School for the Arts graduation ceremony on June 5.

Brenda Cespedes and Erick Urquilla present the trailer for “The Spirit of Long Beach” at the Long Island High School for the Arts graduation on June 5.

Liesl Jaye and David Parker perform “Unstoppable” at the Long Island High School for the Arts graduation on June 5.

Rebecca Ditzel, Caitlyn Greig, Liesl Jaye, James Mertz, Alexa Sadowsky perform “LIHSA IS” at the Long Island High School for the Arts on June 5.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Long Island Film Festival

LIIFE rocks ‘n reels ‘em at Bellmore Movies

The Long Island International Film Expo (LIIFE) will hold its 16th annual installment at the historic Bellmore Movies from Wednesday, July 17 through Thursday, July 25. Showing 146 films from around the world, LIIFE will showcase movies from 18 countries, with 36 of the films having Long Island ties and 35 more hailing from New York in general.

“Nassau County has always been a supporter of independent and studio films, and it’s our pleasure to bring this type of entertainment and cultural opportunity to our constituents,” remarked Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano.

“LIIFE also provides an opportunity for filmmakers to come and see the types of filming locations Nassau County has to offer whether it be our beaches, mansions, suburban areas and, of course, Gold Coast Studios and Grumman Studios, which are all state-approved movie studios which qualify for the much sought after 30% tax credit.”

“What makes LIIFE such an important film festival,” said Merokian Debra Markowitz, Nassau County Film Office director, “is not only that we bring rare short and feature-length independent films to the public, but that LIIFE has fostered a growing film community.” She said that filmmakers from around the world apply and return year after year to meet old friends and finding new contacts to work with.From local to foreign filmmaker, casting director to actor, producer to director and so on, many lasting connections are made every year, she continued.

“What’s different is that we actually have three westerns at this year’s LIIFE,” said Ms. Markowitz. “We also have a horror block on Saturday, July 20, at 9:15 p.m. That’s becoming a yearly standard.”

The festival begins with a traditional film festival warm-up on Wednesday, July 17, and kicks into high gear on Friday, July 19, with the opening night feature, “Wet Behind the Ears,” by past LIIFE winner Sloan Copeland.

The late-Friday block is anchored by Fred Carpenter’s “Send No Flowers,” starring Sean Young, Tony LoBianco, Robert Clohessy and Gianni Russo. Sean Young, Tony Lo Bianco and Jackie Martling have confirmed they will attend that screening.

Besides the USA, this year’s films come from France, Belgium, Israel, the Netherlands, Italy, South Korea, Sweden, Poland, Serbia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Africa and Canada.

LIIFE also has panels on scriptwriting, film distribution and financing, a filmmakers breakfast panel, and an opening night reception.

The closing night party and awards ceremony celebration complete with a buffet, celebrities, winners clips and filmmakers from all over the world will be held on Thursday, July 25.

This year’s honorees include William Sadler (“Iron Man 3”) and Ally Sheedy (“Breakfast Club”). Presenters include Federico Castellucio (“The Sopranos”) and Robert Clohessy (“Blue Bloods”) with more signing on daily. Celebrities appear schedule permitting, and the line-up could change before the festivities.

For information on the 16th Annual Long Island International Film Expo, go to www.longislandfilm.com or e-mail debfilm@aol.com. Or call 571-3168.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Raw Visions

Inspirational artists emerge from ‘Raw Visions’

by Kristen Buckley

The Long Beach Public Library recently screened “Raw Visions: Art of Survival”, a vibrant documentary directed by international filmmaker and Bellmore resident Leslye Abbey. “Raw Visions,” filmed from 2002 to 2011 and made by Abbey’s own production company Snowflake Video Productions, presents a mosaic of inspiring individuals who have used art to overcome personal struggles and face their inner demons. The film also showcases the Survivor’s Art Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps empower victims of trauma by providing them artistic outlets and promoting exhibitions to display their talent and work.

The strength of the piece comes from its wide variety of people, traumas, and expressions of artistic mediums. Every person presented in the documentary shows that suffering can either be inherent or received but it all must be conquered. Matt Sesow had been hit by an airplane when he was a child and lost half of his left arm as a result. He channels his raw emotions into simple but powerful paintings that resemble child-like and primitive cave drawings. Other times he’ll use art to reflect his own condition by giving his subject the same amputation that he has. Danny Kean is a musician who was born completely blind. According to him, music helped give him a purpose and an identity that was more than just the “blind guy”.

Bobby Seeback had been relentlessly bombarded with medical calamities that include Hodgkin’s disease, a stem cell transplant, a complete breakdown of his immune system, and a heart transplant. Needless to say, he is lucky to be alive and in good shape. He and other musicians got together to form the Transplant Band in order to get the word out on organ donation. Seeback said that music helped him take his mind off his numerous medical treatments and surgeries.

Finally, the most colorful character in this collection was Michael Kanarek, an artist who specializes in stylized pornographic drawings that focus on sexual voyeurism and distortion. He uses art to deal with his issues about his adoption and alcoholism on top of regularly seeing a therapist every week.

The common thread that tied the whole film together was the healing power of art in all of its many forms. For all of these people, art acted as a powerful form of catharsis and release of negative feelings that proved to be extremely therapeutic. This kind of expression allows one to explore their own emotions and experiences and show them to others so that they can be better understood. They used art to alleviate their suffering and find peace.

For more information about Leslye’s work, visit her website at http://www.snowflakevideo.com/ To learn more about the Survivors Art Foundation, visit their official website at http://www.survivorsartfoundation.org/

How did you get a distributor for Raw Visions?

Films media Group AKA Films for the Humanities and Sciences answered a query after months and asked to send three of my documentaries. I said that they should look at two of my new pieces. They did and wanted Raw Visions.

Is it normally difficult for films to get distributed?

Getting distribution is frustrating and sketchy. Then one needs to be really careful as many companies are shysters and will take every penny.

How was Snowflake Video Productions founded?

I was traveling to many countries taking good photos and several times was told to begin filming. Finally in 1997 I bought my first video camera and went to India. There I filmed “Dharamsala/Tibet in Exile,” which won the Humanitarian award in 1998 at LIIFE. The rest is history.

In what ways do you get funding for your projects?

I am self funded. I did get three monetary gifts for “Raw Visions,” which was a godsend.

Have any of your other films gotten distribution? If so, which one(s) and how?

“Tibet in Exile,” “Show Dogs,” “Let the Good Times Roll,” “The Return” and, currently “Angel of The Basin” and “Experiencing Aging” “Raw Visions” is being accepted by FMG( Films Media Group). I consider myself very blessed.

Do you have any advice for filmmakers who are looking for distributes?

< Follow your dreams and persevere! Keep on doing!

“Raw Visions” official trailer:

Monday, June 17, 2013

Rob Bartlett

Saturday, June 22

Rob Bartlett Live!

New York Entertainment Club

222 Pettit Av. Bellmore, NY

516.785.4234

http://www.robshow.com

Tilles Center Films

Tilles Center Announces Brand-New Summer Concert Films

Amazing Footage and Sound on the Big Screen at Long Island’s Premier Performing Arts Center

Press Release

Tilles Center for the Performing Arts at LIU Post announces a brand-new summer concert film and concert documentary series. The films will be shown on Tilles Center’s 40’ x 20’ mega-screen, with sound coming through the theatre’s state of the art Premium JBL Line Array Speaker System.

Refreshments including wine and beer are available throughout the evening, and audiences are encouraged to come early and enjoy the beautiful setting on the LIU Post campus. Picnic on the lawn and the Plaza before heading inside; opening night and select evenings throughout the summer feature live music by The Moonshine Band. Post-show the band and the party move back outside (or to the Atrium in case of rain) to let the movie, the music and the summer evening resonate before heading home.

Summer Movie Schedule

Thursday, July 11 at 7:30 pm Down From the Mountain

Sunday, July 14 at 7 pm Austin City Limits Music Festival 2005

Thursday, July 18 at 7:30 pm Neil Young: Heart of Gold

Sunday, July 21 at 7 pm Buena Vista Social Club

Thursday, July 25 at 7:30 pm Gigantour

Sunday, July 28 at 7 pm Michael Jackson’s This Is It

Saturday, August 3 at 7 pm The Song Remains the Same

Sunday, August 4 at 7 pm Heart—Alive in Seattle

Saturday, August 10 at 7 pm Chicago in Chicago

Sunday, August 11 at 7 pm Janis

Saturday, August 17 at 7 pm Woodstock

Sunday, August 18 at 7 pm Woodstock

Saturday, August 24 at 7 pm U2: Rattle and Hum

Sunday, August 25 at 7 pm Jay-Z: Fade to Black

Tickets are $10 per person, per movie. All tickets include a $2 per ticket facility fee. Tickets are available online at tillescenter.org, or Ticketmaster.com, in person at Tilles Center’s box office or by telephone at 516.299.3100 or 1.800.745.3000. The box office is open Monday-Friday from 1-6 pm in June, and open Tuesday-Friday from 1-5 pm in July and August. The box office will open two hours before movie time for ticket purchase. There is a service fee for all tickets purchased online or by phone. There are no refunds or exchanges. For additional information, call 516.299.3100 or visit tillescenter.org.

Programs at Tilles Center are supported in part by the New York State Council on the Arts. Long Island University’s Tilles Center for the Performing Arts is located at LIU Post, Route 25A in Brookville.

Senior Writers

by Danielle Sopchak

Merrick Senior Centers' creative writing workshop presented their works of literary art on June 12, 2013 at the Merrick Theatre and Center for the Arts.

Writing styles varied from poetry to monologues while topics ranged from technology to current events. The participants enthusiasm and knowledge of the topics they discussed made the performance even more enjoyable. Writers read in a song like manner with liveliness and props to enhance their performance and it was evident the writings had double meanings. The first meaning was what the writing meant to the audience at surface level, but deep inside every work of art was a special and personal meaning to its writer.

Flawlessly, they told stories about reflecting back on their life experiences. The writers entranced listeners with perspectives of the recent Boston Bombing and past stories of their upbringing. One artist spoke of her Sicilian mothers tradition of putting a thumb print in the center of a meatball to know it's yours. Another artist who is blind spoke of his first ever experience communicating with a deaf person and how technology has made lifes difficulties easier.

The ability to write well comes from not writing what you think, but writing what you know.

Writers came together to thank their audience with a song at the end of the reading. The video is below.

BaconEagle Productions

Andrew Ryan launches new YouTube channel.

Currently a communications sophomore at Adelphi University and a Merrick native, Andrew Ryan launches his YouTube channel BaconEagle Productions. The channel includes movie trailers, news reports and music videos including a video for South Shore Sounds formerly interviewed artist Noreen Prunier.

Hello, my name is Andrew Ryan and I am a sophomore at Adelphi University majoring in communications. My concentration is in production so I decided to create a channel to showcase all of my different videos for my friends and family. Any support is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Channel link: http://www.youtube.com/user/arryan2016

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Senior Writers

Senior Writers Take to the Stage

The Merrick Senior Center’s Creative Writing Workshop will hold its annual presentation Wed. June 12 at the Merrick Theater and Center for the Arts, 2222 Hewlett Ave., Merrick from 1 – 3 p.m. Admission is free, and a coffee hour will follow.

The writers will read samples of their work, which includes poetry, prose, memoirs, fiction and “vignettes” or mini dramas, the latter prepared especially for the stage. The group was invited to share its efforts with the public several years ago by directors Tony Georgan and Joe Mauro of the Merrick Theater and Center for the Arts after Mr. Georgan attended a classroom session and was impressed with the talent and dedication of the participants.

This is a special year for the program, as it is celebrating the 25th anniversary of “Musings of Maturity,” a booklet that is published in the fall. The workshop is sponsored by Poets and Writers, Inc. and the Town of Hempstead Department of Senior Enrichment and meets for 16 weeks between February and June. The instructor is Paula Rodenas of Merrick.

The workshop was originally initiated almost 30 years ago by Helen-Marie Keogh of the Hempstead Department of Senior Enrichment. She is now retired, but has handed over the reins to Lisa Wetterau, who continues to encourage its progress. Many of the writers have been attending for years, proving that age is no deterrent to learning and growth.

For information call the Merrick Senior Center, 516-474-0268, the Town of Hempstead Department of Senior Enrichment, 516-485-8100 or the Merrick Theater and Center for the Arts, 516-868-6400.

Holocaust Center Nassau County

PRESS RELEASE

HOLOCAUST CENTER PARTICIPATES IN NYS MUSEUM WEEK

The Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County (HMTC) will offer docent-led tours during NYS Museum Week from Monday, June 10 – Saturday, June 15 at 1:30 p.m. each day.

“In keeping with this year’s NYS Museum Week theme, we hope the Long Island community will join us to walk through the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County’s "Path Through History,” says Steven Markowitz, Chairman of the Board of Directors. The experience our visitors have is unlike any other available to them on Long Island.”

The HMTC’s museum had its grand reopening in 2010. The museum presents a detailed and comprehensive chronicle of the Holocaust, and utilizes multimedia displays, artifacts, archival footage, testimony from local Survivors and Liberators, and encompasses an additional gallery for special exhibits that represent the diverse ethnic, cultural, religious, and other communities across Long Island.

The first gallery, also known as “Portraits of European Jews, Our Family Album,” displays prewar family photographs of local Survivors. Visitors then walk through a series of galleries devoted to the history of the Holocaust culminating with liberation and postwar experiences.

The museum ends with a call to action and a moving film featuring a local Holocaust Survivor, David Gewirtzman, and a Rwandan genocide Survivor, Jacqueline Murekatete, underscoring the HMTC’s message that the world still has much to learn. HMTC visitors leave with the feeling of empowerment and the knowledge that they too can choose to be an Upstander and make a difference in their community.

The special exhibits gallery currently features “Portraits of Our Past: Greek Jews and the Holocaust” provided courtesy of the Foundation for the Advancement of Sephardic Studies and Culture and Kehila Kedosha Janina, Synagogue and Museum.

About the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County

The Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County is the pre-eminent Holocaust resource on Long Island, with a contemporary museum and is one of the largest and most comprehensive education program providers in the region. Since 2007, nearly 210,000 students, educators, employers and law enforcement personnel have participated in the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center’s education programs.

Under construction and scheduled to open in late 2013, the Claire Friedlander Education Institute will accommodate four classrooms with state-of-the-art audio-visual aids and cutting edge technical equipment for specialized Holocaust and Tolerance video-conferencing programs and a wide variety of workshops for youth and adults.

With the Louis Posner Memorial Library, the Center offers over 7,000 volumes of Holocaust, genocide, multicultural, anti-bias and anti-bullying material for youth and adults, from Kindergarten through post-graduate researchers. It is the largest such collection on Long Island. Additional information is available online at www.holocaust-nassau.org.

Seaford Craft Fair

Seaford Craft Fair June 15 & 16 at Seaord Train Station

Press Release

The Craft fair sponsored by the Seaford Chamber will be held at the Seaford train station June 15 &16.The fair is organized by Showtiques.

Calhoun Artists Unveil Mural

Challenge Day Mural

Calhoun high school seniors celebrated the end of the school year by unveiling a new student driven and student inspired mural on Thursday, June 6th 2013.The challenge day mural is located above the cafeteria entrances and spans across the entire hallway.Challenge day's initiative is "challenging you to be the change."

Seniors Cassidy del Orfono, Kaitlyn Moy and Eric Chan led then project with help from other students to depict the unity within the Calhoun student body. Interests and hobbies of the students are represented in the mural.

After about two months of hard work, Calhoun seniors left their mark on the school and started a tradition of school beautification. Next year's seniors are already planing how they want to leave a mark on Calhoun.

The reoccurring theme of puzzle pieces throughout the mural allows the senior's message to be heard. It doesn't matter what the students are interested in because just as every piece fits in a puzzle, every student fits uniquely into Calhouns student body.

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Rob Bartlett returns to Bellmore ShowPlace

Long Island comedian Rob Barlett, Don Imus’s funnyman sidekick for over 21 years on the “Imus In The Morning” radio program and Broadway actor, will return to the Bellmore Movies-ShowPlace on Saturday, June 22, at 8 p.m. to pick up where he left off in December, when he last appeared at the ShowPlace. Doors open at 7 p.m.

Mr. Bartlett started his standup career in the Long Island comedy clubs, including the Brokerage Cabaret in Bellmore, but began acting and singing on Broadway in 1998. Last year he began his comedic comback at the Bellmore Movies – though he still keeps his day job as Imus’s sidekick.

Of Broadway – in which he appeared in “Chicago” – he says he loved the camaraderie of the casts he worked with, marching in the Thanksgiving Day parades and doing other public events that helped promote the shows he has been in.

Now back in standup, he says he practices new routines regularly and may offer a few surprises for the Bellmore Movies show.

“It’s always good to come back home,” he told this newspaper recently. “It’s an intimate theater, and it will require some new routines.” But he makes clear he will still showcase his older characters and routines.

Tickets are on sale now at the Bellmore Movies box office by calling 783-3199 or visiting 222 Pettit Avenue, Bellmore.

Or you can visit the website NYEntertainmentClub.com or call 785-4234.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

YoungArts Competition

Wantagh High School Seniors Trent Kowalik and Maggie Tigue participated in The National YoungArts Foundation’s weeklong YoungArts New York program.

Over 10,000 students apply to be recognized as YoungArts winners for their work in one of nine arts disciplines including dance, theater, visual arts, voice and writing. Maggie won for classical voice (soprano) and Trent won for dance (tap). Thirty-nine student winners from the New York region spent an intense week rehearsing and performing in different venues in New York City and studied with Master Teachers. HBO and PBS filmed their rehearsals and performances for upcoming documentaries about young artists.

Trent and Maggie studied under the artistic direction of Bill T. Jones, a Tony-award winning choreographer, and they performed together at Lincoln Center in a multi-disciplinary work “Changing Light on Water: Some Possible Beginnings and Endings” on Saturday, May 11. Congratulations to Maggie and Trent for winning this national award.

Archer dual language students create mural

Elyssa Ascher’s and Josephine Velez’s dual language students at Archer Street School in Freeport partnered with art teacher Joyce Elias to create a 24-foot-wide hallway mural that represents the urban, suburban and rural communities they have studied as part of the second-grade social studies curriculum.

Over the past few months, Ms. Ascher’s and Ms. Velez’s students studied cities, farms and suburbs from all around the world using the Internet, the classroom Smart Board and books from the school library.

As part of the exercise, students wrote in both English and Spanish about the characteristics of these communities and how they are alike and different. These compositions have been hung above the mural. They also created paper self-portraits, which were placed within the community setting of their choice on the three-panel display.

The mural is mounted on the bulletin boards a few steps down the hall from the main office.

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