A New Act On Our Stage

Setting the stage…

The marriage between “Family Stages” and Art-Reach allows Art-Reach audiences of all ages to experience fun, interactive theatre in intimate settings. Joining Art-Reach’s In-Facility Program roster of artists, Family Stages presents a variety of two-person shows on site for Art-Reach members. As a witness for this relationship, I was a guest at one of Steve’s shows, “Puss in Boots”, performed in Oreland, PA. The show delivered just what Steve promised. Nursery school children sat rapt on the carpeted floor of the church hall. Folding chairs provided a heightened view for teachers, parents, and grandparents. On stage, a simple hand-painted backdrop and a clunky green trunk set the place, and one pole of spotlights created the mood. Two versatile actors played all the parts, taking on new roles as quickly as they changed their costumes, voices, and postures. Clearly Steve knows what kids like, for his script included audience interaction. On cue, the children stood up, used imaginary tools, and replied aloud. The actors were equally sensitive to young audiences. When the evil ogre threatened the pretty princess, the kids spontaneously shouted a warning. The adults, too, were entertained. Steve’s subtle puns and contemporary allusions amused the mature members of the audience. Puss snidely remarked that she was “no Garfield.” The end result was an intergenerational audience of happy faces and lightened spirits. 

Meet the lead player…

Steve Seyfried

It’s Steve Seyfried, a man with a deep voice and a warm smile. He’s the actor, director, producer, playwright, and all-around creative mind behind the theatre company called “Family Stages”, a new roster artist with Art-Reach’s In-Facility Program.

Let me tell you their thirty-year story… 

The Exposition…

After graduating college, Steve started his directing career by teaching and his acting career by performing at dinner theatres. That’s where he met his wife, Elise, who also became his artistic partner of many years. After a short time touring with a children’s theatre company into Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, the two settled in Philadelphia and decided to start a project of their own. Thus, with only some make-shift costumes and a modest Chevy Chevette, Duet Productions (later to be called Family Stages) was born.

Photo from Family Stages' Performance of Peter Pan

The Rising Action…

 

Steve and Elise began adapting material for children’s productions. They relied on fairy tales and folktales from around the world, shaping these into plays that could travel to any place that provided a simple stage and an appreciative audience. Soon, their ambitious endeavors gained momentum. The creative couple introduced a summer theatre at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Here, families could share entertainment for an evening, and even laugh at the same things. Another idea advanced the plot… why not offer a summer camp and workshops too? Success was immediately evident as enthusiastic thespians flocked to the shore-based stage. Now, with place established as the tri-state area, and time expanded to all seasons, “Duet Productions” was truly blossoming.

The Turning Point…

 

With five kids of their own by now, (and all the drama they needed right there at home!), Steve and Elise chose to adjust roles. While Elise focused on the family, Steve forged on with the company. “Duet Productions” became “Family Stages”, a non-profit organization. The new name reflected the goals that were now firmly in place: appeal to intergenerational audiences, and reach them in wide and varied settings.

Just some of the many Family Stages performance offerings.

The Resolution…

“Family Stages” has reached its professional stride. Audiences include all age groups. Actors are minimal in number, but experienced, maintaining the intimate but professional nature of the performance. Performances occur in a variety of venues including retirement communities, schools for children with and without disabilities, and public parks for travelers and tourists.  Material is eclectic. In the past thirty years, Steve adapted some forty plays for the stage. Some are funny and fanciful; others are historical and inspirational, but all of them are creative and loyal to the mission of “Family Stages”: to provide entertainment, enrichment, and education to family members of all ages.

The Conclusion…

 

The story arc is now complete, with Art-Reach welcoming Family Stages to the roster. Today, theatre patrons can choose from Steve’s extensive repertoire and “Family Stages” is eager for the opportunity to join forces with Art-Reach. “It’s a chance to touch audiences we might not ordinarily reach…to help those who cannot otherwise access the theatre. It’s great to feel that we are making a difference!” he confessed.  No doubt his performances will reach many Art-Reach audiences, bringing smiles and making a difference in the lives of many! 

Welcome Steve Seyfried and “Family Stages”! 

-by Barbara Speece

WOOD TURNING: WHAT A TURN-ON!

TURN IN to 501 Vine Street, and you’ll see what I saw in April: the curves and shapes and colors and grains that define the craft of wood turning. When I arrived, I immediately spotted the lathe, basking proudly in the light on the windowsill, and knew that this device, guided by the deft hands of an artist, was responsible for the beautiful objects I was about to see. Albert, Ron, and William, the inspiration and administrative backbone of the organization, gave me a warm welcome, a hint of the sensory pleasure that pervades the Wood Turning Center in Philadelphia. I began my journey.

HAD I MADE A WRONG TURN? As I entered the gallery, I was struck by the apparent anomaly that I saw ahead. Pieces made from glass and linen and leather and clay in a wood center? Then I saw the sign: “Magic Realism---Material Illusions”, and I understood my mistake. Here was a special exhibit that played with expectation and its intersection with reality. On display were illusions of materials: a child’s cotton dress…really wood; a birch tree branch…really clay; a lacy linen corset…really glass. I had been exposed to the unexpected interconnectedness, OK… the magic… of materials!

TIME TO TURN BACK THE CLOCK by paging through the books and photographs in the next room.  By perusing through the shelves that lined the walls, serious scholars, able artists, and just fascinated folks could read about the history of wood turning, the process that defines it, and the artists who produced its most acclaimed work. Out of sight in a climate-controlled area, the WTC houses a permanent collection of wood-turned objects that are rotated out for display periodically. If time had permitted, I could have researched the past and gained even more appreciation of this special craft.  Next visit!

THEIR TURNSTILE KEEPS MOVING!  WTC also invites hobbyist turners to enhance their skills, experienced wood artists to find new inspiration, and researchers to expand their knowledge. Most importantly, WTC encourages the general public to discover and appreciate this very special place. There are only three craft art studios in Philadelphia, the other two devoted to either clay or fabric. The Wood Turning Center is unique: its focus is wood, and its mission is to elevate the perception of this craft art to the level of fine art! After my visit, I was a believer!


NOW, IT’S YOUR TURN. Be a visitor. You have lots of choices. Three specific and well-defined programs are available for Art-Reach members, each one offering some combination of museum history, process explanation, exhibit information, sample pieces, and lathe demonstration. Also available is a hands-on turning experience! The WTC kindly offers an “on-the-road” alternative, taking portions of the program to member sites, thereby reaching audiences unable to travel. 

 IT’S SOMEONE ELSE’S TURN: Do you need another recommendation? Maybe Brandee will convince you! Brandee, a young woman with many physical challenges, along with Debbie, her nurse, and Lynda, her doctor, spent the morning of April 29th at WTC. I was there too. Wood artist, Philip Hauser, a retired executive who confessed to a long-time love affair with wood, patiently demonstrated how wood is turned on the lathe. He slowly transformed a chunk of unfinished poplar into a “lidded box.” As Philip worked and talked, Dr. Lynda orally conveyed the visual details to Brandee, who is visually impaired. The pleasant smell of burning wood filled the air as the turning continued. With each new curve and detail, Dr. Lynda placed the transformed creation into Brandee’s open hand, thus stimulating her tactile response. Dr. Lynda’s expressive narrative voice reflected the beauty of the evolving piece, enhancing the sensory experience for this special guest with limited independent abilities. When Philip ended his demonstration, he gifted the finished piece to Brandee, concluding what Dr. Lynda described as “unequivocally, one of the best experiences Brandee has ever had.” She added her intention to return soon with other Rec Care folks.

 However you choose to experience this craft and art, whether at the WTC site or on your own turf, you will see the curves and shapes and colors and grains. You will feel the warmth, smell the wood, and welcome the peace. Your senses will tell you… you made the RIGHT TURN!

-by Barbara Speece

THE OPERA “TEA” PROVIDES A CHANCE TO IMBIBE THE ARTS!

Outside, it was the aftermath of a February blizzard. Piles of shoveled snow created a cold, bleak backdrop. But inside the Adams building on Presidential Boulevard, the stage was set for warmth and music. Chanta Harris, teaching artist from Art-Reach, had come to the NOVA ll community to prepare the residents for their afternoon at the opera. With the help of their activities director, Jenaya Parker, a group of about ten adults with psychiatric, cognitive, and physical disabilities had gathered to learn about Tea, the opera, and the Academy of Music where they were all invited by Art-Reach to share in an exciting cultural experience.
   
The NOVA residents were ready, and Chanta was prepared! Alternating information with interactive projects, she skillfully engaged the group. The history and categories of tea led to a sampling of tea, and Chanta’s “students” assessed both taste and fragrance.  Her condensed biography of Chinese composer Tan Dun morphed into individual creations of unique and organic musical instruments that modeled his.  Goya beans, rubber bands, cups, paper, and stones blended into a strangely pleasant cacophony, ending in a rousing finale!  Finally, Chanta’s summary of the opera’s storyline culminated in a dramatic reading, enhanced by spontaneous singing, by two of the residents, of the entire libretto. Meanwhile, another group member provided her version of the action, complete with pantomimed embracing, weeping, and stabbing, along with sound effects using water to suggest the background’s natural setting. Chanta had indeed generated excitement for the upcoming trip to the opera!
 
Curriculum for Tan Dun’s opera Tea: A Mirror of Soul, was provided by the Opera Company of Philadelphia’s Sounds of Learning Program. Opera Company of Philadelphia is an Arts Partner of Art-Reach, and just as planned, on yet another cold February day, The Opera Company of Philadelphia warmed the theater with its final dress rehearsal of Tan Dun’s opera Tea: A Mirror of Soul. The Academy of Music was packed with Philadelphia school children, but among them sat four groups of adults representing Art-Reach members. Two are long-term residential communities: Little Sisters of the Poor, from Newark, DE, and Evangelical Manor of Wesley Enhanced Living, from Philadelphia. Two other members serve people with disabilities: Silver Springs and People’s Choice Center, also from Philadelphia, and, of course, NOVA ll. For the next few hours, youthful and elderly, able-bodied and physically-impaired, white, black, Hispanic and Asian---invited guests equally shared the experience of opera with all its sensory appeal and artistic beauty.
  

Preparation was the key to understanding and appreciating this sophisticated genre.  Referencing her teaching artist from Art-Reach, a resident from “Little Sisters” Community said “Michael [Borton] explained it so well. We knew just what to expect!” When questioned about what they remembered from their earlier prep session, some folks noted “pretty colors, especially red”, “the water dripping into the bowls”, “that high-pitched voice”, “beautiful costumes and headdresses”, and “that big Chinese symbol!” Indeed, it was clear, as one woman reported, that traveling even from Delaware was “worthwhile, just to be able to see a performance like this!”
   
The program ended inside the historic Academy of Music, and the audience slowly leaked out into the cold February afternoon. “We’ve had so many good experiences through Art-Reach”, one client concluded. Hopefully others agreed and felt the same spiritual warmth and restorative value from their time at the opera that tea drinkers experienced at their ceremonies long ago.

-By Barbara Speece