The 2014 Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Honored Senator Tom Harkin, Travis Roy, and Arnold Snider

At this year’s 10th gala for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation in New York City held at Cipriani Wall Street on Nov. 20, Senator Tom Harkin; Travis Roy, Founder of the Travis Roy Foundation; and Arnold Snider, former Board of Directors Vice Chair, all were honored for their work and leadership.  This year also marked the 10th year since Christopher’s passing.

Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) was recently honored with the Dana Reeve HOPE Award for being in advocate for people with paralysis and other disabilities.  On Jan. 15, 2009, the U.S. Senate approved The Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act (CDRPA) which advances research to improve the quality of lives for people affected with paralysis and other mobility impairments.

Credit: Courtesy of Senator Tom Harkin’s office
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), 2014 recipient of the Dana Reeve HOPE Award.

“During my time in Congress, some of my most important work has been advocating for the rights of people with disabilities – not only for their rights – but for their full inclusion in our schools and universities, our workplaces, and our communities,” Harkin said.  “The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation has been an amazing partner in that effort by bringing the discussion of spinal cord, Parkinson’s and ALS research to the forefront of our national agenda. I am deeply grateful to the Foundation for recognizing me with this honor and I will never stop fighting to ensure that every person with paralysis or other disability has the right to live in their home and community.” “During my time in Congress, some of my most important work has been advocating for the rights of people with disabilities – not only for their rights – but for their full inclusion in our schools and universities, our workplaces, and our communities,” Harkin (D-IA) said, in response about receiving the Dana Reeve Hope Award.  “The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation has been an amazing partner in that effort by bringing the discussion of spinal cord, Parkinson’s and ALS research to the forefront of our national agenda. I am deeply grateful to the Foundation for recognizing me with this honor and I will never stop fighting to ensure that every person with paralysis or other disability has the right to live in their home and community.”

Travis Roy, founder of Roy Travis Foundation, 2014 recipient of the Christopher Reeve Spirit of Courage Award at the annual Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation “A Magical Evening” in New York City on Nov. 20, 2014. Photo Courtesy of Travis Roy.

Travis Roy was also one of the honorees who founded the Travis Roy Foundation which helps raise money to improve the lives of people affected with paralysis.  “I’ve been running this foundation for the last 10 years, so it feels like that I’ve done something right,” Roy said, in comment about being honored with the Christopher Reeve Spirit of Courage Award.  “I know that I wouldn’t have achieved my goals without my family’s support so I felt touched to receive this honor.”  Roy has a goal for the next 10 years to help more people affected with paralysis, commenting that at this point his foundation is moving closer to this goal.

Credit: Ilya S. Savenok / Stringer
Caption:NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 20: (L-R) Zak Williams, William Reeve, Alexandra Reeve Givens, Matthew Reeve attend The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Hosts ‘A Magical Evening’ on November 20, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images)

Zak Williams, the eldest son of Robin Williams, also attended the event, since the evening paid a tribute on Robin for his longtime support of the foundation.  “We have love for him (Robin) and we miss him, but we know that he wanted to bring happiness in this world and that was what he wanted to do,” Zak said, who also commented that he grew up with the Reeve family.  “This foundation is family to me.  This foundation has a lot of potential to make positive changes for people who need help.”

Arnold “Artie” Snider was honored by having the foundation renaming its Leadership Award as the Arnold H. Snider Visionary Leadership Award.  Snider was the foundation’s Board of Directors Vice Chair from 2005 until 2014.

The funding effort of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation has paid off with the most recent accomplishment in spinal cord injury research involving epidural stimulation.  This is a form of paralysis therapy investigated by the Reeve Foundation’s partners, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) managed by Dr. Reggie Edgerton and University of Louisville managed by Dr. Susan Harkema.  Part of The Big Idea (www.reevebigidea.org), the Reeve Foundation strives to find therapies and cures for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury.  The purpose of the annual gala, A Magical Evening, is to raise funds for the foundation to be able to support research to achieve the goal of finding a cure for paralysis.

Summit, NJ filmmaker won an award at Raleigh Studios in Los Angeles for her short film

The 19th International Family Film Festival at Raleigh Studios in Los Angeles was held from Nov. 7 to 9.  Lisa Reznick, a filmmaker, won an award for her short film, 95 Decibels.

Lisa Reznick receives the award for her work on 95 Decibels. Photo: © 2014 IFFF.

Most of this film was shot in Summit, NJ neighborhood, which narrated her own journey having a daughter, Miranda, with profound hearing loss.  “We are thrilled to receive this award from the International Family Film Festival jury, which is our first award for 95 Decibels,” Reznick said.

Second from left, Lisa Reznick, holds the Best Short Educational film at the International Family Film Festival at Raleigh Studios in Los Angeles on Nov. 9. Photo: Courtesy of Lisa Reznick

“It is with heartfelt gratitude that we accept the Best Educational Short Film award.  The 95 Decibels team is thrilled to share our story and thank the festival for this great honor.”

Miranda received her first cochlear implant at the age of 2 at New York University Hospital, and now at 18 she will receive her second one for her other ear soon.

Sam Besser: An artist born in California and raised in Cape Town, Africa.

Sam Besser, born in San Diego, is a filmmaker who has traveled around the world.

Sam Besser. Courtesy of Sam Besser.

After spending his early childhood years in California, Besser moved to Cape Town, South Africa with his family for the remainder of his childhood until he graduated from high school.

Besser visits Cape Town. Photo: Courtesy of Sam Besser.

In 1999, his father, Dr. Mitch Besser—an OB-GYN physician trained at Harvard Medical School (M’81), started working in South Africa and witnessed the challenges faced by HIV-positive pregnant women at the hospital where he worked.  From this experience, Dr. Besser saw the need for education and support services to improve the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) in sub-Saharan Africa.  Therefore, Dr. Besser established a nonprofit organization, Mothers2Mothers (m2m), which strives to end pediatric AIDS, which came to life in 2001.

Courtesy of mothers2mothers.

This organization is now well-known, serving in six sub-Saharan countries in Africa at almost 400 different sites.  It provides training and employment for HIV-positive mothers through m2m’s Mentor Mothers Model where they employ the HIV-positive mothers to work in under-resourced health facilities and help other HIV-positive women carry the mission to keep themselves and their infants healthy.

m2m in action. Photo: Courtesy of mothers2mothers.

Currently, m2m is part of the United Nation’s Global Plan to end pediatric AIDs by 2015.  The organization’s contributions include well-known organizations like the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

m2m in action. Photo: Courtesy of mothers2mothers.

At this point, Dr. Besser is establishing a new non-profit organization, Age Well, that is based in Cape Town, South Africa which applies m2m’s Mentor Mother Model by employing and training senior citizens to help other senior citizens receive better medical care and psychosocial support for better quality of living.  Additionally, Age Well is in the process of developing a for-profit model in the United States.

m2m in action. Photo: Courtesy of mothers2mothers.

Besser’s mother, Debra Jackson, also a medical professional in the area of public health, taught public health at the University of the Western Cape.  She now works for UNICEF.

“I consider myself South African, although I’m an American,” Besser said, who attended a Jewish day school then graduated from Herzlia High School.  He left Cape Town in 2010 to attend film school at New York University (NYU).  He recently graduated with University Honors Scholar last May of 2014 with a GPA of 3.8.

Besser on set of Captain Contraceptive. Photo: Courtesy of Sam Besser.

Currently, Besser is working for a film distribution company, FilmBuff, as their filmmaker services coordinator.  “As a strategy to keep the costs of marketing down, we use social media marketing as a highly efficient and targeted form of marketing,” Besser said.  He serves as a liaison between filmmakers whose films that the company distributes.  “I don’t think it’s been fully realized yet and there is a lot of potential for social media marketing.”

With today’s digitalization, Besser explains, there are many implications for the development of the entertainment industry.  FilmBuff mostly deals with independent films, and with the continued improvement of technology, it will become easier for film companies to develop and distribute films digitally, Besser said, adding that film marketing will also continue to evolve.

Besser also did social media marketing for HBO, working for GMR Marketing in their HBO College program.  For HBO College, he developed original social media content and organized and promoted HBO’s content at large-scale university events.

Sam Besser on duty for HBO. Photo: Courtesy of Sam Besser.

“HBO has been very successful promoting their content socially, and this approach has aided the longevity of a number of their shows,” Besser said.  He mentioned that Facebook and Twitter are the most widely used social media platforms because of their well-developed systems for advertising that help companies find their audiences.  Marketers can also use a plethora of other platforms for more unique social campaigns.

Besser also served as a director of business development for Virtuoso Picture House, a commercial video production house, founded by Sebastian Savino.  Besser also co-produced a short film, Fine Print, with  Savino.

Besser on set of Fine Print, directed by Sebastian Savino, CEO and founder of Virtuoso Picture House. Photo: Courtesy of Sam Besser.

For this New York-based company that produces commercials, music videos, and multimedia projects, Besser identified potential business clients and pitched the company’s services.  From his experience with Virtuoso, Besser learned a great deal about networking, sales, and the challenge of establishing a small business.  “There’s so much involved in the film industry—from developing a film into a screenplay to marketing the finished product for distribution,” Besser said, who intends to continue to explore both the business and creative sides of the film industry.

Quarter Life Crisis, a short film directed by Sam Besser. Pictured are Alyson Lange and Adam Fontana. Photo: Courtesy of Sam Besser.

Quarter Life Crisis, a short film directed by Sam Besser. Pictured are Adam Fontana and Alex Esola. Photo: Courtesy of Sam Besser.

As a filmmaker, Besser is drawn to larger-than-life films, such as the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Star Wars, and the more recent science-fiction spectacle, Gravity.

Besser visits the Hobbiton set from the Lord of the Rings in New Zealand. Photo: Courtesy of Sam Besser.

He has produced many short films during his NYU years.

Besser on set of Matches. Photo: Courtesy of Sam Besser.

Besser on set of Outgrown. Photo: Courtesy of Sam Besser.

“I like the idea of dealing with very real characters and human drama, but putting them in larger-than-life worlds and situations, as a way to tackle every day issues less directly and more subversively,” Besser said.

Poster for Mastodon, Cast included Tommy Nelson, Gabriel Rush, Sara Edwards, Andy Gershezon, Sean Kleier, and David Lerner. Photo: Courtesy of Sam Besser

The film, Matches, was directed by Sam Besser. Pictured are Benedict Mazurek and Sara Edwards in this film. Photo: Courtesy of Sam Besser.

He is not sure if he will move back to Cape Town in the future, but does plan on moving away from New York City at some point.

Andy Gershenzon in the Mastodon. Courtesy of Sam Besser.

“I do have some strong roots (in Cape Town), and because of the country’s lower cost of living I can focus on my own creative pursuits,” Besser said.

First on right, Besser at NYU’s ADR studio.

“I honestly would love to just work in a creative field that constantly inspires me, and challenges me.  You can’t ask for much more than that.”

Besser on set of Outgrown. Photo: Courtesy of Sam Besser.

Robin Williams, Alumnus from The Juilliard School in NYC, will never be forgotten.

Robin Williams, a well-known actor, passed away Monday.  Many hearts have been touched.  Williams attended the Diploma course at The Juilliard School fro 1973 to 1974, then to the School’s B.F.A. program from 1974-1975 and 1975-1976.  Then in 1991, Williams received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree, presented by The Juilliard.

1991: From left: Robin Williams received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts at The Juilliard School. Violinist Isaac Stern was the Commencement Speaker and Juilliard President Joseph W. Polisi was in attendance. Photo Credit: Henry Grossman.

In 1999, the Robin Williams Scholarship was launched to assist drama students at The Juilliard School, which has benefited 13 recipients including Jessica Chastian, who will be performing as Marilyn Munroe in Blonde, to be released in 2016.

“His (Williams’) caring ways and effervescent personality will be missed by all who were touched by this special person,” said Joseph W. Polisi, President of the Juilliard School, adding that he noticed Williams’ genius for comedic improvisation during his years at the school.

Quirky Productions Explores Love and Identity Through Teamwork

Eleah Burman created and founded a production company, Quirky Productions, in November 2013 with Ilona Concetta.  “I’m very lucky I’ve met so many people who have been so helpful (at NYU),” Burman said, who also added that Quirky Productions wouldn’t have been possible without Ilona Concetta’s involvement.

Cast members in Midsummer Night’s Dream. Credit: Christina Abdo

“I am the strong force that keeps Quirky Productions going, while Ilona (Concetta) is the calm, calculated person that can balance my strong energy,” Burman said.  “I am more precise by nature, and Ilona (Concetta) is very skilled at evaluating circumstances. She also was an excellent calming force when things became more than difficult in the storm of chaos as things become chaotic in theater.”

Eleah Burman. Credit: Jordan Matter

Burman directed, produced, and performed in the production company’s second play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and handled all the logistics to make this show a success.  Without a source of income during her 24/7 commitment on the Shakespearean play, Burman had to sacrifice her time including her paying acting jobs in New York City to bring this show on stage.

Steven Godoy, left, playing as Lysander in Midsummer Night’s Dream with Eleah Burman as Hermia, right. Credit: Maya Koenig.

“Every day, I put all my energy into planning out the scenes, asking people for donations towards this show, researching Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and publicizing the show in various news outlets such as in StageBuddy and NY Magazine.  Burman mentioned that she raised over $4,000 alone from donations for this show, and used her own pocket money to keep the show going at times.   “We’ve got great reviews and we sold out every night,” Burman said.  “My hard work and giving up having a life for my work this summer was worth it.”   She also handled social media, including Twitter and Facebook, and the company’s website.

Eleah Burman, left, plays Hermia with Steven Godoy, right, playing as Lysander in Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Burman herself. Credit: Jessica Robinson

Also, during the A Midsummer Night’s Dream production, Burman found it challenging to be the actress and director in a short amount of time.  “It was two months of madness and greatness, and people got together to create this unique show with a Brooklyn twist, and I’m proud of everyone and I couldn’t be more grateful to the people involved,” Burman said.  Burman had the opportunity to learn about people as a director—as she ran rehearsals every day and directed every scene except her own.  “I had to learn how to deal with people in the correct form and manner.”  She did not want to fail the cast of 13 people.   “I directed 13 other people, who did not know each other and never worked together, into a large Shakespearean production,” Burman said.  She had a vision for a classical piece and create the Brooklyn version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by working with the actors to find their characters and voices.  Burman also shaped the scenes to fit her vision.

Eleah Burman in Milkshakes, directed by Andrew Aprahamian. Credit: Andrew Aprahamian

Andrew Aprahamian, a film director who has worked with Burman before, also commented that “Burman was phenomenal both as an actress and director,” adding that her character was very funny.  “I have to take my hat off to her both as an actress and as a director since the show was amazing.”  Concetta also choreographed and directed the fight scene between Hermia and Lysander.

Midsummer Night’s Dream: From left: Steven Godoy, Eleah Burman, and Ilona Concetta
Credit: Jaclyn Cohen.

Burman credited Concetta to help with the process of running the plays on stage and other projects.  Concetta did assistant direct and fight choreograph for this show, Burman said.  “Concetta was making sacrifices by commuting between our show in New York City to Renaissance Faire in upstate New York.”

 

Concetta as Quintace Quicksilver, mad hatter of the shire with the New York Renaissance Faire.
Credit: Courtesy of Illona Concetta

As assistant director, Concetta also worked on the physicality problems with the actors onstage.

Ilona Concetta. Credit: Jordan Matter.

“I wanted to bring a certain perspective to theatre in New York City—by bringing the vibration of youthful energy and playfulness,” Concetta said.  “I also wanted to give a voice to the struggling 20-somethings of the city, because I feel like our voice often are not heard, and wanted to create the energy to express that.”

From left: Steven Godoy as Lysander, Ilona Concetta as Helena, and Drew Scott Alexander as Demetrius in Midsummer Night’s Dream. Credit: Jessica Robinson

Concetta added that love and identity are the two themes that are in focus in the projects run by Quirky Productions.  The projects address the struggles of finding love in a crazy vibrant city like NYC even at meeting places at the East Village bars or Brooklyn or around Washington Square.

Ilona Concetta as Helena in Midsummer Night’s Dream. Credit: Jessica Robinson

For example, in the July 2014 A Midsummer Night’s Dream production, Burman played Hermia who was in love with Lysander who did not love her back, so she had to blend in love, comedy, and humility to bring this character involved in a complicated situation to life on stage.  “Hermia wants the world to believe in her perfect love for Lysander and for Lysander to believe in it with her, yet she does have flirtations with both Demetrius and Helena (in our version) and her father absolutely forbids it to the point where she must choose between death or Demetrius,” Burman said.

From left: Ilona Concetta as Helena, Steven Godoy as Lysander, and Eleah Burman as Hermia. Photo Credit: Jessica Robinson

 

Concetta, who played Helena, directed Burman’s scenes, and served as her assistant director.  “My experience working with Eleah (Burman) has been fantasic,” Concetta said.  “She is incredibly driven to get things done, and is also very creative.”

The projects run by Quirky Productions also discusses the struggle to create your own identities during your “second” adolescence, Concetta added.  “In our 20s, we experience a reshaping of identity that is similar in high school but with greater independence,” Concetta said.

From left, Patrick Shane, Eleah Burman, Otter Lee, Jillian Entenman, Davis Cannada, Adam Brekka, and Ilona Concetta in Quirky Production’s first show, Beyond Therapy. Photo: Courtesy of Eleah Burman.

“Both of my characters in Beyond Therapy and A Midsummer Night’s Dream feel they have a strong grasp of who they are, yet society does not accept them,” Berman said.

Beyond Therapy: Patrick Shane (left) and Eleah Burman (right). Photo: Courtesy of Eleah Burman.

 

For example, in Beyond Therapy, Burman’s character, Prudence, feels very strongly that she has obtained her identity in a world that she rejects.  This is because her identity did not fit into her perfect idealistic world; therefore, does not have a true identity or a true nature at all.  Prudence’s life revolves a perfectionist world, which is why she becomes unhinged and accepts imperfection by the end of the play, Burman explained.

From left, Davis Cannada, Eleah Burman, Ilona Concetta, Patrick Shane, Adam Brekka, and Cyrus Soliman in Beyond Therapy. Photo: Courtesy of Eleah Burman.

On the other hand, “in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the lovers believe so strongly in whom they love, yet can easily be swayed to feel just as strongly and as hardly for the other people in their square love that their identities are easily lost,” Burman said.

Midsummer Night’s Dream. From left: Steven Godoy and Eleah Burman, Courtesy of Eleah Burman.

 

“Hermia, my character, is so blind-sighted by her love, Lysander, that he needs to spell out his hate for her multiple times for her to even start to comprehend that he could change his mind.”  Hermia is idealistic even when at rock bottom. She knows herself and her idealistic version of Lysander and is hurt and confused by the whole situation being hurt, upset, and rejected for the first time in her life, although she remains optimistic for him.

From left: James Kamensky as Puck, Yadin Goldman as Oberon, Steven Godoy as Lysander, and Drew Scott Alexander as Demetrius in Midsummer Night’s Dream. Credit: Jessica Robinson

In the near future, Quirky Productions will be working on two different webseries, and on a play, Neil LaBute’s Reasons to be Pretty, Concetta said.  The next play may be open in fall 2014.

Eleah Burman: Founder of Quirky Productions

Eleah Burman: she’s a woman of many talents: singer, actress, and creator.  Fresh out of New York University’s (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts in 2013, she’s already thriving as an accomplished actress on stage and on the screen. 

Eleah Burman. Photo credit: Peter Hurley.

Born an only child to a nurse and a lawyer in Manhattan, the Burman family moved to Long Island for better schooling opportunities.  Second after her mother, who graduated from NYU School of Nursing, Burman moved to NYC to pursue her studies in acting at NYU.

Both of her parents play musical instruments, and her father, a lawyer, came from a family of actors and singers, Burman said.  “Acting makes me feel like I’m in another world,” Burman said, who decided to pursue the profession after experiencing acting as a young child.  Her first role was at the age of six, playing Statue of Liberty in a kindergarten play with her childhood boyfriend, Adam Popper, who played Uncle Sam.  “Since then, I’ve been acting every year of my life, and I’ve never stopped not for one single moment,” Burman said, adding that she’s been in over 200 short films during her years at NYU.  For those short films, Burman, losing sleep, sometimes did a few short films in one day since directors suggested her to other directors.  “NYU strongly enforced me and made me approach acting for film,” Burman said.

Eleah Burman in Milkshakes, directed by Andrew Aprahamian. Credit: Andrew Aprahamian

For example, Burman was involved in Andrew Aprahamian’s NYU narrative film, Milkshakes, a short romantic comedy, which she found challenging since she had to play a character whose was both depressed and hopeful at the same time.  The character had walls up when she interacted with people, but she hoped her previous relationship would become successful—although her boyfriend, who cheated on her, had moved on.  “I mainly struggled with her likeability amongst her sadness,” Burman said.

However, Burman is comfortable playing any character on screen or on stage.  “Eleah (Burman) is one brilliant performer, she understands the director’s point of view and can perform consistently,” Aprahamian said, who specializes in romantic dramas and sci-fi films.  Good actresses understand directions well, and can bring what the director wants in a character, Aprahamian said.  Commenting back, Burman added that “Andrew (Aprahamian) was the easiest director to work with as when we worked together, his direction almost came like telepathy.”  For example, when Aprahamian says a word, Burman would know what to do.  “I’m lucky to have worked with him.”

Burman mentioned that she met Ilona Concetta at NYU, as they both acted together often during the first semester of their senior year.  “It can be difficult to find an easy acting relationship,” Burman said, commenting that acting partners sometimes do not show up, or do not memorize lines, or do not care about their work.  Burman found it easy to work with Concetta on projects since of her high level of reliability and good work ethic.  “Ilona (Concetta) and I had the same drive, mentality, and naturalness while working on scripts,” Burman said.

Ilona Concetta as Helena (left) and Drew Scott Alexander as Demetrius (right) in Midsummer Night’s Dream. Credit: Jessica Robinson

Burman decided to establish Quirky Productions, keeping Concetta involved, to run shows on stage and several webseries.  “I learned from NYU to create your own work in a place that is full of opportunities,” Burman said.  “I am very dedicated and determined to be in the industry,” Burman said, adding that the landscapes for acting opportunities in college and out in the working world are very different.  Yet, she has many goals for herself to accomplish whilst in her 20’s: running her own T.V. show, hold her own web series, become part of an improv team, and become a regular on a sitcom.  “I identify with my headstrong characters (Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Prudence in Beyond Therapy) who are forced to learn and forced to move forward.  She learns more about herself and other people from acting various roles.

Steven Godoy, left, playing as Lysander in Midsummer Night’s Dream with Eleah Burman as Hermia, right. Credit: Maya Koenig.

Burman will be in Aprahamian’s upcoming feature film, Fractured, in 2015.  Together, Concetta and Burman will be writing several webseries and perform in them, and have those produced by Quirky Productions and directed by Davis Cannada.  Even though Burman can be found in bright blaring colors scooting around New York City or belting on the subway, never doubt that there are multiple sides or auditions in her backpack, ready to go in a moment’s notice.

Eleah Burman. Credit: Jordan Matter

New York City and Information about Accessibility for Deaf and Hard of Hearing

New York City is well-known for its museums and Broadway productions, among many other things.  Accessibility for visitors can still be an issue, and visitors who need accommodations need to schedule ahead by visiting the sites below.

Here’s a story to tell about a visitor in NYC: Svetlana Kouznetsova, a Russian-born resident in New York City watched the Broadway play, The Phantom of the Opera, in NYC when she was in high school during the 1990’s.

Tony Award nominee Norm Lewis as The Phantom in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, in New York City. Photo credit: Matthew Murphy.

She lost her hearing at the age of 2 from meningitis, and was unable to understand the play since captions were not provided at that time.  Therefore, she had to rely on the Playbill and on the performers’ body language.

The Company in “Masquerade” feat. Sierra Boggess & Jeremy Hays (center).  THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, in New York City. Photo credit: Matthew Murphy.

However, because of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed in 1990, “Broadway shows are now accessible to patrons with hearing loss via open captions on a LED display and sign language interpreters, but only on selected dates. They cannot access it at any time,” she said.

“Prima Donna” feat (l. to r.): Deanna Doyle, Christian Šebek, Tim Jerome, Jeremy Hays, Michele McConnell, Laird Mackintosh & Ellen Harvey in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, in New York City. Photo credit: Matthew Murphy.

“There are also options to use iCaptions for some plays on any date, but it’s a handheld device and I prefer to watch open captions on a LED display instead to be hands free,” Svetlana said.  The Theatre (tdf.org) provides free memberships for patrons with disabilities so they can attend plays that are accessible with tickets that are half-price.  Also, through another nonprofit organization, Soundassociates, patrons with hearing loss can visit this website to locate venues that provide handheld devices where they can attend anytime.

Norm Lewis as the phantom & West End star Sierra Boggess as Christine – “The Music of the Night” in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, in New York City. Photo credit: Matthew Murphy.

For Svetlana, she prefers to be hands free.  “It would be nice for all Broadway shows to readily provide captions at any time without anyone requesting for it as captions benefit not just those with hearing loss, but also for foreign language speakers and even native English speakers who may find it hard to understand accents of some actors on the stage,” she said.

Jeremy Hays as Raoul & Sierra Boggess as Christine– “Twisted every way…” in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, in New York City. Photo credit: Matthew Murphy.

Deaf patrons sometimes attend plays that involve deaf characters—like an off-Broadway show called Tribes.  She watched this show a few years ago.  In this case, only a little sign language was involved, since the character was “oral,” meaning that he communicated through spoken language mostly, compared to sign language.  “It (Tribes) was captioned in real time which is very rare. Normally plays have captions that are scripted in advance and have someone to sync them with speech,” Svetlana said, who moved to America with her family when she was 12.  She already learned basic English before moving to the States since it was part of a foreign language requirement at school in Russia.

As a person who learned English as a second language, it can be challenge for Svetlana to understand spoken English.  This is because she has profound hearing loss since the age of 2 and hearing aids did not provide her clear speech discrimination the way normal hearing people can understand spoken language.  “I can understand spoken Russian and English only visually by lipreading, but I also cannot lip read everything and everyone – especially that lip reading gives only 30 percent of visual information. That’s why I prefer captions to get full access to aural information,” Svetlana said.

Additionally, New York City is also well-known for its museums besides Broadway productions.  Svetlana regularly attends ASL tours at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (a.k.a. as the Met) in New York.  Recently, she attended an ASL-only tour to visit The Passions of Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, guided by a deaf tour guide, a recent graduate from CUNY’s Hunter College with a Master’s degree in art history, Emmanuel von Schack.  Schack is a museum educator who provides gallery tours and acts as a consultant for accessibility for deaf patrons for other museums.  He also provides tours at the Museum of Jewish Heritage.  He said that “Museums in Paris provide better accessibility for deaf patrons compared to those in America.”  Svetlana and Emmanuel also mentioned that deaf patrons can visit www.handson.org and www.deafnyc.org for more venues that involve ASL accessibility.  Additionally, the Met also provides accessibility to patrons with other disabilities such as autism, blindness, and dementia–made possible by MetLife Foundation.  For more information, call the Access and Community Programs office at the Met: (212) 650-2010 or e-mail access@metmuseum.org.  Their website is www.metmuseum.org/events/visitorsdisabilities.

Meet Tricia Fukuhara, a recent graduate from NYU with an interesting story to tell

Tricia Fukuhara, ’14, is the first of her family to graduate from New York University’s (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts, and is originally from San Pedro, Calif.

Tricia Fukuhara, ’14, a recent graduate from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Photo Credit: Sergio Pasquariello

Both of her parents graduated from San Diego State University, and her father received his Masters of Fine Arts from California State University Long Beach (CSULB). Her brother also graduated from CSULB. She comes from an artistic family; her father is a visual artist (sculptor and muralist), and her brother is a photographer. “I was raised in a nurturing but unusual environment, where my dad would cart me around in a wheel barrow or on a dolly at CSULB while he was getting his MFA,” Fukuhara said. “I vividly remember him picking me up from day care, wheeling me over to the workshop to pick up tools, and then singing to his friends upon request.”

The 2014 Salute to Tisch School of the Arts took place at Radio City Music Hall in NYC.
Credit: Megan Clancy

Fukuhara wanted to perform since childhood after watching children’s T.V. shows like Barney, and wondering why she wasn’t dancing with the purple dinosaur as well. Subsequently, she ended up singing and dancing with large dinosaur-like characters on a national tour of Dragon Tales Live! Missing Music Mystery in 2001 at the age of  10.

Fukuhara as “Max” in Dragon Tales Live! Missing Music Mystery
Photo: courtesy of Tricia Fukuhara

Two years later, she returned to Dragon Tales Live! The Riddle of Rainbow River in 2003, to tour in the US as Max, and then was a swing performer (Max/Emmy) in Dragon Tales Live! Journey to Crystal Cave when it traveled to Seoul, Korea.

Fukuhara as “Emmy” in Dragon Tales Live! Journey to Crystal Cave Photo: Courtesy of Tricia Fukuhara

She also worked for Disney Cruise Lines as a performer playing Mulan for a year and an half. Not having auditioned for Cruise Line, she was planning to attend NYU but decided to defer her education for a year in order to accept the contract. “It was definitely a life-changing experience for me. I was called as a replacement, so I had a day to learn each show. The first day was my track, the next day were my understudy tracks. My first few hours away from home, and I had already missed my connecting flight to Toronto, had to learn how to cook, and then get certified to live on a ship. I grew up a lot. I feel like I aged 5 years on that contract,” Fukuhara laughs.

Tricia Fukuhara as a graduate with a B.F.A. from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Tisch’s Salute to the Class of 2014 took place at Radio City in NYC. Credit: Megan Clancy

When she came to NYU, she wrote and performed in the 48 hour film festival with Tisch School of the Arts, danced with the NYU Swing Society, and beat-boxed with NYU Cleftomanics. She lived abroad in Paris for a semester during fall 2013 where she studied French, cinema, contemporary art, literature, and history at NYU Paris and at the Université Paris Diderot. She became part of the swing dancing community in during her free time, meeting new friends outside the Palais de Tokyo, a contemporary museum.

Fukuhara swing dancing at “Gibus Club” in Paris.
Courtesy of Piksha Photographie

Her short-term goals are to gain more experience in screen acting and to begin establishing herself as an actor. Also a dancer involved in various performances and competitions in New York City, she is rehearsing with De Facto Dance Company for their performance of Playstreet this summer, as well as developing comedic shorts to produce in the future. “My teachers at Stonestreet Studios think I have a flare for comedy and say that I’m best suited for sitcoms like New Girl and The Big Bang Theory,” Fukuhara said. “People have described me as ‘gracefully awkward.’ I love to make people laugh, and I’d really enjoy working on a sitcom in the future. But my passion since I was a child has been musical theatre, so eventually I’d love to return to that as well.” Additionally, she’s fascinated by interactive dance and circus productions that involve athleticism and physicality like Sleep No More, Fuerza Bruta, or Queen of the Night—shows that inspire her as an artist. “I’d love to be part of something like that. My ultimate goal is to tell stories, and take people on visceral and cathartic journey together. The work is magical, and everyone deserves to experience it. I just want to share the art,” Fukuhara said.

Tricia Fukuhara
Credit:
Sergio Pasquariello

In fact, both NYU and Disney Cruise Line have prepared Fukuhara for the entertainment industry, which involves representation by a talent agency. “Tisch not only pushed me academically to think outside the box, to challenge ideas and perceptions, and to see the world differently, but also helped me grow as an artist,” Fukuhara said. “

Tricia Fukuhara.
Credit: Megan Clancy

I got to study in multiple acting studios, including the Atlantic Acting School, New Studio on Broadway (for musical theatre), and Stonestreet Studios (for TV/Film).” From her training at NYU conservatories, Fukuhara learned to act on impulse, strengthened her singing, and is now adjusting her work for the screen. “Each studio had something unique to offer, and I’m honored to have trained with so many talented teachers and actors.”

Fukuhara and Hugo Marty at “Le Chantier” in Montreuil, France.
Courtesy of Brotherswing

“Stonestreet gave me inspiration to write and create my own work, and helped me find confidence in myself, not only as an actor, but as an individual,” Fukuhara said. “I became close with several of the teachers in the studio, who are now colleagues with whom I still stay connected. I really value that.” Fukuhara points out that in this industry, a solid home base is important where people understand each other’s work as artists and are there to support each other along their journey. She’s incredibly grateful to the studio for having showcases, which is why she’s now represented by Abrams Artists Agency. She has plans to stay in NYC to pursue a career in performing.

Tricia Fukuhara at graduation. Credit: Megan Clancy

She expresses interest in teaching in the future, but right now she wants to fully immerse herself in the “real world” as a working actor and recent graduate from NYU. “‘Go Violets!’” she adds, “My friends make fun of me for having so much school spirit. Haha. But ultimately, if everything came easily, it wouldn’t be as fulfilling. Sure, a lot of this business is about luck and timing, but I firmly believe that hard work can bring you to success as well.”