One World and Godspell
Times like these call for opportunities to make us feel better. And there is nothing like an uplifting song or anthem to give us hope.
Franke Previte, Academy Award winning songwriter and performer, has released a new version of a song he co-wrote many years ago in a different place for a different reason.
The song is “One World” and it was originally written and produced in 1989 during a summit bringing together songwriters from the US and the Soviet Union.
Just a few months ago, during the height of the shutdown, Franke realized that the powerful anthem he co-wrote so many years ago could surely apply to our lives today, and be helpful as a fundraising tool as well.
So he refreshed it, re-recorded it, produced a video promoting it, and the song is now available for download.
With a donation to one of the four charities listed on the website, the download is free. Learn more here.
View the video here:
Talk about being uplifted…I have exciting news! You can enjoy LIVE theatre again. Maybe not in a traditional theatre setting, but in a safe and secure location. Just a few hours outside of New York City, in the beautiful Berkshires, the Berkshire Theatre Group is mounting live productions under a tent in the parking lot of their Colonial Theatre campus in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
Coming up on Aug 6-Sept 4, Stephen Schwartz’s classic musical, Godspell.
The show is produced under the auspices of Actors’ Equity, with all the safety protocols enacted. Audience members will be distanced from each other and from the actors. A medical professional will be on duty for all performances.
If you are missing theatre so desperately (and who isn’t?), this is a super way to get your fix, and be safe. Go to https://www.berkshiretheatregroup.org/event/godspell-2/
To meet the people behind these stories and more, listen to “Bagels and Broadway with Valerie Smaldone” Saturday morning at 9:05-10 on WNYM Radio, also available online, Alexa and podcast following airing of the show.
Valerie Smaldone is a 5-time Billboard Magazine Award winner and is well known for her unprecedented success holding the #1 on-air position in the New York radio market on 106.7 Life-FM, an iHeart station. She has hosted, produced, and created several award-winning nationally syndicated programs featuring in-depth interviews with stars like Paul McCartney, Celine Dion, Rod Stewart, Elton John and Mariah Carey among others. Her radio talk show "Bagels and Broadway" highlighted theatre and food personalities. She is an accomplished interviewer and voice artist heard on commercials, narrations, promos and audiobooks, as well as a sought after live announcer.
Most recently, Valerie produced and directed a film, The Thursday Night Club, featuring pop diva Gloria Gaynor in her movie acting debut. She is one of the creators and producers of a docu-series, Divine Renovation, starring Erik Estrada, on streaming networks soon.
