Staying Connected Through Community
In this week’s column, more ways to stay connected to each other through community.
Photo credit: Kat West
For quality entertainment, check out the New York Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene’s online offering Folksbiene! LIVE – a celebration of Yiddish culture featuring live streamed theater, American Jewish performers, workshops, and other events. As an example, coming up on April 1, actor Adam B. Shapiro will perform in concert, “From Fool to Fiddler.”
This past week, Fiddler on The Roof in Yiddish’s Stephanie Lynn Mason and Drew Seigla presented “Love Duets Lunchtime Concert”, followed by a Q&A with online audience members on Facebook. You can see that performance and enjoy live events at www. nytf.org
The Reelabilities Film Festival, which highlights stories about people with disabilities, was slated to have screenings of their many films at the end of the month.
Of course, their screenings had to be canceled, but the organizers pivoted, re-grouped and are moving forward with a virtual film festival instead. The festival will run as planned from March 31 to April 6.
To view the line-up of films and purchase tickets go to: www.reelabilities.org/newyork
And from the restaurant front, are you aware of a quickly assembled mission to help keep restaurants afloat AND feed healthcare workers at the same time?
This is the brilliant idea of restaurateur Luca Di Pietro, who owns Tarallucci e Vino eateries around the city.
The organization, Feed the Frontlines NYC, is fueling with food the extraordinary efforts of our city’s healthcare workers, while also supporting our local restaurants and their employees.
When you donate an amount, you are purchasing a meal for a healthcare worker that is prepared and delivered by the restaurant’s staff.
A great way to thank the incredible heroes at the frontlines of the COVID-19 battle who are tending to the sick, and to help restaurants weather this stunningly challenging time. www.feedthefrontlinesnyc.com
Join me on “Bagels and Broadway” Saturday morning from 9-10 on WNYM (AM970) or listen to the podcast following airing of the show. Bagels and Broadway podcast
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.
