-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-
Call for Artists! Introducing The Art of Oscar
PRESS/MEDIA Contact:
-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-
THE ART OF OSCAR
Visual artists help preserve and honor the legacy of
Oscar Hammerstein II
Artists are invited to create works inspired by
Oscar Hammerstein’s life, his music, his service, and his home of inspiration
HAMMERSTEIN
Exhibition, Prizes, Public & Private Sales
At Highland Farm, Doylestown, PA
OPEN TO PUBLIC May 18th
DOYLESTOWN, PA (3/1/19)– The Arts & Cultural Council of Bucks County and The Oscar Hammerstein Museum and Theatre Education Center (Highland Farm) announce the Art of Oscar, a unique celebration and competition which will serve asa fundraiser for the participating non-profit organizations, community artists and participating event artists. Visual Artists of all mediums are invited to create works inspired by Hammerstein’s life, music, humanitarian service, and his home and submit them for awards, exhibition, and public sale at Highland Farm this May. Artist registration before or on April 1st at www.bucksarts.org
Highland Farm, currently operating as a Bed & Breakfast in Doylestown, PA is the very place where Hammerstein lived and wrote most of our country’s most beloved musicals such as Oklahoma, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music. Since township approvals in 2016, a dedicated group has been working to save Hammerstein’s homestead from a proposed 4-lot subdivision and re-purpose the site as a dynamic Broadway history browsing museum and education center, inspired by Hammerstein’s international cultural contributions and humanitarian work. For more about Hammerstein’s museum in the making, visit HammersteinCenter.org. The Art of Oscaris a planned and organized event of the Arts & Cultural Council of Bucks County that will assist in the group’s fundraising. Artists will create an art piece that honors the legacy of Hammerstein by representing Highland Farm or other aspects of his illustrious career in music, stage, screen or even his championing humanitarian initiatives.
ELIGIBILITY, PRIZES & ARTIST COMPENSATION
The Art of Oscar is open to all visual artists age 16 and older. The top 100 selected pieces will be included in the exhibition and sale, featuring the work of 80 adult artists and 20 student artists. AWARDS: Professional artists/jurors will award prizes for outstanding accomplishments in the visual arts. Participating artists who sell their work during the fundraising event will donate 50% of total sales to the cause and retain the remaining 50% of their sale.
PRIZES
1st Prize “The Oscar” $500
2nd Prize $300
3rd Prize $100
2 Honorable Mention Awards $50
TIMELINE
March 1 Registration for Art of Oscar opens at bucksarts.org
March 9 Artists are welcome to visit Oscar’s farm for inspiration (rain date March 10)
April 1 Deadline for online registration for The Art of Oscar at bucksarts.org
May 1 Deadline for digital artwork images to info@bucksarts.org
May 15 Artwork drop off at Highland Farm, 4-7 pm
May 16 ACCBC members’ and exhibiting artists’ reception, 5-7:30 pm
May 17 Pre-sale event for Hammerstein donors, 5-7:30 pm
May 18 Public Art Exhibition and Sale, noon-4pm / Artwork pick-up at 4 pm
REQUIREMENTS
Interested artists can find out more and are also required to register for participation in The Art of Oscar on or before April 1 at bucksarts.org. For further questions, email info@bucksarts.org.
ABOUT HAMMERSTEINCENTER.ORG
With the threat of a 4-lot subdivision looming, The Oscar Hammerstein Museum & Theatre Education Center, a recognized 501(c)3, is in the process of raising funds to purchase, restore, and preserve Oscar’s Hammerstein’s former home and workplace at Highland Farm in Doylestown, PA. The goal is to create the “Hammerstein Center,” a multifaceted, dynamic museum experience with a strong theater education component that will serve as a place of inspiration for Broadway fans and humanitarians alike, from Hammerstein’s backyard and throughout the globe. More at HammersteinCenter.org
ABOUT THE A&CC OF BUCKS COUNTY:
The mission of the Arts & Cultural Council of Bucks County is to foster, strengthen, and promote Bucks County’s diverse arts and cultural community, build arts alliances, and enhance the Bucks County arts experience. The Council’s work is rooted in the continuation of Bucks County arts traditions, the enrichment of arts appreciation, continually inspiring a vibrant and collaborative environment for contemporary arts, artists, and art lovers alike. The Arts & Cultural Council of Bucks County is a 501(c)3, nonprofit corporation governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. To learn more, visit www.BucksArts.org
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#LoveToLaunchMKH
Naked Call Premieres Tonight & Newest Cast Member Announced!
-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-
BROOKE WETTERHAHN
JOINS
NAKED CALL
A New Feathers, Full-Length Reading Premiere
By
Award-Winning Playwright
KEN KAISSAR
TONIGHT ONLY – THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20th
New Feathers, A Theatrical New-Works Reading Series
Exclusively at the James A. Michener Art Museum
TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT: www.michenerartmuseum.org
NEW HOPE, PA - (12/20/18) – Brooke Wetterhahn joins the cast of NAKED CALLand will now be performing as “Jennifer”. Naked Call, a brand-new play by award-winning playwright, Ken Kaissaris premiering as a professionally staged reading, produced by New Feathers Productions as announced earlier this month.
More about Naked Call: AnOff-Off-Broadway theatre company who produces a futuristic, post-apocalyptic, Dystopian tale, but the concept requires that the piece be performed in the nude. The play is fully rehearsed and the cast gathers for the first naked rehearsal. Hesitation sets in and causes the cast to scrutinize the concept. Are we getting naked out of necessary artistic expression? Or is this a desperate attempt to be noticed? Note: The real cast performing on the 20th will be clothed.
The complete Naked Call cast includes:
Michael Gamache as Patrick
Eileen Cella as Lorriane
Jason Silverman as Tim
Daniel Patrick Smith as Dirk
Brooke Wetterhahn as Jennifer
and
Miriam White as Lisa
Naked Call is a staged reading professionally produced and presented by New Feathers Productions, exclusively at the James A. Michener Art Museum. Naked Call concludes the 2018 New Feathers Season. Show ticket-holders enjoy an included museum pass with access to the latest exhibitions and the ever-popular, pre-show wine gathering with the creatives at 6:15pm, Naked Call starts promptly at 7pm and runs approximately 75 minutes. All-inclusive tickets on sale for a flat-fee of $20.00 and are available now at MichenerArtMuseum.org.
Cast Addition & Playwright Bios:
BROOKE WETTERHAHN (Jennifer): is thrilled to be working with such inspiring, dynamic artists! Selected credits: Broadway Rising Stars (Town Hall, NYC), TNNY SoundBites: Dinosaur (Signature Theatre), The 25th Annual…Spelling Bee (Bristol Riverside Theatre), Dragons Love Tacos (TheaterWorks USA), Tamra Wasserman: This is Real, This is Me (The PIT). NYU/Tisch: New Studio on B’way (BFA Drama, ‘17). www.brookewetterhahn.com @bjw615
KEN KAISSAR:
Ken Kaissar’s plays have been performed or developed by the Philadelphia Theatre Company, Bristol Riverside Theatre, Delaware Theatre Company, Mildred's Umbrella, Fusion Theatre Company, Urban Stages and Passage Theatre. His play THE VICTIMS OR WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO ABOUT IT (published by McFarland & Company, Inc.) was a runner-up for the 2009 Princess Grace Award and was honored by Middle East America: A National New Plays Initiative, a partnership of Golden Thread Productions, Lark Play Development Center, Silk Road Rising. His adaptation of Geoffrey Chaucer’s THE CANTERBURY TALES was commissioned by Columbia University. His ten-minute play CEASEFIRE was an official selection in the 2012 New Works Festival at the Fusion Theatre Company in Albuquerque, and the 2015 ReOrient Festival at Golden Thread Productions in San Francisco. His other plays include A MODEST SUGGESTION (available on Amazon), THE MAN STANLEY and NUDE STUDY. He holds a BFA in directing from Carnegie Mellon University and an MFA in playwriting from Columbia University. He teaches playwriting and theatre history at Rider University and Stockton University. He also works as an acting coach. www.theauditionhelper.com.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW:
Show tickets $20.00 each at MICHENERARTMUSEUM.ORG – “New Feathers”
Select proceeds of all NFP ticket sales additionally benefit the James A. Michener’s educational programming department.
About New Feathers: New Feathers Productions is a professionally produced, ever-expanding playwright and performance reading series devoted to new works and are will be accepting open-submissions from all playwrights, submission details TBA. From inception and onto their exciting, second-season this fall, NFP promises to showcase theatrical works currently created by the award-winning playwrights of Princeton’s Witherspoon Circle and Bucks County area playwrights. NFP purposefully presents an edgy, industry-inside view to the creative development process with skilled performers, playwrights and directors. NFP aims to deliver a delightful and memorable mix of emotion-flexing, brain-teasing comedy, frank thought, post-conversation, while immersing participants in the experimental, theatrical process and encourages audience feedback to support new work. For the latest updates please visit the New Feathers Productions Facebook page at Facebook/NewFeathersProductions or email:NewFeathersProductions@gmail.com
About the James A. Michener Art Museum: The James A. Michener Art Museum collects, preserves, interprets, and exhibits American art, and promotes the work of nationally and internationally known Delaware Valley artists of all eras and creative disciplines. Founded in 1988, the museum presents exhibitions that explore a variety of artistic expressions and offers diverse educational programs that develop a lifelong involvement in the arts. Throughout the year, the Michener Art Museum hosts a wide range of programs open to the public, including lectures, artists conversations, gallery talks, artist studio tours, dance performances, jazz performances, family-themed activities, and other events. The Museum also offers a diverse selection of art classes for children and adults, which include instruction in drawing, painting, sculpting, and printmaking as well as programs for the public, schools, and teachers designed to support arts education. The James A. Michener Art Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
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Catch the Feather Buzz on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/NewFeathersProductions/
WATCH THE YOUTUBE TRAILER FROM THE 2017 PREMIERE AT THE RAVEN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI_Dx95A4mc&t=74s
*High-resolution images and interviews are available upon request
www.MkHammerstein.com
#LoveToLaunchMKH
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Breaking News: Hammerstein Museum Fundraising Extension!
-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-
CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY
FOR
HAMMERSTEIN MUSEUM PROJECT[CLC1] [mk2]
Deadline to Save the Home of
Legendary Lyricist & Humanitarian
OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II
EXTENDED!
DOYLESTOWN, PA (12/19/18)- The Friends of Oscar Hammerstein, the county-wide, community-led initiative launched this summer, is pleased to announce that it hasnegotiated an extension with both Doylestown Township and the developer with an interest in the property and now has more time to continue raising the funds needed to save Oscar Hammerstein’s Highland Farm from the dreaded subdivision.
The past year has seen many exciting efforts focused on raising funds to preserve “The Farm” as a museum. In July, well over 400 people attended the collaborative outdoor “Sing!”performance on the Farm’s front lawn, serving as a perfect stage to many local supporters and artists. With a new campaign in place designed by Axis Visual in Doylestown, the “Friends of Oscar Hammerstein” committee has raised over $50,000, attracting a mix of social media and private donations, community events such as Dine & Donate nights, Save the House Bike Tours by Encore Rides, an Oscar Night Cocktail Party with professional Broadway performances, and fellow-non-profit programing partnerships, among other initiatives. A live-streaming program on Facebook, entitled“Live from Oscar’s Living Room,” has generated over 45,000 views in a matter of weeks and a new sponsor, further leading to other upcoming sponsorships.
In other encouraging developments, Doylestown Township has generously granted an extension to file preliminary land plans to November 2019 and the Arts and Cultural Council of Bucks County donated their 2018 Giving Tuesday efforts to help ensure the future of Highland Farm as an iconic Bucks County landmark. Other exciting plans with partners are in the works, leading the committee to anticipate a successful campaign in 2019!
About HammersteinCenter.org
With the threat of a 4-lot subdivision looming, The Oscar Hammerstein Museum & Theatre Education Center, a recognized 501(c)3, is in the process of raising funds to purchase, restore, and preserve Oscar’s Hammerstein’s former home and workplace at Highland Farm in Doylestown, PA. The goal is to create the “Hammerstein Center,” a multifaceted, dynamic museum experience with a strong theater education component that will serve as a place of inspiration for Broadway fans and humanitarians alike, from Hammerstein’s backyard and throughout the globe.
www.hammersteincenter.org
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Read the Philadelphia Business Journal story by reporter Kenneth Hilario HERE
#LoveToLaunchMKH
NAKED CALL - CASTED & DIRECTOR ANNOUNCED!
-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-
Left to Right: Daniel Patrick Smith, Miriam White, Eileen Cella, Jason Silverman, Michael Gamache and latest cast addition Booke Wetterhahn
NEW FEATHERS PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCES
COMPLETE CAST
OF FEATURED, FULL-LENGTH PREMIERE
“NAKED CALL”
By
Award-Winning Playwright
KEN KAISSAR
ONE-NIGHT ONLY – THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20th
New Feathers, A Theatrical New-Works Reading Series
Exclusively at the James A. Michener Art Museum
TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT: www.michenerartmuseum.org
NEW HOPE, PA - (12/11/18) –Immediately following a near sold-out performance from their December 6th show, New Feathers Productions now announces complete casting of “Naked Call”, a featured, full-length premiere by award-winning playwright, Ken Kaissar with direction by Amy Kaissar. Premiering on stage at the James A. Michener Art Museum December 20th, with a fully clothed cast, actors Michael Gamache reunites with Ken Kaissar after performing in the East Coast tour of Kaissar’s play A Modest Suggestion as well as Humility at Philly’s Painted Bride Arts Center in which he appeared in the nude.
Jason Silverman joins Kaissar once again after performing in several readings of Kaissar’s sex farce entitled A Leg Up. Kendra Halloway and Miriam White join the cast after a successful run of the hit play Salt Pepper Ketchup at Philly’s InterAct Theatre Company last month.
The complete Naked Call cast includes:
Michael Gamache as Patrick
Eileen Cella as Lorriane
Jason Silverman as Tim
Daniel Patrick Smith as Dirk
Booke Wetterhahn as Jennifer
and
Miriam White as Lisa
Naked Call is professionally produced and presented by New Feathers Productions. Ticket-holders enjoy an included museum pass with access to the latest exhibitions and the ever-popular, pre-show wine gathering with the creatives at 6:15pm, Naked Call starts promptly at 7pm and runs approximately 75 minutes. All-inclusive tickets on sale for a flat-fee of $20.00 and are available now at MichenerArtMuseum.org.
“I’ve heard this play read around a table of fellow writers and colleagues, but this reading will give me a great opportunity to gage the audience response and see how the material lands. I’ll be watching the audience watch the show, and that is a great opportunity for a writer to learn about his script.” stated Ken Kaissar
Former Managing Director of the Bristol Riverside Theatre, Amy Kaissar, directs the play having directed many of her husband’s other plays. “It’s really convenient having your wife direct your work. You don’t have to explain the cadences and rhythms to her. She understands them innately. She lives with them,” Kaissar says.
ABOUT NAKED CALL:
An Off-Off-Broadway theatre company produces a futuristic, post-apocalyptic, Dystopian tale, but the concept requires that the piece be performed in the nude. The play is fully rehearsed and the cast gathers for the first naked rehearsal. Hesitation sets in and causes the cast to scrutinize the concept. Are we getting naked out of necessary artistic expression? Or is this a desperate attempt to be noticed? Note: The real cast performing on the 20th will be clothed
BIOS:
KEN KAISSAR:
Ken Kaissar’s plays have been performed or developed by the Philadelphia Theatre Company, Bristol Riverside Theatre, Delaware Theatre Company, Mildred's Umbrella, Fusion Theatre Company, Urban Stages and Passage Theatre. His play THE VICTIMS OR WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO ABOUT IT (published by McFarland & Company, Inc.) was a runner-up for the 2009 Princess Grace Award and was honored by Middle East America: A National New Plays Initiative, a partnership of Golden Thread Productions, Lark Play Development Center, Silk Road Rising. His adaptation of Geoffrey Chaucer’s THE CANTERBURY TALES was commissioned by Columbia University. His ten-minute play CEASEFIRE was an official selection in the 2012 New Works Festival at the Fusion Theatre Company in Albuquerque, and the 2015 ReOrient Festival at Golden Thread Productions in San Francisco. His other plays include A MODEST SUGGESTION (available on Amazon), THE MAN STANLEY and NUDE STUDY. He holds a BFA in directing from Carnegie Mellon University and an MFA in playwriting from Columbia University. He teaches playwriting and theatre history at Rider University and Stockton University. He also works as an acting coach. www.theauditionhelper.com.
AMY KAISSAR:
Amy's directing work includes productions at Bristol Riverside Theatre, Painted Bride, Abingdon Theatre, Epiphany Theater Company, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Stone Soup Productions, The Players Theatre, The Funny Woman Festival, WQED, The Theatre Studio, and the Philadelphia Dramatists Center. She holds a BFA in Directing from Carnegie Mellon University and an MFA in Producing from Columbia University where she was a Dean's Fellow, Presidential Scholar, and Rudin Foundation Fellow. Kaissar currently teaches at The University of Pennsylvania, previously taught at Columbia University and has been a guest lecturer at NYU and Carnegie Mellon.
MICHAEL GAMACHE (Patrick):
Michael Gamache has been living and working (often at the same time) in Philadelphia since 2012. Originally a Virginia native, Michael arrived after receiving his MFA in Classical Acting from Illinois State University. He has seen at Virginia Shakespeare Festival, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Virginia Musical Theatre, and The Heartland Theatre; as well as locally at Quintessence Theatre Group, Revolution Shakespeare, The Delaware Shakespeare Festival, Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, Bristol Riverside Theatre, Bootless Stageworks, and The Broadway Theatre of Pitman. Rumor has it, Michael has a little experience with a Naked Call himself.
KENDRA HALLOWAY (Jennifer) is a native of Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Holloway just made her regional theatre debut in Josh Wilder's Salt Pepper Ketchup at InterAct Theatre in Philadelphia, PA & Passage Theatre in Trenton, NJ. New York City theater credits include: Secret Theatre’s Columbinus, Breaking & Entering: Stage Reading at the National Black Theatre, Castillo Theatre’s Ain’t Never Been Easy, and Pulse Ensemble Theater’s The Taming of the Shrew. Television credits include TVOne’s Definitely Divorcing. Holloway stars in White Knuckle, an independent horror film currently touring the film festival circuit and the upcoming webseries Salty Pirate set to be released in early 2019. Holloway holds a BA in Mass Media Arts from Clark Atlanta University.
EILEEN MARKMAN (Lorriane): is in her third year as Managing Director of Act II Playhouse, having also appeared onstage there in Camelot (Barrymore nomination), My Fair Lady, Lend Me A Tenor, Broadway on Butler, Sleeping Handsome, Brighton Beach Memoirs, and Red Herring. Other roles include "Belinda" in First Day of School (1812 Productions), "Luisa" in The Fantasticks (Kimmel Center), and the title character in The Little Prince, both Off-Broadway and in the national tour. Eileen is a proud graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.
JASON SILVERMAN (Tim)
Jason Silverman- National Commercials: Tylenol, Clear, Xfinity/Comcast. Film: The Wolf of Wall Street, Stolen Summer. TV: Primetime Guest Co-Host on TCM: Turner Classic Movies, NBC’s New York Live. Jason will next be seen in Neil Simon’s The Sunshine Boys at Bristol Riverside Theatre. www.jasonsilverman.net
DANIEL PATRICK SMITH (Dirk)
Daniel Patrick Smith (Dirk) starred as Buddy the Elf in the national tour of “Elf the Musical.” Other theater credits include: Father Flynn in “Doubt” (Skyline Theater Company), Doug in “Mad Love” (Northern Stage), Orin and others in “Little Shop of Horrors” (Sharon Playhouse), and Ferdinand in “The Tempest” (New York Classical Theatre). Dan is currently working on SundanceTV’s mini-series “The Preppie Murder.” He also starred in the short film “Man of God,” which was accepted into the Cannes Short Film Corner. www.danielpatricksmith.com
MIRIAM WHITE (Lisa):
MIRIAM WHITE is a Philadelphia based actor, educator and producer. Recent theatre credits: Salt Pepper Ketchup and We are Proud to Present...(InterAct), Cinderella (Arden), Lysistrata Project (Simpatico), Brighton Beach Memoirs (Old Globe, u/s/performed), Elliot, a Soldier’s Fugue (Ion Theatre, San Diego Critic Circle Award Nomination), Peaches En Regalia, Restaurant Shorts (PPP) Wildflower (PlayPenn and the Lark), House of Spirits (PlayPenn), Have a Nice Life (Edinburgh Fringe, NY Fringe and NPTC.) For five years she served as Co-Artistic Director and Founder of Nice People Theatre Company.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW:
Show tickets $20.00 each at MICHENERARTMUSEUM.ORG – “New Feathers”
Select proceeds of all NFP ticket sales additionally benefit the James A. Michener’s educational programming department.
About New Feathers: New Feathers Productions is a professionally produced, ever-expanding playwright and performance reading series devoted to new works and are will be accepting open-submissions from all playwrights, submission details TBA. From inception and onto their exciting, second-season this fall, NFP promises to showcase theatrical works currently created by the award-winning playwrights of Princeton’s Witherspoon Circle and Bucks County area playwrights. NFP purposefully presents an edgy, industry-inside view to the creative development process with skilled performers, playwrights and directors. NFP aims to deliver a delightful and memorable mix of emotion-flexing, brain-teasing comedy, frank thought, post-conversation, while immersing participants in the experimental, theatrical process and encourages audience feedback to support new work. For the latest updates please visit the New Feathers Productions Facebook page at Facebook/NewFeathersProductions or email: NewFeathersProductions@gmail.com
About the James A. Michener Art Museum: The James A. Michener Art Museum collects, preserves, interprets, and exhibits American art, and promotes the work of nationally and internationally known Delaware Valley artists of all eras and creative disciplines. Founded in 1988, the museum presents exhibitions that explore a variety of artistic expressions and offers diverse educational programs that develop a lifelong involvement in the arts. Throughout the year, the Michener Art Museum hosts a wide range of programs open to the public, including lectures, artists conversations, gallery talks, artist studio tours, dance performances, jazz performances, family-themed activities, and other events. The Museum also offers a diverse selection of art classes for children and adults, which include instruction in drawing, painting, sculpting, and printmaking as well as programs for the public, schools, and teachers designed to support arts education. The James A. Michener Art Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
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Catch the Feather Buzz on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/NewFeathersProductions/
WATCH THE YOUTUBE TRAILER FROM THE 2017 PREMIERE AT THE RAVEN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI_Dx95A4mc&t=74s
*High-resolution images and interviews are available upon request
#LoveToLaunchMKH
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