Susan Colin knew she was born to sing – she just didn’t know what that would entail. She grew up in New York and studied at Boston University as a voice major. While there she figured out that classical or operatic singing was not for her – plus she noticed there were an awful lot…
“Romeo and Juliet” is perhaps the most famous love story of all time. It’s a story that can be set in a variety of time periods, whether it be the Montagues and Capulets from Shakespeare’s time in the late 1590s or the Sharks and the Jets from “West Side Story” in the 1950s. Greasepaint Youtheatre…
Just four years after being founded, Phoenix’s Musical Instrument Museum already has garnered recognition from two national travel resources. USA Today Travel named MIM the fourth best museum for families, and TripAdvisor tagged MIM as its top Phoenix attraction. But the reason I want to add MIM to my itinerary is the curators’ enthusiastic description…
The Invisible Theatre takes its name from “the invisible energy that flows between a performer and audience, creating the magic of theatre.” But there is nothing invisible about the charismatic leader of the theater, Susan Claassen. She is a force to be reckoned with as a producer, director, fundraiser, teacher, actor, creative visionary and even…
Valley theatergoers are very familiar with the multi-talented Maria Amorocho. For over 20 years, she has appeared on nearly every stage in the area in comedies, dramas and musicals. “I can’t say I’m exactly a triple threat,” she admits with a grin. “I’m known as ‘an actor who moves’ rather than a true dancer.” No…
“That’s not fair! She got more than I did! You love him more than me!” How many times have you heard those words from a small child? How many times have you thought them yourself – even as an adult? We are born with the innate need to alter the things we experience as unjust….
And so it begins. That huge tray of hamantaschen in Costco reminds us of the impending holiday filled with candy, costumes and celebration. But the mere notion of a triangle cookie tends to send many a Jewish woman into a full-blown retreat, running through the stages of grief, starting with denial. Because it’s not the…
Passover Haggadot (plural of Haggadah) can be found in many versions, from the old Maxwell House Coffee pamphlets to elaborately decorated and detailed hardbound books. The word Haggadah means “telling,” which comes from the Biblical command: “And you shall tell your child on that day, saying: ‘G-d did (miracles) for me when I left Egypt…
Yaakov Kirschen followed the haggadah pledge of “Next Year in Jerusalem” when, in 1971, he “schlepped a wife and three kids” with him from New York to Israel. To mark the 40th year of “Dry Bones,” his internationally syndicated editorial cartoon peopled (and “dogged”) by Mr. Shuldig and Doobie, his irrepressible pet, Kirschen has crafted…
With the Internet, the world has become a marketplace, offering fashion, jewelry, accessories, gifts and more with just a few clicks of a button. One of my favorite sites for the aforementioned is Etsy (etsy.com). This online bazaar features amazing, one-of-a-kind finds from around the globe. A recent search of “Jewish gifts” turned up many…
