Westfield News Group ArtsBeat 12/27/17

The Westfield News Group ArtsBeat or 12/27/17. Tanglewood celebrates a Leonard Bernstein Centennial, and Goodspeed presents a Festival of New Musicals and more. http://thewestfieldnews.com/arts-beat-205/

News from Mark G Auerbach Public Relations / January 2018

January, 2018

We’re proud to share our clients’ activities.

New Clients

Jeanne Yocum, publisher of the award-winning blog Succeeding in Small Business, and a public relations colleague, who I got to know, when she lived in Western Massachusetts, will releaseher new book, The Self-Employment Survival Guide: Proven Strategies to Succeed as Your Own Boss. I was fortunate to be able to preview some of the chapters, when Jeanne was writing the book, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to help her publicize and promote the book, when it launches on April 8. For details: https://www.amazon.com/Self-Employment-Survival-Guide-Strategies-Succeed/dp/1538108712/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1514302701&sr=8-1&keywords=Jeanne+Yocum&pldnSite=1

Zasco Productions in Chicopee, MA provides.fully-integrated, turn-key creative and technical production solutions for corporate, educational, non-profit, theatrical, entertainment, and broadcast events  Their new Vice President, Howard C. Sienkiewicz, and I began our WMass careers working together at The Springfield Symphony Orchestra.  For details: http://www.zasco.com  Zasco also owns BigVideo Screen. http://www.bigvideoscreen.com

The Events

The Capitol Steps return to Western New England with their 2018 Spring Break Tour. with performances April 20 at Northampton’s Academy of Music, and April 21 at The Warner in Torrington, CT. Produced by The Mike Thornton Agency, the Northampton performance is made possible by New England Public Radio and WGBY Public Television. For Northampton tickets: https://www.aomtheatre.com  For Torrington tickets:. https://www.warnertheatre.org/  

And, The Capitol Steps’ newest radio special, Politics Takes A Holiday , airs on many NPR member stations on New Year’s Eve. For details:: http://www.capsteps.com/radio/

The Big Broadcast!, The Jazz Ensembles of Mount Holyoke’s 13th annual recreation of a live swing era radio broadcast, returns to Chapin Auditorium on Saturday, March 3. The program includes a 100th Birthday salute to Ella Fitzgerald. Mark Gionfriddo conducts and directs. WWLP’s Brian Lapis stars as emcee Fred Kelley, and tickets are on sale  at the UMass Fine Arts Center Box-Office and Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley. Snow date is March 4. Sponsors (to date) include Mount Holyoke College, WWLP-22News & The CW Springfield, The Republican powering MassLive and El Pueblo Latino, and Loomis Communities..For details: 413-545-2511, 800-999-UMAS or www.fineartscenter.com.

The People

Kevin Rhodes conducts a program of Haydn, Beethoven, and Mozart on January 20 with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra in MA. He just returned from Germany, conducting four sold-out performances of John Cranko’s Swan Lake at Stuttgart Ballet.  For information on Kevin Rhodes:  http://kevinrhodesconductor.com/

More Shameless Self-Promotion

ArtsBeat Radio airs on tWednesday, January 17 at 9AM, live on 89.5FM/WSKB in Westfield, MA area; on Comcast Ch.15 in Westfield, or streamed via www.wskb.org or www.westfieldtv.org. For copies of previously-aired shows:  http://wskbpodcast.com/browse/

My ArtsBeat columns and theatre reviews for Westfield News Group, BroadwayStars.com, Succeeding in Small Business and Take Magazine are catalogued at. Random Notes From a P.R. Guy: http://mgauerbach.blogspot.com/

Our offices will be closed on Monday, January 1

Best wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Take Magazine Profile: Kristen Van Ginhoven and WAM

My final article for soon-to-shutter Take Magazine. WAM Theatre's Kristen Van Ginhoven, an artist whose work I very much admire, and whose mission I believe in. https://thetakemagazine.com/kristen-van-ginhoven/

Calendar Listings: Capitol Steps Return to Northampton

CALENDAR LISTINGS

The Mike Thornton Agency presents

THE CAPITOL STEPS

2018 Spring Break Tour

Friday, April 20, 2018 at 7:30PM

The Academy of Music Theatre

274 Main Street, Northampton, MA 01060

Tickets now on sale at The Academy of Music Box-Office

413-584-9032 ext. 105 or www.aomtheatre.com

Sponsored by New England Public Radio and WGBY Public Television.

The Capitol Steps return to Hampshire County or their first performance since 2010. The political musical satiure troupe has been a national institution for over 35 years, providing a unique blend of musical and political comedy and satire to audiences coast-to-coast.. Each show consists of tasteful lampooning guaranteed to leave both sides of the political spectrum laughing. The troupe started in 1981. Since then, they have appeared on “The Today Show,” “ABC News Nightline,” “CBS Evening News” and on specials for NPR. 

The Capitol Steps’newest radio special, Politics Takes A Holiday , airs on many NPR member stations on New Year’s Eve. For details on stations airing the Capitol Steps radio special,or podcast downloads:: http://www.capsteps.com/radio/

The Washington Post calls The Capitol Steps: “An oasis of good-natured ribbing in a fiercely partisan world. The entire audience, Republicans and Democrats alike, roared with laughter”.

DC Theatre Scene says “The Capitol Steps is a political comedy show that offers a mix of song and standup, lampooning modern political leaders and taking on the major issues of the day. .If you’re a political junkie, you’ll get a healthy dose of the daily news served spit-roasted and heavily mocked.”

The Capitol Steps works overtime to capture the new administrations’ antics in satire and song. And since The Capitol Steps find their laughs in materials ripped from today’s and tomorrow’s headlines you never know whether Steve Bannon, Jeff Sessions, or Kim Jong-un might appear from Mar-A-Lago or The White House.

To preview some of the Capitol Steps materials, visit their website, www.capsteps.com, or find The Capitol Steps on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter (@capsteps)

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Note to The Press.

For Capitol Steps publicity photos: http://www.capsteps.com/live/pr06.html

For a copy of The Capitol Steps’ latst CD, “Orange Is The New Barack”, or links to broadcast versions of Capitol Steps songs, and other promotional items, please email Mark G. Auerbach at mgauerbach@gmail.com. 

Westfield News Group ArtsBeat 12/20/17

Westfield News Group ArtsBeat for 12/20/17. The best theatre performances of the year. http://thewestfieldnews.com/arts-beat-204/

ArtsBeat Radio 12/20/17

My ArtsBeat Radio program for 12/20/17 on 89.5fm/WSKB with TheaterWorks' Rob Ruggiero, Noble Shropshire from Hartford Stage's A Christmas Carol, and Westfield native Josh Burrage from Broadway'sCats. https://vimeo.com/248158819

Westfield News Group ArtsBeat 12/12/17

Westfield News Group ArtsBeat 12/12/17. "Best of The Arts" Part 2. The outstanding plays, musicals, directors, an designers. http://thewestfieldnews.com/arts-beat-203/

Calendar Listings: The Big Broadcast!

DATELINE: December 8, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CALENDAR LISTINGS

The Jazz Ensembles of Mount Holyoke College

present

THE BIG BROADCAST!

The 13th Edition

Saturday, March 3, 2018

2PM and 7:30PM

Chapin Auditorium

Mount Holyoke College

Route 116

South Hadley, MA 01075

The Jazz Ensembles of Mount Holyoke College's 13th annual presentation of a live 1940’s radio broadcast created and directed by Mark Gionfriddo (onstage as “Matt Morgan”) with WWLP-22News meteorologist Brian Lapis as emcee “Fred Kelley". Under Gionfriddo’s direction, the Mount Holyoke Big Band, Vocal Jazz, and Chamber Jazz Ensembles perform well-known tunes from the swing era, including music by Bing Crosby, the Andrews Sisters, Benny Goodman, and Spike Jones, as well as a Centennial Salute to Ella Fitzgerald.

Sponsors (to date) include Mount Holyoke College, WWLP-22News & The CW Springfield, The Republican powering MassLive and El Pueblo Latino.

Tickets are general admission. $25.00 premium front and center seating. $20.00 regular seating. $10.00 seniors in advance; $15.00 seniors at door. and $10.00 students. Tickets are available at the UMASS Fine Arts Center Box Office in Amherst; at the Odyssey Bookshop, Village Commons, South Hadley; and at the door (subject to availability).  For phone orders: 413-545-2511 or 1-800-999-UMASS. Online ticket purchases will be available through the UMass Fine Arts Center.

For information on The Jazz Ensembles of Mount Holyoke College: https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/music/jazz-0

Snow date is Sunday, March 4.

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Westfield News Group ArtsBeat 12/7/17: Arts Year in Review Part I

Part I of my 3-part Westfield News Group Best of the Arts 2017. Some of the innovators: Kristen Van Ginhoven and WAM Theatre; Matt Bertuzzi and Kevin Rhodes for the Springfield Symphony Real Time Concert Notes; Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and Berkshire Theatre Group’s Travis Daly. http://thewestfieldnews.com/arts-beat-202/

Westfield News Group Review: The Color Purple at The Bushnell

My Westfield News Group review of The Color Purple at The Bushnell. Powerful storytelling and distinctive staging. http://thewestfieldnews.com/review-color-purple-bushnell/

My December Succeeding in Small Business Column

My December column for Succeeding in Small Business. Event planning advice from three colleagues: Suzanne Hendery of Renown Health, Howard Sienkiewicz o Zasco Productions, an Julia Bradley Farmer from Northfield Mount Hermon School. https://www.succeedinginsmallbusiness.com/event-planning-dos-and-donts-part-2/#.WibCDCMrJaV

Westfield News Group Reviews: A Christmas Carol and Christmas On The Rocks

My Westfield News Group reviews of two holiday traditions: A Christmas Carol at Hartford Stage has a new "Scrooge". At TheaterWorks, Christmas on The Rocks has a new playlet by Jacques Lamarre. http://thewestfieldnews.com/review-seasonal-theatre-hits-updated/

Media Release: Howard Sienkieciwz Named VP/General Manager of Zasco Productions

ZASCO PRODUCTIONS NAMES HOWARD SIENKIEWICZ VICE-PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER

Chicopee, MA: Zasco Productions, LLC, the Massachusetts event planners and production company, has hired Springfield native and Southampton resident Howard Sienkiewicz as their new Vice President and General Manager, according to Zasco Founder and President/Owner Michael W. Zaskey. Sienkiewicz returns to Western Massachusetts, after having spent two decades as Technical Director for the international event planner and production company Ellen Michaels Presents.

“We’re so pleased that Howard Sienkiewicz agreed to return to Western Massachusetts to join the Zasco team,” said Zaskey.. His experience working globally in theatres, concert halls, convention centers, hotels, and non-traditional venues will help Zasco Productions and our other brand, Big Video Screen, to enhance the level of service we provide our customers throughout the region”.

Howard Sienkiewicz began his career in Springfield, MA as Production Stage Manager of The Springfield Symphony Orchestra, coordinating production for their classical and pop music series, operas and dance programs at Springfield Symphony Hall, at The Summer Pops at Stanley Park, The Berkshire Choral Festival, and the Springfield Symphony New England Tours, under the auspices of New England Presentors. He became Technical Director for Springfield Civic Center and Symphony Hall, and General Manager for Snow Sound, as well as owner of HCS Productions. At Ellen Michaels Presents, he travelled the globe working on events for CA Technologies, Oracle, and Intuit and many others. 

“Years ago”, says Sienkiewicz, “When Michael has getting Zasco started, we had crossed paths while I worked at Springfield Symphony Hall. Years later, when I needed a company to support a large corporate event in Boston, I was given his name. He and the company really impressed me. Going forward, I would use Zasco Productions for all our shows in the Northeast. I even brought them to Las Vegas, Chicago and North Carolina to support various shows. When I decided to get off the road Michael offered me this position and I am thrilled to be returning to my hometown and have the opportunity to work with a great company like Zasco locally and nationally.”

Zasco Productions LLC, a Massachusetts-based owner-operated company for over 25 years, provides fully-integrated, turn-key creative and technical production solutions for corporate, educational, non-profit, theatrical, entertainment, and broadcast events   For details: http://www.zasco.com/  Zasco also owns Big Video Screen.http://www.bigvideoscreen.com/

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