Georgetown Theatre Alumni

Dear GTA Members, We regret to inform you that the Georgetown theatre community recently lost one of its own, Sheldon Goldberg. There is little that we, the board, could say to properly commemorate not just the man but his contribution to the history we share. Instead, Mr. Goldberg’s friend and fellow alum Louis Fantasia has asked us to share the following remarks:

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Sheldon Goldberg (C ‘72) died tragically in an rafting accident on July 29. According to his obituary in the Washington Post, Sheldon, who was an enormously well-respected surgeon in the DC area, was on a fast-water fishing trip with his wife, Ramona, and their guide when their raft capsized. Sheldon and the guide died in the accident while his wife managed to swim to safety against the strong current.

According to the Post, Sheldon “co-wrote and directed musical plays” while at GU, but this hardly describes his contribution to the arts at GU in the early 70s. Sheldon did most of the arrangements for “Calliope” and other musicals that Mask & Bauble produced, as well as playing keyboard for their shows and rehearsals. He also was the pianist for the Georgetown Symphony Orchestra, which I founded and conducted from 1967 to 1972.

But even that doesn’t do justice to Sheldon’s contributions. If I was the “boy wonder” face of the Symphony in those days, Sheldon was its pulse and one of my closest collaborators and friends. He would often sit down at the piano, playing scores at the keyboard for me, especially if there was a concerto soloist to rehearse. He was a great arranger, with impeccable musical taste. A quick look up and a skeptical glance was all I needed from Sheldon to let me know that a tempo was too fast or slow in his opinion, or there was a clunker in some passage that needed revisiting. It’s hard to call someone as talented as Sheldon was modest and self-effacing, but he was, even though he could have gone on to a world class concert career. He seemed constantly amazed that the musical schemes I involved him – concerts at midnight, repertoire a community orchestra had no right attempting under an eighteen year old conductor, opening musicals that were under-rehearsed and often barely half-written – actually came off. What he never seemed to understand was that none of that would have been possible without him.

And still, even that doesn’t do justice to Sheldon’s contributions. Perhaps two anecdotes will help fill in the blanks.

I had been asked, for reasons I don’t really remember, to step in and conduct an African-American church choir, well south of 16th Street, for a few weeks while their conductor was in the hospital. They didn’t have a pianist, and I couldn’t – and still can’t – play worth a damn, so I asked Sheldon if he’d like to come along. His payment would be dinner at the “A.V.” a favorite Italian restaurant. As we drove further and further away from campus, Sheldon, looking straight ahead in the front seat, muttered, “Lou, Jews don’t go here.” I said, “Neither do Catholics.” But we went and he was embraced by the choir the minute he sat down at the piano. His gospel chops were as good as anyone’s, and I was totally extraneous. When the choir’s regular conductor returned, I was profusely thanked, but they wanted Sheldon to stay on!

The other anecdote to share was the time Sheldon took me fishing. Fishing, along with music, medicine and his family, was his great love. I was happy, despite the fact that I had never gone fishing before and haven’t been since, that we had the day together – one which started out very oddly.

Sheldon picked me up early and we went somewhere into the depths of Maryland, parked the car, climbed a fence and headed (trespassing, I think) for the pond or lake or stream that he knew. But, there was this odd buzzing in the air and, curious, we followed the sound.

We discovered a large black bull, dead on its side, its legs stiff and straight in the air. Certainly this was an omen to heed and we should turn back, but Sheldon knew the fishing would be good and nothing was going to deter him, so we went on. It was during that day of him patiently trying to explain to me that flicking a rod was much like giving the downbeat with a baton, that Sheldon told me he had made the decision to go on to med school, rather than pursue a career in music.

As the testimonials from his patients and colleagues rolled in after hearing the tragic news, it was clear that Sheldon had made the right, if difficult choice back then. Still, his contribution to the musical and theatrical life at Georgetown, as well as to my own growth as an artist, should not go unsung.

Louis Fantasia

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We thank Mr. Fantasia for the opportunity to remember Sheldon Goldberg through his stories and we ask that all members keep his loved ones in your thoughts and prayers. – The GTA Board

Update: Since first posting this, we’ve received some additional stories about Sheldon. One of them is below and we encourage everyone to post theirs in the comments.

I would like to add my condolences to Sheldon’s family and friends. I was a proud cast member of Calliope 12, “I Lost It At the Movies,” one of those “under-rehearsed” and “barely half-written” shows that somehow came off that Lou Fantasia referred to. It did help tremendously to have Lou on the conductor’s podium and student directors like Jack Hofsiss and Gus Kaikkonen involved with the show. But it also helped tremendously that Sheldon was there on the piano. I cannot claim to be a friend of Sheldon’s, but for those wonderful weeks that the show was put together, he seemed a friend to everyone. Of the 22-member cast, I think nine of us (including me) had never even performed in a high school production. Sheldon’s calming presence was very reassuring, and as a result, I knew that somehow we were going to be part of a great show. That we were legitimate performers.

Great people have influence even when they’re not trying to. I’m not surprised that Sheldon went on to become a great man. I will remember him for being a great human being.

Cordially,
Jim Keane ’72
“Marvin the Moose”

The GTA Board would like to warmly welcome the newly inducted members into our group! You are now Georgetown Theatre Alumni!
First off, we’d like to thank you for your tireless dedication to the production and performance of quality Hilltop theatre! By doing so, you have continued a long tradition of Georgetown students who worked hard, sacrificed their nights (and days), and slogged straight from class to rehearsal or work call, all for the collective success of the Georgetown theatre family. We know how hard you’ve worked the last four years; we’ve all been there. And yet it never ceases to amaze us how much talent and creativity rolls in with each new class!

Secondly, we’re sure you have questions about GTA (and the Board itself). If so, please feel free to shoot us an email at gutheatre@gmail.com or post something on our FB wall and we’ll answer you straightaway.

The question we tend to hear the most is “What does the GTA Board do?” Well, we keep the GTA community connected (through www.gutheatre.com, facebook, and broadcast e-mails); we support students and alumni through fundraising, publicity, and outreach; and we listen to what YOU want to do and how YOU want to help!

If you have a project that needs some funding or mentorship, let us know! If you’d like to bring your friends together and see a show in your neighborhood, we’ll help make it happen! If you’d like to give back to the student theatre community and make sure that they continue to grow and be supported through bagels during strike, pizza during early return from winter break, or even fundraising drives for special projects, email us with your ideas and how you want to get involved!

As our most recent alumni, your perspective is priceless to the future of Georgetown Theatre Alumni, so please share your experiences with us and get involved!

Hip hip hooray, and welcome to GTA!

Happy Holidays From GTA

The GTA Board would like to with all of our members the happiest of holidays this year.  We hope they were good for everyone.  We would also like to share with you our brand new holiday newsletter!  It is posted below for your reading pleasure!

GTA Winter 2010 Newsletter

Several recent Georgetown alums were featured in a WAMU 88.5 FM radio broadcast discussing the creation of Wayward Theatre. An aspiring young theatre company, Wayward Theatre is dedicated to bringing new plays to life in the DC theatre community. The company’s founder are all Georgetown alumni from 2008, although to staff shows, they’ve brought on board alumni from other years, Georgetown professors, and members of the wider DC community. Check out the interview with two founding members on WAMU or swing by the Wayward Theatre company website to learn more.

For the next two weeks, take advantage of an opportunity to support young alumni doing theater in DC and see ‘Freud Meets Girl’ at the DC Fall Fringe Festival. The show, a crowd favorite in the summer Fringe Festival, was written and directed by Hunter Styles (COL ’08), stars Seamus Sullivan (SFS ’08), and features designs from Austin Williams (SFS ’08) and Wade Tandy (COL ’09).

For more information, click HERE.

Remember, as you’re making your Homecoming plans, GTA members are re-convening for our second Annual Membership meeting during Homecoming and want YOU to be there! Since many of us will be on and around the Hilltop for tailgating and football, our GTA board would love to take advantage of this opportunity to update all members on a few key items, including:

(1) Upcoming events, like the DBM@80 – a celebration and networking event like we’ve NEVER seen before!
(2) Our new website and its capabilities
(3) Our GTA mission statement
(4) Special offers to our membership for the coming year and ways YOU can help
(5) How GTA can commemorate our beloved Kathleen Benz

So mark it on your calendars!!

Sunday, September 26, 2010 – 12:30PM.

We’ll meet at Poulton for some coffee, bagels, doughnuts and good conversation…even hungover alumni are welcome

And if you’ve woken up in the middle of the night itching for a hammer or a paintbrush, M&B will be loading in the day before and might appreciate some helping hands to finish the job. I know you’re out there, techies…you can’t run, and you can’t hide. But you CAN help those who have come after you!

See you at Homecoming!

July 29-August 14 2010

Written by Dawn M. Simmons
Directed by A. Nora Long
Featuring: Obehi Janice ’09 (Kiki), Christine Power (Radio), Kathryn Lynch (Lazarus), Holly Erin McCarthy (Roxy), Bryan Daley (Cheeks), and Adam Kassim (Dustin Diamond).
Scenic Design: Christina Watka; Costume Design: Lisa Polito; Lighting Design: Bailey Costa; Sound Design: Darren Evans

Candyland is the comedic journey of a woman searching for work and identity in an economic holocaust. In a fictionalized now, Boston runs rife with dragons, zombies and karaoke. Entertainment is unearthed everywhere as long as you don’t get hit in an imaginary gunfight and end up in a time-out!

Performances will run Thursday-Saturdays, July 29-August 14 at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, located at 949 Commonwealth Avenue. Audiences can guarantee admission in advance for only $10. We continue our free/low-cost policy with a Pay-What-You-Can rush 30 minutes before each performance, subject to availability. For tickets Click Here or call 866-811-4111.

NXR invites you to join us for Sweet Talks, a dessert reception, following every performance of Candyland. Stay with us a while and mingle, have dessert, talk about the show, your day, what theatre you like to see, anything! Are you interested in making a gorgeous dessert for Sweet Talks? Email us for details.

Hello there, friends!

We have two more FANTASTIC opportunities to see productions jam-packed with Hoyas both on-stage and off!

See the information below for all you need to know about

Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband produced by Big Rodent in New York, NY,

and

War Zones, written (and directed) by Georgetown’s own Laura Brienza (COL ’09) and being put on for the 2010 Capital Fringe Festival in Washington, DC!

These shows have almost identical runs, so pencil in the next few weeks as your chance to see some PHENOMENAL Georgetown Alumni productions, maybe even both shows!!!!

Wishing you all the best and a wonderful summer!
The Georgetown Theatre Alumni Board

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW! $2 Beer Every Night Big Rodent presents Oscar Wilde’s dark and witty comedy, now set in a time of Mods vs. Rockers, Prewar vs. Postwar, and Society vs. Free Love. Greed, guilt, and love all vie to control the fate of a family, and all in time to get supper at the club! Lord Robert Chiltern is a star on the rise, a man who has everything: a promising political career, a beautiful wife, and all associated cliches. But when an old American cohort, Mrs. Cheveley, appears, Lord Chiltern must confront the single dark secret of his past, a secret that could destroy all the good he has done. He turns to his closest friend, the millionaire playboy Lord Goring, who happens to be trying to woo Lord Chiltern’s sister. As all sides bicker and maneuver towards the sticky resolution, they must each decide what ends justify unsavory means. 8 Shows, 2 Weeks only. Buy your tickets today! July 15-24, Wings Theatre, 154 Christopher St, NYC Directed by Meghan Formwalt. Featuring: Adam Aguirre, Anna Bridgforth, Colleen Conroy, Alex Estrada, David Jenkins, Sarah Krokey, Joe Mathers, Nick Monroy, and Leigh Poulos. Assistant Director: Brian MacInnis Smallwood Set: Stephen Esposito Lights: Kyle McGahan Costumes: Kerry Gibbons Sound: Chrissy Farrell Stage Manager: Cait Keane Produced by Joe Gallagher, Jen Rogers, Sarah Krokey, and Big Rodent.

WAR ZONES

a play written and directed by Laura Brienza (COL ’09)
presented as part of the 2010 Capital Fringe Festival
Assistant Directed by Samantha Northart
Technical Direction by Wade Tandy (COL ’09)
starring Marjory Collado (COL ’09), Robert Klein (MSB ’09), Matthew McNear, & Joshua Rocchi

~

From five to fifty, one woman’s life is sculpted by the bodies she loves along the way: a proud father with Alzheimer’s, an abusive bulimic teen, her unwavering husband, and her anorexic son. This journey along the spectrum of masculinity brings science to life and the male body into the spotlight like never before. Sometimes the body is a war zone.

WHERE:
Fort Fringe-Redrum
612 L St, NW
Washington, DC
20001

WHEN:
Friday July 16 @ 6pm
Saturday July 17 @ 5pm
Sunday July 18 @ 11am
Saturday July 24 @ 9:30pm
Sunday July 25 @ 3pm

FOR TICKETS:
http://shows.capfringe.org/shows/375-Laura-Brienza-War-Zones.html

FOR MORE INFO:
visit www.warzonestheplay.com
or email www.warzonestheplay@yahoo.com

I’m immensely proud to share with you that Anything For You, a feature film in which I have a supporting role, is releasing theatrically on April 23rd, for a week’s run at BIG Cinemas in five cities across the US!

This first week of showings is pivotal for the success of the film. Depending on how we do, we have the opportunity to move to more theaters and extend the run. I WOULD LOVE AND APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT!!! I will actually be missing the premiere itself because of another performance Friday night at Centenary Stage Company (!), but I’m going to try to attend as many showings in North Bergen, NJ as I can with those of you who’d like to join me. Showtimes, ticket and transportation info are all below in detail.