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WPCNR STAGE DOOR. By Johnny Broadway. April 10, 2006; UPDATED With More Pix 4:45 P.M. E.D.T. NEW PIX added April 11, 2006 4:45 P.M. E.D.T.: White Plains own Westco Productions and the White Plains Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition Committee and 9 other patrons, practitioners, sorcerers and angels of the local arts received the coveted “Stars” at the posh luncheon extravaganza thrown by the Westchester Arts Council Arts Award 2006 celebration Wednesday, as over 500 patrons of the arts filled 53 Tables at Rye Town Hilton ballroom at $50 a ticket to celebrate the people who “make a difference.”
As Frank Ingrasciotta, an actor receiving a “Star” for working with Greenburgh youngsters in film, said, as to why he acts and works with the children, “They make me feel like I make a difference.” The Winners of the “Stars” make a difference!
First Lady of Westchester Theater, Westco Productions Susan Katz of White Plains, shown receiving her “Star” for creating Westco Productions as a summer program in 1980 and growing it to where it stages 17 productions a year, bringing the sunshine of performing and magic of the theatre into children’s lives. Here, she receives her “Star” from Chairman of the County Board of Legislators, Bill Ryan, as the debonair Tony Aiello, WCBS-TV News Anchor looks on. Photo by WPCNR ArtsCam.
The Pied Piper of Sculpture: Eli Schonberger Chair of the White Plains Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition Committee, accepts with Mayor Joseph Delfino, “America’s Favorite Mayor of All the Arts,” receiving their “Star” for reintroducing sculpture as a cityscape in Westchester County. Mr. Schonberger worked to bring an exhibition of sixteen sculptures to grace White Plains Library Plaza. Photo, by WPCNR ArtsCam
Everybody Loves the Arts! Yours truly arrived just before luncheon to find the glamorous, the glitzy, the glib, the “Who is Somebody of Westchesta” elbow to elbow, schmoozing over cheese and cocktails, catching up on the arts, the deals, and the gossip. Everywhere I turned I saw the powerful, the connected, the savvy and the suave tightly, tentatively navigating very crowded cocktail and conversation space. Photo, WPCNR ArtsCam
The photo ops were many, the Westchester celebs select! On hand were a who’s who of County power groups: Andy Spano and his sidemen: The Legislators: Bill Ryan, Ursula Lamotte, Marty Rogowsky, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Will Stevens, Lois Bronz, Tom Abinanti. There was Pat Keegan representing Representative Nita Lowey, WP Commissioner of Recreation and Parks Arne Abramowitz, Mack Carter of the Housing Authority, Frank Williams of the Youth Bureau, Assemblyman Adam Bradley and a lot of very caring, generous persons who believe in the arts.
Susan Katz, left, with WCBS-TV’s Tony Aiello, Liz Aiello, and Michael Barrett of Caramoor, schmoozing. Photo, WPCNR ArtsCam.
After a half-hour of patter while enjoying open bar and cheese and crackers the distinguished guests drifted into the grand ballroom to fill 53 tables to lunch. What awaited them was a culinary one-time only trendy tour for the tastebuds precisely prepared flakey but willowly and slender filet of chilled poached salmon, irresistibly, indolently posed seductively on a culinary stage of coquettish mixed greens and jewels of succulent artichoke hearts. It was a gourmand’s match, garnished with choice of delicately gleaming dressings, playing with a piquant, palate-pleasing finale: slivers of orange on chilled custard torte to engage the tastebuds of the most discerning with a mellow cup of Rye Town Hilton coffee. Not exactly the bacon cheeseburger, fries and malted this repawta has for lunch, but hey, this was the Westchester Arts Council!
The Queen of the arts, herself, Janet T. Langsam, Executive Director of the Arts Council hostessed her own event with easygoing poise and cordiality which created an air of intimacy and support throughout the adoring artsy throng. Ms. Langsam saluted the Westchester lawmakers on hand for the luncheon for “doing the right thing for the arts.” Photo, WPCNR ArtsCam
As one presenter, Jan Adelson of Adelson Galleries remarked, “No one does it better (fundraising and networking than Janet Langsam).”
Ms. Langsam got off the best line of the afternoon, too, in searching for a piece of script, at one point, she smoothly quipped, “I seem to have lost Page 10,” which brought down the house, with hearty guffaws and uneasy laughter, depending on your political affiliation.
Ms. Langsam turned proceedings over to that smooth talkin’ guy, (described as “What a guy,” by Ms. Langsam), the genial Tony Aiello, Channel 2’s Westchester Correspondent. What an emcee!
Mr. Aiello glibbed and glided a verbal softshoe pattering masterfully through the 11 presentations with panache, interesting, articulate and smooth, getting in plugs, and introductions at exactly the right moment without awkwardness. He’s really good at emceeing, better than most celebrity hosts I’ve seen. Channel 2 should give him a talk show if he does not already have one. The Academy Awards are next, Mr. Aiello.
Two of Mr. Aiello’s colleagues in broadcast news, News 12 alumna, Mary Calvi, and Scarsdale High’s Jim Rosenfeld also presented, having that unique gift of making the audience feel at ease in their presence, giving importance credibility and honor to the “Stars.” The running joke was the WCBS 2 News personalities had to promise to give future reports on Katie Couric’s great CBS Anchor adventure.
Mayor Joseph Delfino, center with WCBS-TV’s gracious Mary Calvi, the News12 Newscaster who went to the big time, accepting Star award on behalf of the White Plains Sculpture Committee. Photo, WPCNR ArtsCam
The “Stars” were awarded one after another with slide show montages on the big projection screen behind Ms. Langsam’s arts pulpit, giving graphic evidence of each “Star” winner’s endeavors in the Westchester arts, managerial skills and dedication to creating excellence in performance and cultural venues. One of the wonderful things about Ms. Langsam’s Star Awards are they familiarize persons with art experiences who do not know of them.
Bill Ryan, (left) Chair of the Board of County Legislators, presented the Arts Organization Award to “The First Lady of White Plains Theatre,” Susan Katz, and Steven Sledzik, President, Westco Productions Board of Trustees, saying that Ms. Katz’s Westco Productions was such a great entertainment for kids, the family, but more than an entertainment that it introduced children to a lifelong love of theatre, while bringing out their poise by acting themselves. Mr. Ryan was particularly complimentary of Ms. Katz’s work ethic, her tireless energy and commitment to involving children in theatre magic. Photo, Courtesy, Westchester Arts Council, by Ben Hider
Ms. Katz in accepting the award, thanked everyone who had worked long and hard to make Westco a success. She thanked her Board, and the county and the Arts Council for their support and announced her little theatre company would pass the the 600,000 mark in total attendance when she opens her fall 2006 season. She said the little company has honored its contributors by never incurring a deficit in its 26 year history. Westco mounts 17 separate productions a year divided between professional productions and childrens workshop productions all around Westchester County.
Hey, That’s My Kid! Mrs. Katz’s father, Sonny Katz, the City Marshall of White Plains since 1663, looked on. May every parent know the pride the senior Katz must have felt. Photo, WPCNR ArtsCam
Mayor Joseph Delfino, (Center), accepted the White Plains Sculpture Committee “Star” (Committee members surrounded the Mayor on the dais) and extolled how Eli Schonberger had come to him with the idea for the Scuplture Garden (opened in October, 2004), and how “there’s nothing we cannot do if we work together.” The Mayor also noted that Westchester County through Andy Spano is adding to the White Plains sculpture “collection,” with its sculpture in place at the Westchester County Courthouse that is getting sculpture noticed. Photo, WPCNR ArtsCam
Mr. Schonberger (fourth from right in above photo), returned the bouquet saying how it never would have happened without the Mayor’s help, either. Schonberger announced that White Plains will be receiving more sculptures to grace North Broadway in Tibbetts Park under the Sculpture Committee’s ongoing effort to bring the grace of street sculpture to White Plains.
Eli Schonberger holds his “Star”, with the rest of the White Plains Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition Committee. Mayor Delfino is shown with Mary Calvi, of WCBS-TV, third and fourth from right. Photo, Courtesy, Westchester Arts Council, by Ben Hider.
A very happy Westco Board of Directors sits with Susan Katz. Photo, WPCNR ArtsCam
Scarsdale’s Favorite Anchorman, Jim Rosenfield of WCBS-TV presents his “Star” to Frank Ingrasciotta. Mr. Ingrasciotta told the audience of a little girl who took a film class of his in Greenburgh in which the children reenacted a slave’s escape. He told how the little girl said to him after her acting part that she had been afraid to do it, but in learning about the slave’s escape, she felt she was not afraid to be on stage any more. Mr. Ingrasciotta said it was a moment that told him that what he does “makes a difference.” Photo, Courtesy, Westchester Arts Council, by Ben Hider.
The Winners of this year’s Westchester Arts Council “Stars”: For Arts Patron: Helio Fred Garcia of Chappaqua (not pictured), President of the Neuberger Museum of Art, Matthew Lifflander (not pictured)and Onyx Orton Lifflander of Hastings-on-Hudson (second from left, front row) for being on the Board of the Hudson River Museum; For Artist, Melvin Sparks of Mount Vernon, (back row. far right) the rhythm and blues guitarist, creator of 9 solo albums and 150 recordings; for Arts Organization, Caramoor Center for the Arts, Katonah, Michael Barrett, backrow, extreme left and Susan Katz of White Plains, (front, center)Westco Productions; For Education: Frank Ingrasciotta, of Greenburgh, Arts Educator in film back row, second from right; and Yvonne Pollack of Katonah (back row, second from left), of the New Castle Art Center, founder of Katonah Museum of Art Education program, and member of the Jacob Burns Film Center’s Educational Advisory Board; Carol Walker, of Purchase Dean of the Purchase College’s Conservatory of Dance (front row, extreme right); For Community Arts, Anthony Fazio of Harrison, founder of The Harrison Friends of the Opera, (front row, extreme left) and Eli Schonberger, front row, second from right, White Plains Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition Committee. Photo, WPCNR ArtsCam
A recurring theme among the acceptances speeches by the awardees was how their parents had originally introduced them to the arts.
Artist receiving his “Star,” Mel Sparks of Mount Vernon played a finger-snapping, head bobbing, very “way cool” set with songstress Nikki Armstrong. Photo, WPCNR ArtsCam
The event was sponsored by The Journal News and Hudson United Bank that is changing its name to Bank North in a hot new financial item megadeal. Look for the new green logo. Now, if only someone would buy The Journal News and put me in charge of it. Calling Katie Couric!
None of this would have been possible without Ms. Langsam’s One and Two Star Sponsors: Jan and Warren Adelson, Entergy Nuclear Northeast and Pace University. Patron Tables were taken by A & A Maintenance, A. Uzzo & Company, Tony Aiello WCBS-TV, Citigroup Private Bank, Entergy Nuclear Northeast, Judith & Anthony Evnin, Jacob Burns Foundation, MasterCard International, Pace University, PepsiCo, Inc., Deborah Simon and Jacqueline Adler Walker.
The 2006 Arts Award Panelists selecting the 2006 winners were Geneive Brown-Metzger, Aaron Flagg, Dare Thompson and Lucille Werlinich. The 2006 Arts Award Committee was chaired by Mr. Aiello, Tom Donovan, Publisher of The Journal News, Kenneth Gould, Emily Grant, Hannah Shmerler and Fran Singer.