THE WORLD READS WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER — 8,324,077 VISITS IN ONE YEAR

WPCNR STAGE DOOR. By John F. Bailey. May 19, 2003: The Executive Director of Queens Theatre in the Park, the former New York State Pavilion at the 1964 World’s Fair that has been turned into a successful arts center with a year-round schedule in Flushing Meadow Park, will be presenting a proposal to the White Plains Common Council this evening along with Westco Productions and Centerpoint Stage.

Jeffrey Rosenstock, Executive Director at the Queens venue since 1989 will be making a presentation tonight at the Common Council, along with a partner. Mr. Rosenstock has presided over the growth and multi-cultural and diverse programming mix at the 475-seat Queens Theatre in the Park for about fourteen years, coming to the theatre in 1989. The Queens Theatre in the Park is supported by the New York Office of Cultural Affairs, receives numerous state supported grants, and has consistently produced a steady eclectic mix of plays, musicals, artists, and renowned cultural productions in his tenure. The Theatre itself seats slightly more than the 425-seat White Plains Performing Arts Center now under construction.

A sampling of plays and attractions at the Queens Theatre appears to fit the mission of the White Plains Performing Arts Center. In just the last six months, its “Theatre Series” has presented a premiere play, oldfriends.com with Pat Carroll and Patricia Connolly; Home, a Tony Award Nominee “Best Play,” and premiered American Dreams: Lost & Found, the play by Studs Terkel; a new production of As You Like It; Master Class, the Tony Award “Best Play”; and is currently presenting the new 1930s musical, Dames at Sea. It produced and continues to present the first Latino Artists Festival in 1998, runs a Black Cultural Festival. The full extent of their diversity of programming can be viewed on their website at www.queenstheatre.org.
“QTP” as it is known in the anachronym-obcessed world of the arts, is an experienced, fully booked community arts center already operating in a demographically diverse semi-suburban setting, with a proven track record.

The appeal of the Queens Theatre in the Park would appear to be the ability to offer touring companies and artists it books a secondary venture in the metropolitan New York area: The White Plains Performing Arts Centre, a strong advantage for any artistic director.

They also appear to offer an in-place and functioning theatre venue of the same size and audience demographics as the White Plains Performing Arts Center will have to appeal to: the sophisticated Queens audiences of Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Richmond Hill and western Nassau County, the large Queens Latino population (25% of Queens residents are Hispanic) and Blacks

The Queens Theatre in the Park entry was a late entry in the theatre auditions to be held by the Common Council this evening at 7 at City Hall, getting their proposal in to City Hall two weeks ago. Mr. Rosenstock was out when WPCNR contacted the Queens Theatre in the Park Monday morning. At this time, it cannot be determined whether Mr. Rosentock is attempting to run the theatre as a separate venture, or what his other resources are, which most likely will be explained in detail this evening.

WPCNR’S ADAM IN ALBANY. By District 89 Assemblyman Adam T. Bradley. May 17, 2003:I am proud to be part of the bipartisan leadership in the State Legislature which made the right choices for New York families by overriding the governor’s misguided vetoes, we ensured New York’s children would have access to quality education and would be prepared for success in a rapidly changing world.

Our bipartisan budget restored $1.1 billion of the governor’s $1.4 billion cut to education. The Legislature’s budget makes real investments in our future leaders and helps protect effective education programs such as pre-kindergarten and smaller classes, while avoiding teacher layoffs. Most importantly, this additional aid will enable Westchester school districts to operate more effectively and stabilize our property taxes.

The Legislature’s budget provides nearly $4.8 million more than the governor’s original budget for school districts in the 89th Assembly District, including:

• $2,146,565 for White Plains;
• $749,970 for Katonah-Lewisboro;
• $537,348 for Chappaqua;
• $489,202 for Bedford;
• $373,715 for Bryam Hills;
• $342,169 for Harrison; and
• $157,513 for Valhalla.

Leading our children toward a brighter future

The governor originally proposed increasing tuition by $1,400 at SUNY schools, while cutting Tuition Assistance Program grants by a third. Again, the Legislature fought the governor’s ill-advised choices, restoring the cuts to TAP, reducing the administration’s original tuition hike proposal by more than one-third to $950 for resident students, and restoring base aid to community colleges.

Our budget will provide more opportunities for our children to receive a higher education and help New York attract more businesses and high-paying jobs.

Together, the Assembly and Senate put aside partisan differences to do what’s right for our children and families by investing in education, ensuring quality healthcare and most importantly stabilizing property taxes. We put the needs of our constituents first. I’m proud of my veto override vote, and the leadership role that both houses of the Legislature played in standing up to the governor’s wrong choices. It’s an important victory for all New Yorkers, especially our children. I will continue working to ensure that our children have the resources and opportunities that they deserve to achieve their dreams.