Arts & Entertainment

On March 14, a Special Edition CD will be issued to coincide with the 2012 commemorative centennial of the Titanic’s sinking. This dramatic score, lyrics, and book are the work of Sleepy Hollow residents Stephen Downs and Toni Handcock Downs, co-founders of New Broadway Productions. Their musical endeavor invites listeners to immerse themselves into a haunting journey to that sunken, memorably “unsinkable” hulk and to witness and explore the after-lives of its dead passengers two miles under the sea.  more »

It’s after midnight on Main Street and the Set Back Inn is jammed, and in the back of the room, a 51-year-old medical social worker and mother of three is living her other life, and loving it.

She is singing. She is swaying. She is belting out the soulful strains of Joe Cocker’s “The Letter,” skillfully backed by four musical comrades, the latest gig of a local band that has become a tight-riffing, sweet-sounding River Towns phenomenon.

The band is called Juke Joint, and to point out that its five members all qualify for AARP membership, with a collective age of more than 250, is completely beside the point.

Because they can really play.  more »

Sleepy Hollow Performing Arts Center (SHPA) will mount an original, main stage dance and song concept-piece at the Irvington Town Hall Theater, December 16-18.

NYC: A Teenage Winter Dream, is the result of “a passionate, collaborative effort put forth by the center’s staff, student body and contributing professional artists,” proudly stated Debralyn Press, SHPA’s Founder and Artistic Director. Although the script is a typical boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl scenario, “it’s there only to serve as a shell for the very provocative and creative explosion of movement and emotion that will be so much of the evening’s excitement. Think Twyla Tharp; think ‘Movin’ Out’; and, think ‘Glee,’ without the dialogue. And, also think of a lot of sweat!”  more »

Scenes and landmarks, familiar local images, brought together in an artist’s montage on the cover of a Chamber of Commerce publication, have vividly captured much of the essence of Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow.

The artwork is the creation of Tarrytown resident Cathi Locati, and the publication is the Chamber’s Community Profile and Membership Directory. Locati, a former corporate executive, who describes herself as a “Hudson River Muralist and Painter of People,” voluntarily spent 70 intense hours producing the “Pastiche” to meet the printing deadline for the directory.  more »

The RiverArts annual fall party, which this year was hosted by Eileen Fisher, is a 20-year tradition that brings resident members of the Rivertowns together to help launch each new season of quality cultural events and diversified educational opportunities.  more »

After more than 20 years since he began working with Historic Hudson Valley, storyteller Jonathan Kruk is preparing for another 40 performances of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” this season. He’ll be doing three or four shows a night on 12 evenings in October at the Old Dutch Church across from Philipsburg Manor. Adding to the drama, John Paine will make sure the candles in the chandelier are lit and Jim Keyes will enhance the performance with his organ playing and calculated sound effects.

Presented by Historic Hudson Valley (HHV), Kruk will be one of the highlights of the month-long celebrations planned for HHV’s properties this year.  more »

The eerily pale light provided a startling holograph effect to the scene of thousands of guests streaming through the Music Hall’s main entrance on Kaldenberg Place, to the spacious ballroom inside. The occasion was the 125th meeting of the ‘Tarrytown Souls Everlasting Society’, established originally in 1886, and held each Fall to experience, once again, the fearful excitement of that terrible, but exhilarating event. Since time, space and physical presence have created no barriers for anyone, the correct sequence of events revisited here are revised to fit the seasonal mood.  more »

Washington Irving’s Rip Van Winkle, will be presented in a brand new theatrical adaption during two staged readings scheduled during October and November at two Tarrytown churches.

The production is a collaboration of the Y Theatre and Huzzah Productions, and will be directed by Peter Royston. The readings will take place on Friday, October 21 (3rd Friday) at 7:30 p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church, 43 S. Broadway in Tarrytown, and Sunday, November 20 at 4:30 p.m. at Reformed Church of the Tarrytowns on N. Broadway.  more »

Hulda, “the witch,” daredevil patriot Abraham Martlings, and “prolific” John Buckout (whose gravestone states he left behind 240 children and grandchildren!) are all featured in the captivating new book, The Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow: Legends and Lore of the Oldest Church in New York State, slated for a book launch at the upcoming Old Dutch Fest on Sunday, October 9. The Old Dutch Church and three- acre burying ground will be the site of this spookily fun community-wide event celebrating the first definitive text documenting the story of the region’s most famous church.  more »

The air has a sudden new crispness, and if you’ve lately found yourself reflecting on carefree warm summer days, instinctively planting iris and crocus bulbs, and spontaneously considering dramatic Halloween costume options, you know it’s that time of year. Fall. That tiny respite between hot-tempered seasons. A fresh start, an ending, a new beginning. An energizing breath of fresh air.  more »

Many years ago, before the babies arrived, before the Era of Massive Laundry, I spent some time working and living in the woods. It was during this time that I could smell the dusty sweet scent of an approaching storm, could lean on a tree and determine its type by the bark, could work out which direction the fox was heading from its tracks, and could decipher just about every forest snap, cackle, and peek—separately noting, unriddling and interpreting each sound in my mind. Each revealed something of importance— bird-twittering love, hawk overhead, nestlings being fed—and each evoked a vivid image of feathers or fur and a sense of belonging to it all.

I am a mom of two young girls now, and I am rusty.  more »

The Jacob Burns Film Center has come a long way in its first decade in Pleasantville.

And the milestone will be marked in a big way in September with a fund raising event that will honor Steven Spielberg.

During a recent interview at the Media Arts Lab in Pleasantville, Dominick Balletta, the first and only managing director of the JBFC, recounted the history of the non-profit institution.  more »

To say that Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul and Mary fame, is passionate about what he believes is an understatement. To say that Yarrow is militantly passionate about everything he promotes and the music he makes a part of his life, is more accurate. And, the awakening of the country’s social consciousness has always stood at the top of his agenda.  more »

The extraordinarily talented Altar Boyz (four Christians, one Jew) have come to the Westchester Broadway Theatre in Elmsford to save souls. Their very clever, Heaven-sent Sony Sensor DX-12 indicates that at least 300 in need of saving are in the audience each evening.

It won’t be easy, but with praise in their words, the gift in their song, and the Lord in their hearts, the Boyz will press forward. They first got the calling in September 2004 and after 2,032 inspirational Off-Broadway performances, others took up their quest with a national tour that ended in Elmsford, and one final, up-lifting appeal to the hundreds and hundreds of wandering sinners.  more »

“My father always told me that he thought I would marry a rich guy from Long Island,” Debralyn Press laughingly related. “But, that wasn’t really my thing.” And, as it turned out, it certainly wasn’t.

Debralyn Press is the founder (2002) and Artistic Director of Sleepy Hollow Performing Artists with a background and resume worthy of a nationally recognized dance/theatre talent and educator. Her dance and choreographic skills shine in all disciplines, including Rock and Hip-Hop, Broadway, Jazz, plus Classic and Contemporary Ballet, and she has performed in, and directed productions for TV, film, stage and video.  more »

Next to the Stars and Stripes, there is no greater or moving symbol of America’s freedom than the Statue of Liberty.

Now 125 years old, the 151 feet high breathtaking wonder is a tourist attraction for millions of visitors worldwide annually, but it should also be a must-see for local residents who may take it for granted or not realize how close, inexpensive and easy it is to spend a day making memories that will last a lifetime.  more »

The theater bug bit Anya Wallach at age 12, after seeing a live performance of “Annie” at the Tarrytown Music Hall. Four years later in 1995, Wallach produced her first show, ‘A Broadway Musical Revue’, at the Random Farms clubhouse in Chappaqua. That first curtain was made with bed sheets and shower rings from Caldor’s, sewn together. It featured 13 local kids, ages 8-12, performing in front of a cheering audience of very supportive parents.  more »

If you have ever wondered what goes through the mind of a musician as they compose and perform, Stephanie Chou provides insights with the release of her debut jazz-centric album, Prime Knot.

“A lot of my tunes have conceptual figures that have corresponding mathematical structures so often I would try to recreate what I think that mathematical structure looks like harmonically or rhythmically,” said Chou.  more »

Tarrytown resident Caitlin Kelly is right back where she belongs, in the realm of being a published writer.

However, this freelancer of over 35 years took a two-year, two-month foray into the world of retail work and sales associate for The North Face, and she details her days of dealing with little rest, quick nutrition snacks by her locker, and putting up with spoiled, nervy customers and the corporate bottom-line in her latest book, Malled: My Unintentional Career in Retail. The offering is Kelly’s second book, and she’s “survived” to see its publication via Portfolio Penguin. The book was released on April 11.  more »

Conor Michael Lyons died of lung cancer July 13, 2010 at Memorial Sloane Kettering Hospital in New York. He was 45 years old. He did not smoke.

Who was Lyons, and why do so many people care?  more »

One year ago, Hudson Valley Wine Magazine paired 19 jury-selected Hudson Valley artists with 12 Hudson Valley wineries to create original works of art reflecting the beauty of our unique region. This year, over 35 works of art created for this exclusive event will premiere at the Hudson Valley Art & Wine – A Grand Celebration at Lyndhurst, with proceeds benefiting Lyndhurst’s educational programs.  more »

Artists in the villages of Irvington, Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry and Hastings-on-Hudson will open their private studios to visitors the weekend of Saturday, April 30 (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and Sunday, May 1 (noon to 5 p.m.) during the 2011 RiverArts Studio Tour.

In its 18th year, the self-guided art tour features more than 65 artists who work in diverse styles and many different media. Two group preview exhibitions will feature original work throughout April. The public is invited to opening receptions at the Irvington Public Library on Friday, April 8 from 7 to 9 p.m. and the Hastings Municipal Building on Sunday, April 10 from 3 to 5 p.m. Admission to the tour and receptions is free.  more »

Ed Kowalczyk, of LIVE, and Graham Parker will perform at the Irvington Town Hall Theater on Friday, May 6 at 8 P.M. in a special benefit concert.

As the lead singer and songwriter of the group LIVE (Lightning Crashes, I Alone, All Over You, etc.) which sold over 20 million CDs worldwide, Ed Kowalczyk enjoys a huge international following. LIVE has been one of the most successful and enduring alternative rock bands of the 1990s and 2000s. One of the main aspects that have enabled LIVE to maintain a devoted fan base is the substantial and durable nature of their lyrics, which have often reflected Kowalczyk’s personal and spiritual concerns.

The event will benefit CNN Hero Award winner Steve Peifer’s School Lunch Program in Kenya.  more »

“There is a developing core of students, here at Hackley, really interested in the study and performance of serious theatre,” explained Orlando Pandolfi, head of Hackley’s Performing Arts Department. Pandolfi, appointed to that position in 2009, was previously director of Music at Deerfield Academy for many years.  more »

All Sports Day Camp

E.F. Campus (Formerly Marymount College), Tarrytown 914-864-1461 www.allsportsdaycamp.com: 39 years dedicated to the athletic growth of Boys and Girls ages 7-14 with instruction which accommodates the skill level of each camper and covers a wide range of sports activities. The staff are N.Y.S. Certified Educators and Coaches, Certified Red Cross Water Safety Instructors. June 27 – August 5.

Gate Hill Day Camp  more »

The Burger Palace Boys, with greased-back ducktail haircuts, motorcycle jackets and pegged pants, are paired off with the Pink Ladies, fashionably dressed in flashy pedal-pushers, and bouffant hairdos. That’s the reincarnation of the 1950’s youth-scene being rehearsed on the expansive Irvington High School stage. It’s their mid-March musical production of “Grease,” the nostalgic, and very popular, rockin’ ‘n rollin’ blast from the past. These kids are all on loan from Rydell High.  more »

When Randy Newman settles down at the piano on stage at the Tarrytown Music Hall on March 4, audiences will be greeting a man who has had three careers in music over half a century, and blazed a unique and legendary trail. As a contemporary songwriter, Oscar and Grammy winning composer of film scores, and quirky, much beloved performer, Newman’s path has been varied, if rarely emulated.  more »

Works by local artists will be on display at the Warner Public Library in February during the library’s celebration of Black History Month.

On February 3, at 7 p.m., authors Victoria Bond of New York City and Tanya McKinnon (pen name: T. R. Simon) of Dobbs Ferry will discuss the inspiration behind their novel Zora and Me, a fictionalized story about the childhood of author Zora Neale Hurston.  more »

When Bjorn Olsson became executive director of the landmark 843-seat Tarrytown Music Hall in 2003, 118 years of colorful theater history preceded his taking the helm, years that were bathed in the glitter of gaslight chandeliers and fixed footlights, to present-day pink gels and follow spots. However, the years leading up to 2000 had not been kind to the aging, but majestic lady of Main Street.  more »

Jean-Claude Canfin is the proprietor of Canfin Gallery, located at 39 Main Street in Tarrytown. He is a warm, cheerful and knowledgeable collector and exhibitor of contemporary art. He is also an intense advocate for his group of dynamic painters, now numbering 15, yet always ready to expand that number when he finds those with the requisite passion and excitement to join that group.  more »