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Support the Small Town Arts in South Orange
With help from Lauryn Hill, Zach Braff, Max Weinberg, and others
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Some towns are lucky enough to have one celebrity grow up in its midst (the most famous resident from my hometown is one of the guys who explored the Titanic on the ocean floor). Not South Orange, New Jersey, though, which possess enough homegrown talent to make a festival out of it—which is exactly what they’re doing.
On June 19, the South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) is hosting a benefit called “Small Town, Big Talent” to bring raise funds and awareness for the arts. The idea of “Small Town” came from Jonathan Felsman, a South Orange resident who recently lost his battle with cancer.
“[Jonathan] was committed to making both South Orange and SOPAC premier arts destinations,” explains Ondine Landa-Abramson, SOPAC’s Executive Director. “We hope to reflect his incomparable vision and drive through this extraordinary event.” In Felsman’s honor, SOPAC will bestow the 2010 Jonathan Felsman Spirit Award to South Orange’s traffic control officer Butch Larkin.
The all-day event begins at 11 a.m. with a Community Sing-Along, followed by a screening of Jonathan Demme’s Rachel Getting Married and an editing workshop by the film’s award-winning editor, Tim Squyres. Editors are the behind-the-scenes geniuses in cinema and considering Squyres’s resume (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; The Ice Storm; Gosford Park, etc.), you won’t want to miss this.
At 1 p.m., two of the town’s highest profile high school graduates come back to South Orange and talk about what they’ve done since graduating in 1993. You may have heard of them: Zach Braff and AJ Calloway. Braff is the star of the hilarious (and sadly cancelled, although not before airing nine seasons) Scrubs, and Calloway is a broadcaster/journalist and Extra correspondent. If you’re lucky, maybe they’ll combine forces to become the World’s Tallest Doctor/Journalist.
When you think of New Jersey, you think of Bruce Springsteen. And what would the Boss be without his E Street Band, especially Max Weinberg? The drumming legend sits down with Budd Mishkin of NY1 at 3 p.m. for an intimate one-on-one, in which the two will surely talk about the E Street Band, but also Weinberg’s time with Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Chuck Berry, Levon Helm, and many other musical greats.
The day comes to its grand conclusion with the SOPAC Annual Benefit Concert. At 6 p.m., there’s a VIP reception with artists and silent auction, but the real fun starts at 8 p.m. with the actual performances. The headliner is former-Fugee Lauryn Hill, whose Miseducation has sold nearly eight million copies in the U.S. alone. The other acts include Broadway stars Christine Ebersole, Kelly Bishop, Christiane Noll, Joanna Young, Sandy Rustin, Charlie Pollock, and Jamie LaVerdiere; musical artists Max Weinberg, Bill Charlap, Renee Rosnes, and Sarah Partridge; SOPAC’s residence dance company Lydia Johnson Dance; and comedienne Jessica Kirson.
A great town like South Orange (parts of The Adventures of Pete and Pete were filmed there, making the town better than great, actually) deserves recognition, so head out there on June 19 and support the arts.
Schedule and Ticket Prices
Community Sing-Along: Songs from Around the World
11 a.m.
$20 adults/$10 children age 10 and under
Film Workshop and Rachel Getting Married Screening
Noon-4 p.m.
Workshop and screening: $25/$18 students and seniors
Workshop only: $18/$12 students and seniors
Screening only: $12/$10 students and seniors
Class of ’93: Artist Talk with Zach Braff and AJ Calloway
1 p.m.
$25/$10 children ages 15 and under
Artist Talk with drummer Max Weinberg
3 p.m.
$25/$10 children ages 15 and under
SOPAC Annual Benefit Concert
6 p.m.: VIP Reception with Artists & Silent Auction
8 p.m.: Performance and Celebration
10 p.m.: Post-Performance Dessert Reception
$75: South Orange/Maplewood Resident Seating
Special performance-only price for South Orange and Maplewood residents, limited tickets available. First-come, First-served. Only available at SOPAC box office. Limit two tickets per resident/household.
$150: General Seating
Includes one ticket to evening performance and SOPAC membership (individual level membership).
$250: Orchestra Seating
Includes one ticket to evening performance. Access to VIP reception with artists and post-performance dessert reception. Valet parking pass.
$300: VIP Seating
All-access ticket to morning and afternoon programs. One VIP ticket to evening performance. Access to VIP reception with artists and post-performance dessert reception. Valet parking pass. To purchase VIP tickets, please call the SOPAC Development Office at 973-382-1033
More information and tickets can be on SOPAC’s website.