Weehawken Residents See "It’s A Wonderful Life" Performed by WHS Student

Weehawken Residents See "It’s A Wonderful Life" Performed by WHS Student

Weehawken Reporter, 22-Jan-17

High school students perform classic Christmas play

Weehawken Township High School presented the stage version of the classic Frank Capra film “It’s a Wonderful Life” on Dec. 16 and 17 at the high school.

Released in 1946, the story is a Christmas fantasy based on the short story “The Greatest Gift,” which Philip Van Doren Stern wrote in 1939 and published in 1943.

The protagonist, a good-hearted banker named George Bailey, has given up his life’s dreams in order to help others. When an emergency loss of funds at his bank on Christmas Eve drives him to near-suicide and to wish he’d never been born, the intervention of his guardian angel, Clarence, shows George all the lives he has touched for the better, and how different (and worse) life in his community of Bedford Falls would be had he never been born.

The film is among the most popular in American cinema and because of numerous television showings in the 1980s has become traditional viewing during the Christmas season.

Mayor Richard Turner and members of the Township Council were among those present for the local presentation. (Pictures by Angela and Robert de Zeeuw)

St. Patrick's Day celebration concert in Weehawken March 9

St. Patrick's Day celebration concert in Weehawken March 9

1-Mar-16, The Jersey Journal

By Lois DiTommaso

Mick Moloney and Friends will start the St. Patrick's Day celebration a week early with a special concert March 9 for the UBS Atrium Series in Weehawken.

Classic Irish and Celtic tunes music will be featured at the event, to be held at 12:30 p.m., in the Atrium at 1000 Harbor Boulevard in the Lincoln Harbor section of Weehawken.

Moloney will be joined at the concert by Athena Tergis, known for her featured work as principal violinist in Broadway's Riverdance; fiddler and vocalist Liz Hanley; button accordion master Billy McComiskey; uilleann piper Jerry O'Sullivan; and step dancer Niall O'Leary.

Moloney, a musician, folklorist, musical anthropologist, and educator, has recorded and produced over 40 albums of traditional music and acted as advisor for scores of festivals and concerts across America. He also has served as the artistic director for several major arts tours including The Green Fields of America, an ensemble of Irish musicians, singers and dancers which toured the United States on several occasions.

He has hosted three nationally syndicated series of folk music on American Public Television; was a consultant, performer and interviewee on the Irish Television special "Bringing It All Back Home"; a participant, consultant and music arranger of the PBS documentary film "Out of Ireland"; and a performer on the PBS special "The Irish in America: Long Journey Home."

In 1999 he was awarded the National Heritage Award from the National Endowment for the Arts — the highest official honor a traditional artist can receive in the United States. He also received the Presidential Distinguished Service Award from the President of Ireland in November of 2013.

The concert is free and open to the public and the venue is wheelchair accessible.  Free parking is available and public transportation options include NJ Transit Bus #158 as well as the Hudson Bergen Light Rail to Lincoln Harbor. 

For directions and more information, visit hrpac.org - or call the concert hotline at 201-716-4540. 

One-act plays in Weehawken

One-act plays in Weehawken

The Jersey Journal, 8-May-15

By Summer Dawn Hortillosa

Something dark this way comes, with a trio of plays by controversial playwright Neil LaBute heading for Weehawken.

Hudson Theatre Works' production of "Bash" brings some of the great contemporary writer's most compelling pieces to the stage, with three powerful stories, each one named for and touching on a Greek myth.

In "Iphigenia in Orem," a Utah salesman (Weehawken's Kevin Cristaldi) confesses to a chilling crime in a Las Vegas hotel room. Duet "Gaggle of Saints," starring Jersey City's Dan Hilt and N.J. resident Tara Cioletti, focuses on a somewhat religious couple recounting the violent events of an anniversary weekend in New York City. Then, in "Medea Redux," a woman (Kristen Lazzarini) tells a stranger about her complex and ultimately tragic relationship with an English teacher.

"The cumulative effect of all three of these is very powerful... 'Bash' is extremely compelling, and you get wrapped up in the idea of what it is to tell a story and to listen to it," says director Frank Licato. "It shows how powerful it is to express yourself through language."

Licato says he admires the playwright, who has seen great acclaim despite some of his work dividing critics.

"Some people can't stand LaBute but I happen to be a fan," said Licato. "I believe he gets under the skin of the character he's working on and allows humanity to creep in so that our understanding of it is much more complex."

This isn't LaBute's first time being showcased in Hudson County; Licato also directed his short play "I Love This Game" for long-running baseball-themed series Seventh Inning stretch at the Mile Square Theatre in Hoboken, back at its old home at the Monroe Center for the Arts.

Licato says "Bash" also aims to highlight local talent and continue bringing art to North Hudson.

"I love working with people in Hudson County — they get it, and the idea of creating arts organizations within this framework is very exciting because it gives them a place to go," said Licato.

"Bash" opens Friday, May 15 at 8 p.m. and runs through May 30. Shows are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. at the Weehawken Water Tower, 4100 Park Ave., Weehawken. Tickets are $30 and available at BrownPaperTickets.org. Student and senior discounts available with ID. For more information, visit HudsonTheatreWorks.org.

Weehawken High School Presents "“The Music Man”

If you have attended, what do you think of it? Please comment on the Weehawken Discussion Board.

Plays to be performed in Park Avenue water tower

Plays to be performed in Park Avenue water tower

Weehawken Reporter, 12-Oct -14

by Vincent J. Fitzgerald

From the time it was built in 1883, the Weehawken Water Tower, located on Park Avenue on the Union City border, has served two important functions: it housed the home offices of the Hackensack Water Company, and it held 165,000 gallons of water for drinking and extinguishing fires in all North Hudson towns as well as Hoboken and Hackensack.

When the tower complex was purchased by Entin Associates in 1981, the gatehouse and reservoir were razed and replaced with a Pathmark supermarket and parking space. However, due to its landmark status in the National Register of Historic Places, a distinction it received in 1980, the tower was spared demolition and structurally maintained. While the interior served no function at that time, the 175 ft. red brick exterior served as a beacon for ships entering New York Harbor.

The town of Weehawken took over the property in 2000 and initiated a massive restoration of the water tower, first restoring the exterior, followed by the creation of a plaza park in the surrounding area, and finally, cleaning the brick wall of the interior, which made the tower appear new while maintaining its historical charm.

The refurbished tower needed only a heartbeat to give it new life, and beginning this year Hudson Theater Works has become that heartbeat.

A Hudson County cultural institution

Co-founded by Weehawken resident Frank Licato, who also serves as the group’s artistic director, the company gave the restored tower its first use in over 100 years, a distinction to which Licato credits Mayor Richard Turner.

“Thanks to Mayor Turner and the city of Weehawken, we are the first people to use the renovated water tower.” Licato describes the tower as, “beautiful inside,” while urging patrons to buy tickets to performances early as the intimacy of the tower allows for a maximum audience of 40 patrons. Licato also expressed appreciation toward the mayor and township for allowing the company to use Weehawken High School as a secondary venue.

Hudson Theater Works is a group comprised mainly of Hudson County residents, but Licato is quick to remind, “We are a professional equity theater. We are not a community theater, as we pay professional actors who work at their craft for a living.”

Working at his craft for a living is a passion about which Licato has first-hand knowledge. In 30 years of experience in the performing arts, Licato has acted, directed, and taught fellow actors. He has also produced, and has garnered accolades and distinctions along the way.

Throughout his career, Licato has performed off-Broadway in works by Sam Shepard and Rod Serling, and was nominated for an Obie award for his performance in “Deathwatch” by Jean Genet.

Licato takes special pride in Hudson Theater Works and its goal of contributing to the burgeoning artistic community of Hudson County. Although the company puts on productions of plays, Licato places emphasis on the group’s PlayWorks series.

Productions coming up

“PlayWorks is our festival of new play readings, taking place on three consecutive Mondays at the water tower.” Among the purposes of the readings is to give theater patrons in-depth insight into the creative process and the evolution of what may eventually become a staged production, as is the case with the company’s current production of “3 Men,” written and performed by Hoboken resident and Rutgers University graduate, Mike Folie, and directed by Mr. Licato. “ ‘3 Men’ actually came out of the PlayWorks series last year, and is the first new play Hudson Theater Works has produced,” Licato said.

In “3 Men,” Folie serves as a narrator who explores his relationships with a lawyer, magazine editor, and producer, all of whom have greatly influenced the course of his life. The interactions explore the complex concepts of art, life, death, and resurrection.

Folie’s credentials are typical of Hudson Theater Works status as a professional company. The author’s plays, such as “The Adjustment and Jewish Rep” have been produced Off and Off-Off Broadway, and Dramatist Guild Magazine placed Folie on its list of “Fifty Playwrights to Watch.”

Among this year’s PlayWorks playwrights are Weehawken residents Eric Conger and Joanne Hoersch. Also in the group are Jersey City actors such as Summer Dawn Hortillosa, who performed in the inaugural production in the water tower, and first of the 2014 season, “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” an example of how Hudson County provides the theater group with a steady influx of talent.

Part of the company’s commitment to expanding the artistic community is its willingness to accept submissions of works from outside authors. While there is no assurance of a submitted work leading to production, all are read as time allows.

Two productions in October

For now the primary focus of Hudson Theater Works is the production of “3 Men” as well as the PlayWorks series, and while Mr. Licato hopes the group continues producing works in the restored Weehawken institution, he emphasizes that members of Hudson Theater Works consider themselves “a Hudson County institution, and not just a Weehawken one.”

Performances of “3 Men” will take place at the Weehawken Water Tower, 4078 Park Ave., Weehawken, on Oct. 17 through 26, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m. Parking is free in the Pathmark parking lot. Tickets are $30, general admission, with senior and student discounts available.

All performances are 90 minutes, including intermission.

PlayWorks performances will take place in the water tower on Oct. 13 and 20 (one show already passed on Oct. 6). All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10, and all performances have limited seating.

For reservations call 1-800-838-3006 or visit www.hudsontheatreworks.org.

Weehawken High School to perform ‘Anything Goes’ on April 4 and 5

Weehawken High School to perform ‘Anything Goes’ on April 4 and 5

Hudson Reporter, 30-Mar-13

One of the most exciting events of the year in Weehawken is the Annual School Musical Theater Production, which this year is “Anything Goes.”

The show is sponsored by Mayor Richard Turner and the Weehawken Township Council, Weehawken Board of Education, and the Weehawken Municipal Alliance Against Drug and Alcohol Abuse. Students from grades seven to 12 work together to put on this artistic activity, whether on stage or behind the scenes.

"Anything Goes" takes place on an ocean liner headed from New York to London, and covers all of the happenings that go on during the voyage. It’s a classic musical that boasts famous Cole Porter songs such as “Friendship,” “You’re the Top,” and “I Get a Kick Out of You.”

The student produced theater production is a highly anticipated part of every school year for the students and for community as well. Aside from the high level of energy showcased on the stage with the singing, dancing, and acting, the production also has sets, lights, and direction with total student involvement.

Weehawken High School is partnered with Inside Broadway, Inc. of New York City and Moore Productions, Sound & Lighting of Franklin Lakes, who supply professional instruction to the students.

Director Braddon Mehrten, Sound Engineer Bo Moore, Woodshop Instructor Paul Simons, Art Instructor Elizabeth McParland, Music Instructor Michael Lichtenfeld and Music Accompanist Heather Edwards add their expertise to help the students through every aspect of the play process.

This year, the show is dance heavy with tap numbers involving the entire cast, and an impressive replica of an ocean liner, designed by the student stage crew.

“It’s a lot of work, but it will be spectacular,” said wood shop teacher Paul Simons.

“Anything Goes” will debut on Friday, April 4 and Saturday, April 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the Weehawken High School Auditorium.