Ogunquit Playhouse’s Brad Kenney to Direct Holiday Special at Carnegie Hall

Brad Kenney, executive artistic director at Ogunquit Playhouse, is going to Carnegie Hall (courtesy photo)

By Timothy Gillis

OGUNQUIT -

Brad Kenney, the executive artistic director at Ogunquit Playhouse, has been tapped to work on a new holiday special at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Kenney will be working with multiple Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning actress Jane Seymour and PBS composer Tim Janis for the musical journey called “The Christmas Rose” on Thursday, November 29. A cast of 400 performers will fill the stage for an evening of music, dance, and drama. Kenney has met with producers of the show and will begin work in earnest in early November.

“It’s kind of a different genre,” Kenney said. “A mix of symphony, large choir, folkloric dancing, with a Broadway musical story.”

“The Christmas Rose” is a whimsical, family tale that follows a young orphan named Annabelle into the desert, pursued by a team of bandits. She crosses paths with everything from the three wise men and singing angels to Mary and Joseph.

“It has a spiritual, holiday feel to it,” Kenney said. “It will be very inspirational, fun, upbeat. We’re shooting for it to be an annual holiday event there.”

The show will employ Broadway-caliber talent, he said, and is very funny. “A team of bandits, led by a character named Adbul, are comic and farcical in their attempts to capture this young girl,” Kenney said. “The backstory is really about a lot of us, a universal message. She’s finding her way in the next part of her life.”

Kenney came to be involved in the mega-production when he was approached by Janis, a noted composer from York, and his producing partners. Kenney’s reputation as Ogunquit Playhouse’s artistic director is known in theater circles around the country, and they recruited him to be at the helm of this new venture in a theatrical fashion.

“We hope it’s the new Nutcracker,” Janis said.

Jane Seymour is the star of the show, set in a story-telling environment. Seymour’s husband, James Keach, who produced “Walk the Line,” will work with Kenney on the production. Kenney thinks Seymour is the perfect choice for her role.

“There’s a beautiful aura of elegance about her, for telling a story like this, on the grand scale of Carnegie Hall,” he said.

Janis and Elizabeth Demmer wrote the music and lyrics for the musical spectacular, and Janis wrote the script. The show will play for one evening only. The following evening, Janis will return for the American Christmas Carol, an annual treat at the venerable venue.

Janis has ten Billboard charting CDs, more than one million albums sold, and four national public television specials. He’s worked with some of the top artists in the music and entertainment business including Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Ray Charles, George Clooney and James Earl Jones. He has also conducted the Czech National Symphony, the Kwazulu Natal Philharmonic and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.

“A lot of what Tim does is inspirational,” said Kenney, who has only been to Carnegie Hall once, as a patron to see a classical music concert. “I’m looking forward to it. It’s an incredibly prestigious place.”

Kenney plans to work with some familiar faces from the Ogunquit Playhouse, who will be collaborating on the project.

Kenney is in his seventh season at the Ogunquit Playhouse, and he is already looking to next year.

“Although we are working on the current production (“Buddy, the Buddy Holly Story”), we’re already working furiously on the 8^th (season),” he said. “The seacoast has been a great partner with the playhouse.”

Even with people interested in their digital devices, live theater continues to grow, he said. Kenney credits “the support network, from the community, the board, and the talented actors and actresses that are drawn here. The seacoast is an incredibly cultured and intelligent community, and when you put out a strong piece, they react to it. That’s not always the case in other parts of the country.” Kenney says he repeatedly hears from actors and actresses that “the audiences are smart; they really react to the material.”

The final production of the season, “Buddy,” has some surprises in store. “The actors not only sing and dance and act,” Kenney said. “They also play the instruments.” The theater was fortunate to work with the original creators of the show from London’s West End, he said, and there will be “new songs in the show that haven’t been heard before.”

After “Buddy,” Kenney will focus on “The Christmas Rose,” which will also feature the country’s premier concert boys choir The American Boychoir, and internationally renowned and Ireland’s own Damhsa Dance Company.

The evening’s proceeds will go to benefit The Open Hearts Foundation, which encourages people to live with an open heart in the face of adversity. Tickets go on sale September 28, at the Carnegie Hall box office. Call 212-247-7800 or visit carnegiehall.org. Tickets are discounted thirty percent the first four days they go on sale, from September 28 at 11 am until October 1 at 11:59 pm.

Olympian Speaks to Freshmen at Wells High School Orientation

Olympian Julia Clukey (left) speaking to a group of freshmen at WHS.   On stage with Clukey are WHS seniors Bryanna Welch and Sean Roche

Story and photo by Reg Bennett

WELLS –

Flying down a winding, ice-coated track on a small sled at speeds exceeding eighty miles an hour takes courage, practice and great skill.  But that is what Julia Clukey does when in competition on the U.S. National Luge Team.  To get to where she is today involved goals and the motivation to achieve them through persistence, determination and lots of hard work. 

On September 4, Clukey, a 2003 graduate of Cony High School in Augusta, was the motivational speaker for freshmen orientation at Wells High School.  She was introduced to the audience by team leader for the freshman team and math teacher Andy Bridge.

Following a short film about her sports career thus far, Clukey talked about being on the Junior Olympic Team and how, at just 17, she became a member of the Senior Olympic Team, a spot that is normally for those 20 and older. 

“This was a huge moment for me,” said Clukey to the students.  “I had reached my goal, I made the senior team.”  She indicated that this experience showed her “how important it was to work hard and how hard work was the one thing you are always going to own yourself.”

She told the audience in the WHS auditorium that her role models are her parents and that “school” came first over sports in her family.  She told the group that she has studied electrical engineering and was employed in the summer of 2012 in a marketing department creating graphic design.

Clukey has been a motivational speaker appearing at Maine high schools for the past two years. She estimates she has spoken to 10,000 students in that time period.

“Anytime I get to meet new kids it’s great,” said Clukey. “I’m always amazed by no matter where I go, there’s great kids everywhere and they all have goals of their own and I love talking to them.”

Clukey competed in the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and is training to compete in the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. 

At Wells High School, Clukey also participated with senior class officers in panel discussions on freshman life. Between panel discussions she met students and signed posters.

York Family to Compete on Family Feud

(left to right) Megan, Alyssa, host Steve Harvey, Sandy, Meg, and Jeff, on the set of Family Feud. The Lathrop family competed on the television game show, which airs Tuesday, September 18, on the Fox channel (courtesy photo)

YORK –

The Lathrop Family from York will face off against the Carlyle Family from Stillmore, Georgia, in front of a live studio audience in Atlanta with the chance to win up to $100,000 and a brand new car, along with some serious bragging rights. The show airs Tuesday, September 18 at 4 p.m. on the Fox channel. Family Feud host Steve Harvey and his no-holds-barred brand of comedy are back for an all-new season of one of America's favorite family competitions.

The Lathrop Family – which includes Meg, a stay-at-home mom; cousin Jeff, a firefighter; cousin Sandy, a librarian; cousin Alyssa, a teacher; and cousin Meg, a teacher – will be playing for big prize money plus a brand new car when they appear on the show. Since Harvey took over as host of the show, viewership has increased nearly 50 percent overall, and it's no wonder. Harvey brings down the house five days a week as he puts contestants on the spot and mines laughter from the crowd with every remark, gesture and eye roll he makes.

“I saw a story in my local newspaper about an open casting call for ‘Family Feud’ happening at Foxwoods Casino, so I immediately asked my crazy family to try out with me,” said Sandy.  “If we win we want to donate a portion of the winnings to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation in honor of my aunt and Meg’s mother.”

One of the original Kings of Comedy, Harvey brings his ‘tell-it-like-it-is’ brand of humor to center stage where he keeps audiences in stitches for the show's 14th season in national syndication. Families travel from all over the country to compete for big cash prizes on the set of Family Feud, and enjoy a great bonding experience while they’re at it. When the show is over, fans can connect for breaking news on Twitter (@FamilyFeud), find outtakes and behind the scenes footage on YouTube (www.youtube.com/familyfeud ) and even face off against friends and family on Facebook.

One of the most beloved and successful game shows in history, Family Feud is produced by FremantleMedia North America and distributed by Debmar Mercury. Gaby Johnston is executive producer; Jim Roush is executive in charge of production; Ken Fuchs is director.

To secure their spot on the show, the Lathrop Family called the Family Feud hotline to begin the process. Other contestant hopefuls can also call the show’s hotline at 323-762-8467 for an interview.

“I Will” Movement Comes to Maine

Nationally, 33 million joined movement last year

YORK COUNTY –

The Maine Commission for Community Service invited area citizens this week to join the 9/11 tribute movement called “I Will” to commemorate this relatively new National Day of Service and Remembrance.  Organized nationally by My Good Deed, a foundation started by family members of 9/11 victims and first responders, “I Will” calls on each citizen to pay tribute to those remembered on 9/11 by performing a good deed, a personal act of service, an act of “neighboring.”

Maryalice Crofton, executive director of MCCS, said the tribute movement was a way to honor those who died on 9/11 and also to begin to look at the day in a positive light, somehow.

“Families spent ten years to get 9/11 as a day of service and remembrance,” Crofton said. “In 2009, it finally happened as part of the Serve America Act passed by Congress.” The act reauthorized the American service programs, AmeriCorps and Senior Corps, and affirmed all the national days of service including the new one, she said.

This is the second year in a row that Maine has participated in the national campaign.

“People design or pick out their own way of remembering,” Crofton said. “Some of the things people did last year: there were a couple of classrooms who wrote letters to active military stationed overseas, some people collected food for a food bank, some helped out neighbors who didn’t have family close by. It’s a wide range of things to do. It’s called neighboring. And it gives an opportunity to let folks highlight what they do.”

“Neighboring is the informal volunteering we do to help out in the community,” said Pam Zeutenhorst, the Commission’s coordinator for volunteer sector initiatives. “It is the food we bring to a sick neighbor, the community drive to refurnish a family whose house burned, and the citizen who keeps an eye on seasonal camps for their owners during the winter.”

The MCCS has registered Maine's “I Will” tribute as a single, statewide project with the national movement. Each citizen wishing to participate decides what personal act of service will be the tribute to 9/11 victims and first responders and then registers the pledge of service at VolunteerMaine.org by September 11.

Zeutenhorst noted that neighboring complements formal volunteering. Both connect residents to each other, make communities stronger, and foster mutual respect and responsibility. In rural, under-resourced communities throughout Maine, neighboring and formal volunteering flourish side-by-side, tackling serious local needs.

Schools, clubs, town councils, faith communities, and fraternal organizations can organize a “pledge drive” among their members. Posters and pledge cards with instructions on how to participate are available from the Commission. Group leaders can obtain these at no cost by emailing service.commission@maine.gov or calling 207-624-7792 during business hours.

All Maine pledges of service recorded at VolunteerMaine.org will be bundled and reported to the national organizers by September 15. Last year, through the efforts of the “I Will” campaign, thirty-three million people observed 9/11 by engaging in charitable activities that ranged from simple good deeds to organized volunteer work. The results far exceeded the national organizers’ hopes for ten million people undertaking volunteer activity. For more information and pledge registration details, visit VolunteerMaine.org.

Native American Speaker Looks to Refocus Perspectives

 

Dana Benner, the Native American speaker, is the Kittery Historical and Naval Society’s next feature (courtesy photo)

KITTERY-

The Native Americans who once called the Kittery area home will be the topic of the next program at the Kittery Historical and Naval Society. Dana Benner, a well-known expert in Native American studies, will present a fascinating look at the people who were here long before we were, their lifestyle, social structures, and their relationship to the ocean.  In addition to a power point presentation, Benner will offer several static displays of Native American interest. He hopes to shift the typical focus on Native American studies, away from war, disease, and death, to a better personal understanding of the way these Native people lived on a day-to-day basis.

“The battles and conflicts between Native peoples and the Colonials could fill libraries, but people know very little about those that called that area home,” said Benner. “I try to talk about - not the conflicts - but the Native people themselves, how they lived their social lives, how they survived the winters.”

Benner, a Manchester, New Hampshire, resident is Native, himself. He’s part Penobscot, Piqwacket, and Micmac. When he speaks to groups of people, he tries to make his talks more natural than the traditional library lecture.

“I hate going to lectures, I hate lecturers, and I hate lecturing,” he said. “But I’ve been doing this for twenty five years.” Benner teaches a history of New England course at Granite State College, in Concord, New Hampshire, and an adult ed course called “Native Peoples of New England” in Concord, Exeter, and Nashua. Benner received his BA in US History and Native Culture from Granite State College, and is in the last course for his Masters of  Education in the Heritage Studies program at Plymouth State.

“I often start by asking how many people in the audience are Native American. Then I ask ‘how long have your families been in the New England area?’ Some say ‘500 years.’ Well, ten to one they’re part Native, especially if they’re French Canadian: that’s almost a ‘gimme.’ It gets people talking,” he said. “It’s the people in the audience that will govern how this lecture goes. I could speak for hours on something they don’t want to hear, but if someone asks a question, that leads to a discussion of what’s in their interests.”

The essence of the hour-long lecture is new perspective. “My main thing is to educate people about the Native people as a people, not as a date in a history book where a battle took place.”

Benner will speak at the Lions’ Club building on State Road on Tuesday, September 11, at 7 pm. The Kittery Historical and Naval Society meets quarterly, March, June, September, and December. There is no admission fee and the public is always invited and encouraged to attend. For further information, contact the Kittery Historical and Naval Society at 207-439-3080.

Soccer Player from Wells Scores 1st Collegiate Goal

Abbigail White, from Wells, who scored her first collegiate goal, a penalty kick for Nichols College (photo courtesy of nicholsathletics.com)

WELLS –

Abbigail White, of Wells, slammed home a penalty kick to score her first goal for Nichols College. The tally wasn’t enough, however, as Nichols fell to Emmanuel in overtime, 3-2.

Emmanuel senior Megan Zerba (Cumberland, R.I.) deposited a feed from sophomore Amanda Roberts (Hudson, N.H.) just 1:51 into overtime to lift the Saints past host Nichols, 3-2, on a rainy Tuesday afternoon in a non-conference women’s soccer match. With the win, Emmanuel improves to 2-1-0 while the Bison move to 0-1-1 on the season.

Nichols struck first as junior captain Julie Monroe (Whitman, Mass.) sent a free kick into the back of the net from 30 yards out 56 seconds into the match for her first collegiate tally.

First-year player White extended the Bison lead with the penalty kick that found the bottom right of the goal in the 13th minute. Less than a minute later, Emmanuel converted on a corner kick as junior Lindsey Garvey (Warwick, R.I.) knocked in a header that was put into play by senior Lauren Foley (North Andover, Mass.). The Saints led 18-5 in shots and 4-0 in corners for the frame.

In the 61st minute sophomore Alyssa Tosti (Douglas, Mass.) drilled the ball into the post and collected her own rebound only to have Emmanuel’s rookie goalkeeper Jenna Marcello (Hopedale, Mass.) made an outstanding save.  Emmanuel then netted the equalizer as Garvey sent a long feed to junior Darcey Sullivan (Dalton, Mass.) at 62:29. The second half saw a closer shot margin with the visitors holding an 11-7 advantage as both squads took a trio of corner kicks.

Marcello (1-0-0) picked up the win for her scoreless relief effort that included a pair of saves. Senior Jessica D’Ottavio (Pawling, N.Y.) surrendered both markers in the opening half and made two stops.

Rookie Bison backstop Melissa Toomey (Saugus, Mass.) collected a game-high 11 saves in the defeat.

Both squads returned to the pitch on Thursday, September 6. Nichols hosted the United States Coast Guard Academy at 4 p.m. while Emmanuel ventures to Fitchburg State for a 7 p.m. match.

York Family’s Inspirational Story Becomes National News

Chris, Lauren, and Jason Durkin (photo courtesy Durkin family and ABC News)

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By Pat Sommers

Staff Columnist

YORK –

Sharon and Michael Durkin felt as if they were living a bad dream in 2006 when son Jason, then 18, was diagnosed with a rare disorder that affects the blood and bone marrow.

That bad dream became a recurring nightmare for the York parents.

Doctors subsequently discovered that their younger son, Chris, was suffering from the same condition, myelodysplastic syndromes, or MDS. He was 15.

Then, in 2009, daughter Lauren, now a senior at York High School, received the same diagnosis.

The story of the York family’s courage in coping with the potentially life-threatening illness was spotlighted this week on ABC’s “Good Morning America” television program. Robin Roberts, an anchor for the popular morning show who successfully battled breast cancer five years ago, announced recently that she has MDS. The disorder, she said, was triggered by her cancer treatment.

In MDS, the blood marrow does not make enough normal blood cells for the body. Red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets may all be affected, and the course of the disease is different for each of the 10,000 to 15,000 Americans who are diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndromes annually.

Though MDS can affect people of any age, at least 80 percent of all cases occur in people over 60, making the case of the Durkin siblings more startling. The disorder is more common in men than women.

In reporting on Roberts’ diagnosis and the upcoming bone marrow transplant that will be part of her treatment for MDS, ABC noted the extreme rarity of the genetic form of the disorder for which Jason, Chris, and Lauren were treated.

According to Dr. Inga Hofmann of Dana-Farber/Children’s Hospital Cancer Center, the Boston facility where the Durkin children received treatment, only about 4 in 1 million children in the U.S. are diagnosed with MDS. Having more than one child in a family diagnosed with the disorder is exceedingly rare, she said.

Jason was diagnosed after his ice hockey coach noticed the boy seemed to be lagging in tryouts. ”Something just didn’t seem right,” Sharon Durkin told ABC. A trip to the family doctor and subsequent blood tests led to the discovery of MDS.

As doctors searched for a matching donor for an urgently needed bone marrow transplant for Jason, they tested his brother. Chris was a perfect donor match, but the tests indicated he also had MDS.

Both young men received successful bone marrow transplants in 2007and, as part of the treatment regimen, both were quarantined for a full year to protect their fragile immune systems from infection. Similarly, Roberts is expected to take a leave of several months from her post on the morning show.

Treatment immediately prior to the bone marrow transplants essentially strips the body of all its immunity, Michael Durkin explained. The donor bone marrow is then introduced into the body where it starts to strengthen. “It’s sort of like getting a whole new immune system,” he told The Weekly Sentinel.

Lauren Durkin, whose tests for MDS were negative during the two years of her brothers’ treatment and recovery, received a positive result in 2009. When efforts to find a transplant donor match came up empty, she received a blood cord transplant of stem cells. A high fever and infection at one point severely threatened the teen’s life, but she fought her way through and is ready to resume classes at York High, where she is a member of the varsity hockey team.

Durkin said there is really no way to explain how the family handled the fear and anguish they felt during the past six years. “We just took it one day at a time,” he said. “That’s all you can do.”

The three children were “very strong” through the entire ordeal, their father added.

Comforting to the Durkin family was the response of friends, neighbors and total strangers.

“The community of York was absolutely fabulous,” Durkin said, noting that drives to register area residents as potential bone marrow donors for the Durkin children and others in need attracted about 800 people.

Both Sharon and Michael Durkin are community minded. They have both been active in sports organizations for children, serving in administrative capacities and assisting in efforts to coach area teams.

Their hard work was rewarded in the many events hosted on their behalf during the family’s time of crisis. “Community members were tremendous in their response,” Michael Durkin reiterated.

All three Durkin children are “now stable,” according to their father. Jason, approaching his 24th birthday, is an honor graduate of the University of Maine and has launched a career. Chris, 21, is a college sophomore. Lauren, ready to begin her final year at York High, is eying a career as a pediatric oncology nurse.

They are all healthy, enthusiastic, and optimistic.

And they shared that exuberance this week with ABC’s Roberts, each offering a personal message of encouragement and good wishes as she begins her own fight with MDS.