By Mabel Pais

The Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC)

Presents Historic 2021 Live Streamed Gala

“Our Home, Your Home”

FREE Virtual Concert Star-Studded, Award-Winning Lineup Across All Genres To Benefit bergenPAC’s Performing Arts School, Pandemic Relief and Renovations

Performers Include

Rock Legend John Fogerty, Musical Icons Paul Anka, Dionne Warwick, Darlene Love and Jack Antonoff, Jazz Icon Wynton Marsalis, and

Tony Award Winner Ali Stroker. Musical Director: Ray Chew

Saturday, March 13, 2021

7:30 p.m. – FREE

“Now more than ever, children of all ages need access to the arts to nurture and inspire creative learning and foster positive experiences. As the New Year begins, bergenPAC continues to provide virtual and on-site classes at the Performing Arts School in addition to its robust public school outreach program to thousands of children of all ages and abilities within New Jersey.” – Frank Huttle III, bergenPac Founder

The Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC) Annual Gala and premiere fundraising event is more critical this year than ever. It is nearly a year since bergenPac’s stage went dark due to the pandemic. This one special night of unique performances is a mission to ‘Save Our Stage’ and to ‘Save Our School!’

 

The star-studded lineup features Rock-and-Roll Hall of Famers, a legendary Grammy Award-winning jazz maestro, a Tony Award winner, and pop icons set to take the virtual stage.

 

“Our Home, Your Home,” takes place on Saturday, March 13, at 7:30 p.m. featuring performances by superstars John Fogerty, Paul Anka, Dionne Warwick, Darlene Love, Jack Antonoff, Wynton Marsalis, Ali Stroker and additional special guests to be announced.

 

The live-streamed Gala is FREE to everyone, everywhere, and donations big or small are welcome via bergenPAC’s website at bergenPAC.org/gala or by calling 201.503.8321.Text to Pledge 707070

 

Support for the 2021 Gala will allow bergenPAC to maintain these imperative teaching programs, provide pandemic relief for operations and make long needed renovations.

 

Together we can SAVE OUR STAGE and SAVE OUR SCHOOL!

 

 

 

Gala to Benefit:

Performing Arts School

Pandemic Relief

Renovations

For Donations of any size visit: bergenPAC.org/gala or 201.503.8321

PERFORMANCES AND TESTIMONIALS BY

 

Paul Anka, singer, songwriter, and actor who became famous with hit songs “Diana”, “Lonely Boy,” “Put Your Head on My Shoulder,” and “(You’re) Having My Baby.”

 

 Jack Antonoff, a Bergen County native, Antonoff is a top music producer, the lead singer of indie pop band Bleachers, and a guitarist in the indie rock band Fun.

 

 

John Fogerty, musician, singer, and songwriter; Rock-and-Roll Hall of Famer. Co-founder and lead singer of one of the greatest bands in rock history: Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR).

 

Jay Leno, (testimonial) comedian, actor, writer, producer, and former late-night television host of NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno; currently hosts Jay Leno’s Garage

 

Darlene Love, Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame inductee known for her many hit songs including “He’s a Rebel,” “He’s Sure the Boy I Love,” “(Today I Met) The Boy I’m Gonna Marry,” \ “Wait Til’ My Bobby Gets Home,” “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).”

 

Wynton Marsalis, 9-time Grammy Award winner, trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center.

 

Itzhak Perlman, (testimonial) violinist, conductor, and music teacher. Perlman has received 16 Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and four Emmy Awards. In 2015, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

 

Ali Stroker, Tony-Award winning Ridgewood native (“Oklahoma”) and groundbreaking performer that made history as the first

 

 About bergenPAC

 

Founded in 2003, the 1,367-seat Bergen Performing Arts Center, or bergenPAC, is the area’s cultural mecca. Housed in a historic Art Deco-style theater boasting one of the finest acoustic halls in the United States, bergenPAC attracts a stellar roster of world-class entertainment.

 

The jewel in its crown is The Performing Arts School at bergenPAC – the innovative, educational performing arts initiative that, through programs, classes, outreach, school shows, and main theater presented shows, reaches more than 30,000 students and community youth annually. The Performing Arts School provides community youth, age 2 months to 21 years, with unique, “hands-on” training in music, dance and theater by industry professionals.

 

Follow bergenPAC

Website:   www.bergenpac.org

 

30 North Van Brunt Street

Englewood, NJ 07631

201-227-1030

Facebook:  facebook.com/#!/bergenpacfan

 

Instagram & Twitter: @bergenPAC

 

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT PRODUCTIONS

Award-Winning Theatre Company

OPENS 2021 SEASON

With A New Theme – We Persist!

And Two Comedies

 

 

CHRISTOPHER DURANG’S“FOR WHOM THE SOUTHERN BELLE TOLLS”

 

(A Parody on Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie”)

StarringBlanche Baker, Nathan Darrow & Jeremy Beck

 

And

 

TENNESSEE WILLIAMS’ “LIFEBOAT DRILL”

StarringBob Dishy and Judy Graubart

 

Followed by a Q&A with The Casts & Two Exciting Special Guests

 

March 8th, 2021 at 2:00pm

 

Live at Theatre 80 St. Marks

 

And Zoomed Out to The World

FOOD FOR THOUGHT PRODUCTIONS (FFTP), now in its 21st year, continues celebrating the oft-neglected one-act play and theatre at its best with Award-winning actors, writers and directors, with a tremendously fun opening on March 8th, 2021.

 

In spite of the challenging times brought about a year ago, FFTP PERSISTED, becoming the first company to bring live theatre back into our world last July, and continued presenting monthly performances through all of 2020.

 

And FFTP, which has provided over 20 years of theatre, continues to persist with humor in different forms—parodies, satires and dramas filled with comedy.

 

The first production of the 2021 season is on March 8th at Theater 80 St. Marks with two plays and some very special guests for the Q&A. “For Whom The Southern Belle Tolls,” a hilarious parody of Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” by Christopher Durang.  Directed by Antony Marsellis, the play will star Blanche Baker, Nathan Darrow & Jeremy Beck. And, the second show, Tennessee Williams’ “Lifeboat Drill,” a very funny piece about an older couple on a boat, starring Bob Dishy and Judy Graubart.

 

All will join Susan Charlotte for Q&A, as well as Special Zoom Guest Christopher Durang, who has been part of the FFTP company for years and says, “I’ll take anything Susan Charlotte dishes out. Because she always serves up great theatre, big stars and fantastic food.”  And talk about persistence…90-year-old Caroll Baker will also join the Q & A with her thoughts about Williams.

 

FFTP this season will present additional productions on March 29, April 19, May 24, and June 28, 2021. For additional information and tickets, contact FFTP at: 646-366-9340 or email:  info@foodforthoughtproductions.com  To learn more about FFTP, visit foodforthoughtproductions.com

 

The performances will be available live via Zoom as well as a limited in-theatre ‘audience’ who will be part of a documentary being filmed on FFTP. The entire FFT series will be presented at Theatre 80 St. Marks. Tickets for the ‘live’ performance are free to first-come patrons, who have agreed to be part of the documentary on FFTP. All social distancing precautions will be respected. There will be a medical professional onsite to check temperatures and audience members must wear masks and have recently tested negative for Covid-19. There will be a nominal charge for the streaming.

 

 

About Food For Thought Productions

 

Food For Thought Productions (FFTP) was created by award-winning playwright Susan Charlotte to provide a home for the oft-neglected one-act play. FFTP has presented over a thousand shows with Oscar, Tony and Emmy award winning writers, actors and directors including Arthur Miller, August Wilson, Elaine May, Mary Alice, Elaine Stritch, Marian Seldes, Danny Aiello, Kathleen Turner, Tony Roberts, Carole Shelley, Peter Bogdonovich, Judd Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, Mary Bond Davis, Eric Stoltz, Kyra Sedgwick, Rosie Perez, Judith Light, Christine Baranski, Earl Hyman, Rita Moreno and so on. Food For Thought keeps going. As the world keeps changing and the unanswered questions continue to grow, it is comforting to know that there is still something people can count on.

 

(Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Spirituality, and Health & Wellness)