APAC's Taryn Sacramone Honored Today at 2013 Top Women in Business Awards

The Astoria Performing Arts Center (APAC) has announced that Executive Director Taryn Sacramone is being recognized for her hard work and dedication to the arts and the community. On Tuesday, May 7, 2013, Senator Michael Gianaris honored Sacramone at the New York State Senate 16th Annual Women of Distinction Ceremony. Today, May 9, 2013, 11th Annual Top Women in Business Awards event will honor Sacramone as an influential women in business whose major achievements and whose participation in many
community activities throughout the years has helped the borough of
Queens grow. In the midst of it all, Sacramone is producing the
Olivier Award winning musical, Blood Brothers, through May 18 at the Good Shepherd United Methodist Church (30-44 Crescent St, Astoria, NY 11102. Entrance on 30th Road.).

The New York State Senate 16th Annual Women of Distinction Ceremony provides Senators across New York State with an opportunity to honor outstanding women whose contributions have enriched the lives of their neighborhood and community. "Through her work at APAC, Taryn Sacramone embodies our community's spirit and prioritization of culture and the arts," said Senator Gianaris. "In addition to providing high quality theater in the heart of our neighborhood, APAC's programs support local youth and seniors, linking generations of Astorians through a deep appreciation of theater and the arts." The Women of Distinction program was created as part of the New York State Senate's celebration of Women's History Month. In addition to recognizing present-day women, each March, the Senate hosts a display that honors other distinguished women from New York's past, from leaders of the 19th Century suffragist movement to pioneers in education, science and the arts.

Then, tonight, May 9th, 2013, Sacramone will be included among the honorees at the 11th Annual Top Women in Business event, hosted by the Queens Courier. The event will honor influential women in business whose major achievements and whose participation in many community activities throughout the years has helped the borough of Queens grow. The dinner and networking event will be held at Terrace on the Park, 6:00pm-9:00pm.

Taryn Sacramone has been the Executive Director at the Astoria Performing Arts Center, a nonprofit performing arts organization in Queens, NY, since 2005. In that time, APAC has received 21 New York Innovative Theatre Award nominations and 4 wins (Ragtime, Children of Eden), as well as the 2012 IT Awards Caffe Cino Fellowship, given to an Off Off Broadway theater company that consistently produces
outstanding work. Under Taryn's leadership, APAC's budget has increased fourfold, and its programming has expanded to include an after-school playwriting program for children (Astoria Playmaking) and a performance program for senior citizens (Senior Stars). In 2012, USA Today named APAC a "Top Queens Attraction." The New York Times has praised APAC for being "adventurous" and "talented" and Time Out New York described the company as an "inventive programmer" on its list of "50 Things to Love about NYC Theater."

In 2012 Taryn was honored by Assembly Member Aravella Simotas and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney with an Artistic Achievement Award as part of Women's History Month. In April 2013,Taryn was appointed as a member of Queens Community Board 1. Taryn will be honored at the 11th Annual Queens Top Women in Business Awards, hosted by the Queens Courier, in May 2013. She has served on grant review panels for the Queens Council on the Arts and the Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York.

Taryn graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Kenyon College, with a BA in Political Science. While in college, she studied political philosophy and modern literature for two terms at St. Catherine's College, Oxford
University. After graduation, she studied acting at the Atlantic Theater in New York. From 2002-2010, she worked at the Social Science Research Council, a nonprofit academic research organization. She began as an assistant for the SSRC's Program on the Arts and advanced to become Senior Special Projects Manager of Communications & IT. She lives in Queens with her husband Domenico and their son Rocco.

ASTORIA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER (APAC), a not-for-profit organization, was founded in 2001 with a mission to bring high quality theater to Astoria, Queens, and to support local youth and senior citizens. On its mainstage, APAC produces revivals and premieres of plays and musicals. APAC also develops new works through readings and workshops. Its flexible theater space changes with each production. To date, APAC has received 21 New York Innovative Theatre Award nominations and 4 wins (Children of Eden & Ragtime), as well as an Off-Off Broadway Theatre Review Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical (Is There Life After High School?). In 2012, the New York Innovative Theatre Foundation honored APAC with its Caffe Cino Fellowship.

APAC offers free annual community programs, including a summer performance camp for children ages 8-13, an after school playwriting program for middle school students, and a performance program for Queens residents over the age of 60. These programs deepen ties with the community, and develop new audiences for theater. Diverse programming and consistent quality attracts a loyal and growing audience that reflects the diversity of Western Queens and also draws from the other boroughs and beyond.

In addition to its theater space within the Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, APAC's offices are located within the historic Kaufman Astoria Studios. For more information on APAC, visit www.apacny.org.

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