Wilhelm News

Servant Stage is back, doing what it does best: spreading joy to everyone, regardless of ability or income. This production is a sure-fire holiday crowd pleaser.

The Jewish Museum and the Film Society of Lincoln Center announce the special events lineup for the 26th annual New York Jewish Film Festival (NYJFF), January 11-24, 2017.

The Jewish Museum and the Film Society of Lincoln Center announce the special events lineup for the 26th annual New York Jewish Film Festival (NYJFF), January 11-24, 2017. Among the oldest and most influential Jewish film festivals worldwide, unique in New York City, and one of the longest running partnerships of two major New York cultural institutions, the NYJFF each year presents the finest narrative and documentary films from around the world that explore the diverse Jewish experience.

It's right around the corner - Make Music New York's sixth annual Make Music Winter takes place on Wednesday, December 21, 2016, the shortest day of the year. These thirteen participatory parades offer New Yorkers a unique opportunity to sing, play, and even dance their way through streets, parks, and other public spaces throughout the city. 

The Cape Dance Company's season of SACREDSPACE will close this weekend, with the classical-contemporary company's annual Artscape season having opened on 3 December. Under the artistic direction of Debbie Turner, this season follows highly successful runs at the Klein Karoo Arts Festival, the National Arts Festival's Main Programme and the Joburg Theatre.

The Kinsey Institute and the World Erotic Art Museum (WEAM) present "Protected Beauty," an examination of controversial ideas about masculine beauty and sexuality in art, on view at WEAM in Miami Beach, Florida through March 1st, 2017. 

Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT) returns to New York City for a sixth consecutive year. During its 40th anniversary season, Dallas Black Dance Theatre is among eight dance companies invited to take part in the American Dance Platform at The Joyce Theater in Chelsea. DBDT takes center stage January 6-7, 2017.

Amas Musical Theatre and The Amas Musical Theatre Lab in association with Marc L. Bailin, are presenting readings of Nutcracker! The Musical, with book and lyrics by Nancy Holson, music by Peter I. Tchaikovsky, with arrangements and additional music by Bruce Kieslieng and Peter Rigano.

Servant Stage Company has announced their next production Joy to the World: A Servant Stage Christmas, a theatrical celebration of all your favorite Christmas songs, holiday traditions and Yuletide memories.

Author Corrado Pirzio-Biroli reveals to readers the European history after Bismarck and the biography of Grand Admiral von Tirpitz. 'My Great-Grandfather Grand-Admiral von Tirpitz: German Leader after Bismarck and before Hitler' (published by Archway Publishing) is a reminder that imperialism and nationalism are anti-chambers of war and that the prejudice, paranoia and vanity of certain leaders can lead to arbitrary decisions that are contrary to the interests of ordinary citizens, let alone the leaders themselves.

When Russ Katz heard the story a hair stylist in his building was telling about her life in Vietnam and how she came to the United States, it stuck with him. Eventually he decided the world needed to hear her story, and the result is 'The Principal's Daughter,' based on Tran Lê Kim Tuyen's life. Katz's book has earned the Dog Ear Publishing Award of Literary Excellence - and has led to at least one unexpected reunion. Katz couldn't be more thrilled. 'I was excited to hear about the award of excellence,' he said. 'I immediately told everyone around me at the time. To think that something I wrote could even be considered - it made my day.' Dog Ear Publishing's editorial team determines award winners, with the managing editor, editorial services manager and the publisher reviewing its recommendations. Winning books include the award logo on their covers. Although Katz is happy about the award, it's a reunion that took place as a result of his research that makes him most proud. 'While telling me the story, Kim had remembered the soldier's name her family was friendly with (in Vietnam). It wasn't a common name, so later that day I did a little research and found him living just two hours away.' Nearly a year later, Kim and her sister Joanna met for dinner with that soldier, Robert Toporek. 'I learned the soldier had spent considerable time looking for Kim's sister (who had moved to America before the war ended) and she for him as well,' Katz said. 'The looks on their faces when they saw each other after 40 years was priceless.' 'The Principal's Daughter: Based on the True Story of Tran Lê Kim Tuyen' describes Kim's life starting as a happy 10-year-old playing among trees. When the Viet Cong marched just 100 meters from her home near Saigon and began attacking the nearby U.S. Army base, her life changed forever. She and her family spent that night in 1968 huddled in a makeshift cellar, fearing for their lives when their home was caught in the crossfire. 'While Kim was cutting my hair, she started telling me about where she was from and how she came to the United States. Her daring boat escape, being fired upon and thrown in jail. This story rang through my head in so many different scenarios I couldn't stop thinking about it,' Katz said. 'Although the Vietnam War has been a source of controversy for many decades, I don't think people really understand why the war began in the first place. Although I didn't go into this in much detail, I hope people could see the beautiful place Vietnam was before the war and the impact it had on them after it ended. Hollywood only tells the stories of the soldiers, but what about the people the soldiers went to try to protect, what happened to all of them?' Dog Ear editor Leslie Wilhelm Hatch writes that the book gives a view of Vietnam that probably few people have thought about. 'Russ Katz's story telling style is very approachable - it's very emotional, but not overly so - he lets the facts and the people tell their story without bias or political overtones. The fact that the story is true makes it even stronger. Katz is able to share a lot about Vietnamese culture, growing up in Vietnam, the war itself (how it affected the characters), the country's customs, and the workings of Communism. He shares all this in the context of the story - so not only was I entertained and enthralled, but I learned a lot as well.' 'This manuscript tells an extraordinary story, a story that deserves to be told to as many people as want to know about it,' writes Terry Hummer, editor and publishing consultant with Kevin Anderson & Associates. 'The material is rich, the characters are vivid, and the narrative itself is riveting and moving. I don't think I've ever read a piece of prose that so galvanized my attention. Whatever you do with this, keep Kim's spirit alive. She is a Personage. You are lucky to know her. I am lucky to know something about her now.' Kirkus Reviews describe the book as 'an absorbing taste of the everyday in a place that that was the victim of superpower geopolitics. ... An important contribution to primary-source oral histories of Vietnamese people.' The author finds it funny he would choose to write a book, much less a second book. (His first was 'Evolution,' a science fiction novel published in 2012.) 'I was never good at reading or writing in school; it was my weakest subject,' he said. 'I never found joy in reading until just recently, really just the past year or two. It is somewhat a love-hate relationship. I love the finished product and just how the accomplishment makes me feel.' Katz has set up monthly promotions for 'The Principal's Daughter' through BookDaily.com and plans to do more marketing. Katz, who grew up in East Brunswick, N.J., lives in Fairfax, Va. For additional information, please visit www.RussKatz.com The Principal's Daughter: Based on the True Story of Tran Lê Kim Tuyen Russ Katz Dog Ear Publishing ISBN: 978-1-4575-4892-5 304 pages $15.95 US Available at Ingram, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and fine bookstores everywhere.

Based on the beloved holiday film, this hilarious fish-out-of-water comedy follows Buddy the Elf in his quest to find his true identity.  Buddy, a young orphan, mistakenly crawls into Santa's bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole. The would-be elf is raised, unaware that he is actually a human, until his enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa's permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father and discover his true identity. Faced with the harsh reality that his father is on the naughty list and that his half-brother doesn't even believe in Santa, Buddy is determined to win over his new family and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.

Refuge Theatre Project has announced leadership changes and programming for its third season, according to company co-founder Ross Egan. Christopher Pazdernik, who directed and choreographed the company's breakout production of High Fidelity: The Musical in February 2016 and more recently directed the Chicago premiere of Wicked City by Chad Beguelin and Matthew Sklar for Chicago Theatre Workshop, has been named Artistic Director, a position previously held by Egan. Egan, who founded the company two years ago with Morgan Egan, will move to Executive Director, a new position. Morgan Egan will continue as Managing Director.

Convergence-continuum concludes its 2016 Season with the world premiere of Cleveland playwright Jonathan Wilhelm's noir comedy mystery thriller, THE KNIFE IS MONEY, THE FORK IS LOVE. It's 1932, and Tobias, a young man enamored with radio serials and pulp fiction, receives a puzzling package which leads him on a search for the members of a secret society. In the theater, meanwhile, a group of actors struggle to provide historical context and work with the audience to solve Tobias' Depression-era enigma. Confusion, and much comedy, ensues as both the characters and actors try to untangle this mysterious and thrilling tale for us.

The Kinsey Institute and the World Erotic Art Museum (WEAM) present “Protected Beauty,” an examination of controversial ideas about masculine beauty and sexuality in art, on view at WEAM in Miami Beach, Florida from November 28th, 2016 through March 1st, 2017. There will be an opening reception on November 28 at 8 p.m.

Cantata Singers will continue a successful partnership with the Academy of Arts and Sciences in Cambridge, presenting a three-concert Chamber Series season at the Academy on November 18, 2016, January 20, 2017 and March 31, 2017.

Servant Stage Company has announced their next production Joy to the World: A Servant Stage Christmas, a theatrical celebration of all your favorite Christmas songs, holiday traditions and Yuletide memories.

NEW YORK, Nov. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ Scholastic, the global children's publishing, education and media company, is launching two new professional books for educators at the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Annual Convention this month: The Reading Zone by Nancie Atwell and Anne Atwell Merkel, and Mastering Short-Response Writing by Alan Lawrence Sitomer. In addition, Scholastic professional authors Laura Robb, Michael Smith and Jeff Wilhelm will be honored with prestigious awards at the Convention to be held November 17-20, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Always looking for new worlds to conquer, Gioachino Rossini wrote GUILLAUME TELL in French, as Paris became the center of the opera world. Despite his successes there, this was to be his operatic swan song, a story glorifying a revolutionary character--with a message that resonated, loud and strong, at the performance the night after the troubling American election.

Amas Musical Theatre and The Amas Musical Theatre Lab in association with Marc L. Bailin, will present staged readings of Nutcracker! The Musical, with book and lyrics by Nancy Holson, music by Peter I. Tchaikovsky, with arrangements and additional music by Bruce Kieslieng and Peter Rigano.