A playful new adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved novel follows the fortunes
(and misfortunes) of the Dashwood sisters—sensible Elinor and hypersensitive
Marianne—after their father’s sudden death leaves them financially destitute
and socially vulnerable. Set in gossipy late 18th-century England, with a
fresh female voice, the play is full of humor, emotional depth, and bold
theatricality. SENSE AND SENSIBILITY examines our reactions, both reasonable
and ridiculous, to societal pressures. When reputation is everything, how do
you follow your heart?
and
This is not your mother’s Sense and Sensibility!...
Roosevelt Island is fortunate to have many local non profit organizations run by residents offering a wide variety of services and programs for our community. Take a look back at what several of them have accomplished in 2024 and plans for 2025.
WOW! In just 13 Saturdays we collected 7,093 pounds of veggie and fruit scraps for the Big Reuse compost program.
2025 kicks off this Saturday, January 4th and yes, the Haki volunteers will be on hand to collect your food scraps in the green bins from 9 am to 2 pm at Motorgate Plaza.
Volunteers welcome!
Please write to find out how you can be part of the Haki Compost Collective - Hakicompost@gmail.com
Corinna & Christina (Volunteers for Haki)
Thank you for all the great work you do for Roosevelt Island!!!!
Have you heard the buzz about our spectacular production of
BlÃthe Spirit? It's an event you absolutely can't miss! Secure your seat today by
grabbing your tickets online.
Join us for an unforgettable experience!
About BlÃthe Spirit
The smash comedy of the London and Broadway stages, this much revived
classic from one of the twentieth centuries most admired playwrights offers
up fussy, cantankerous novelist Charles Condomine, remarried but haunted
(literally) by the ghost of his late first wife, the clever and insistent
Elvira who is called up by a visiting ‘happy medium’, one Madam Arcarti. As
the world's (and unworldly) personalities clash, Charles is faced with the
dilemma of facing both his current wife – the recently married Ruth, whilst
placating his previous one – who is out to win him back – whatever it takes!
Throw in a disbelieving man of medicine, Dr Bradman and his chatty wife,
along with a clumsy maid and you have a comedy that has withstood the tests
of time and is as popular now as when it was first performed.
... has offered music, theatre and dance training along with performance
opportunities for all ages for over 40 years in the Roosevelt Island
community.
Our Mission - MSTDA nourishes creativity by providing high quality music,
theatrical and dance training as well as performing opportunities to
everyone in our diverse community. We offer every person, child or adult,
the opportunity to participate in the arts without discrimination due to
race, color, national origin, sex including gender and orientation, cultural
background, socio-economic status, age, ability, or disability. With a
robust scholarship program no one is turned away for financial reasons.
Main Street Theatre & Dance Alliance (MST&DA) Executive Director Kristi
Towey reports:
We are so excited to offer London Academy Of Music & Dramatic Arts
(LAMDA) acting and public speaking classes and private lessons to ages 5 and
up. The program is a wonderful compliment to our performance theatre for
ages 8+. This past year, all LAMDA students from MSTDA earned Distinctions
and Merits from the in person examinations conducted by a LAMDA examiner
from London.
Tomorrow morning, September 7th, we have our Open House from 9:30-noon. We
welcome anyone to stop by if they have questions about any of our
programs. There will be a LAMDA demo class for ages 5+ at 9:30am. Email
MSTDA to reserve a spot in a demo class or to get more information at
info@mstda.org.
MSTDA’s successful LAMDA program expands further after an amazing set of
results!
Since its launch at MSTDA two years ago the London Academy of Music and
Dramatic Arts (LAMDA) program has grown from strength to strength.
MSTDA is proud to be one of only a few centers in the country that are
able to offer the Internationally recognized LAMDA qualifications to young
people and adults alike.
The Learners spend the academic year working towards their LAMDA
assessment covering all aspects of theater and performance - as well as
public speaking and for our younger Learners poetry and reading.
Each program is designed to instill confidence and increase self
expression and communication skills in a fun learning environment whilst
maintaining integrity and discipline of a professional drama training
program.
Led by the LAMDA Representative for the US, Mark Waite, and experienced
LAMDA tutor, Kiat Sing Teo, this year has seen our largest number of
entrants and all students received Distinctions and Merits across the
board.
Connor Ausman - who you may have seen playing Leonard Vole in the MSTDA
production of ‘Witness for the Prosecution’ earlier this year, managed to
achieve a Distinction in the Gold Medal Award - the highest accolade LAMDA
can give and one of only five awarded in the entire US this year.
As one of the oldest drama schools in the world - the LAMDA Exam program
is now available in over 150 countries and the newly appointed Patron is
none other than Benedict Cumberbatch.
Each year, over 100,000 people from diverse backgrounds and abilities take
LAMDA exams, united by their enthusiasm for communication and performance
and a desire to succeed.Higher level exams (medals) offer UCAS points for
UK universities and are valid for American college applications.
This year saw our first visiting assessor since we began the program. The
Chief Examiner, Ms Linda Macrow, flew in from London to assess our
Learners directly and was impressed with the high standards achieved at
MSTDA, which was reflected in the results achieved.
New Programs and Continuing Enrollment
With the new academic year upon us we have decided to expand the program
further and will be inviting 12 of our top theater students aged 11 - 16
years to join an exclusive program that will enable them to focus purely
on Acting for the Theatre and support the many production-led programs
MSTDA are known for.
Selected learners will explore theatre-making and acting fundamentals.For
more information on the syllabus, visit
LAMDA Exams
This sits alongside our Introductory and Junior LAMDA programs for ages 5+
as well as the one-to-one sessions which also focus on Speaking in Public.
The program culminates in a showcase for parents. This engaging syllabus
builds confidence, enhances collaboration, improves language skills, and
strengthens memorization, all while ensuring fun
Enrollment is now open for all of our LAMDA programs and other classes at
MSTDA with scholarships available. To learn more about LAMDA at MSTDA,
visit their website here -
https://www.mstda.org/lamda. To
view the full Fall schedule and register for classes, click here -
https://www.mstda.org/fall2024
Here’s to another successful year as MSTDA aims to become the leading
LAMDA Centre in the state, if not the country! Contact mwaite@mstda.org
for further details on any of our LAMDA offerings.
As reported earlier this week, MST&DA is holding cast auditions for their upcoming Adult Workshop production of Nöel Coward's comedy Blithe Spirit on Sunday September 8.
The Roosevelt Island
Main Street Theatre & Dance Alliance
(MST&DA) is holding auditions for their Adult Workshop production of Noël
Coward's comedy Blithe Spirit.
Main Street Theatre & Dance Alliance on Roosevelt Island is pleased to
announce their next Adult Workshop production will be the multi-award
winning comedy - Noel Coward’s ‘Blithe Spirit’ - which will run from Dec 12
- 21. Directed by Mark Waite, we will once more give an MSTDA ‘twist’ to a
classic theatrical piece.
About the show: The smash comedy of the London and Broadway stages, this
much revived classic from one of the twentieth centuries most admired
playwrights offers up fussy, cantankerous novelist Charles Condomine,
remarried but haunted (literally) by the ghost of his late first wife, the
clever and insistent Elvira who is called up by a visiting ‘happy medium’,
one Madam Aracarti. As the world's (and unworldly) personalities clash,
Charles is faced with the dilemma of facing both his current wife – the
recently married Ruth, whilst placating his previous one – who is out to win
him back – whatever it takes! Throw in a disbelieving man of medicine, Dr
Bradman and his chatty wife, along with a clumsy maid and you have a comedy
that has withstood the tests of time and is as popular now as when it was
first performed.
Seeking: We are seeking a cast of men and women with acting abilities to
play principal and supporting roles. Audition is required to join this
production class. If unable to attend, virtual auditions will be accepted.
This will be director Mark Waite's second adult production at MSTDA. His
first one, 'Witness for the Prosecution',
in March of this year was so well received, we extended the show into a
second weekend of performances. We are so excited to have him directing
'Blithe Spirit' this year. I'd love to share it with your readers and hope
we get some new interest! We have so many talented people on Roosevelt
Island!
On Thursday, August 15th, 2024, Roosevelt Island's Main Street Theatre & Dance Alliance’s Make-a-Musical Summer Program will present “The Wind in the Willows”, a staged premiere of a new musical by Jonathan Fadner and Kimbirdlee Fadner. “The Wind in the Willows’ is based on the classic novel by Kenneth Grahame and takes place in a mythical countryside where humanity and animals connect. There will be four performances on Aug 15, 16 and 17 at 7pm and Aug 18 at 3pm. The show takes place in the Howe Theatre at 548 Main St on Roosevelt Island. Tickets can be found at MSTDA’s website and can also be purchased at the Box Office 30 minutes prior to the start of the show each day.
MSTDA’s Make-a-Musical program is dedicated to creating and producing new theatrical works in New York City. “The Wind in the Willows” joins an impressive list of musicals launched by the Fadner team that includes full length musicals “The Monkey King, a Kung Fu Musical,” “The Ghosts All Around You,” “Book About Life,” and numerous one act musicals co-created with the Make-a-Musical kids!
“Our original production of Wind in the Willows was cut short and made virtual by Covid 19 back in 2020. This show is all about community and sticking together to see each other through tough times. Perseverance in the face of obstacles, and protecting the people and the community that you call home. MSTDA has been that for me for the last 9 years, and working on Wind in The Willows has brought back all the memories of sticking together and hunkering down with our theater community in the midst of a lockdown. I am so honored to have these young actors putting life into this story and so thankful for their efforts! I'm so grateful to be part of a community that helps me tell these stories.” - Jonathan Fadner (Writer/Composer/Director)
Jonathan Fadner also builds the set and props for “The Wind in the Willows,” arranges and records musical demos with his wife Kimbirdlee, and works with his own two children, Jack and Charlie and a cast of 14 talented young actors to bring this heartwarming musical to life. He works alongside a creative team that includes long-time MSTDA staff Jeanne Castagnaro (Costume Designer), Zackry Childers (Lighting Designer), Kimbirdlee Fadner (Music Consultant), Tanya Starace (Set Designer and Board Secretary) and Isaiah Reynolds (Choreographer). The team is excited to welcome Louise Wang, a talented and dedicated teen intern who performed with the Children’s and Teen Theatre for many years, in her debut as Production Stage Manager. The team is rounded out by Ben Hill as Assistant Director and another bright and promising young intern, Micah Silverman as Costume Assistant.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and Roosevelt island Operating Corporation Public Purpose Funds Grant.”
Video from a live preview performance at the Roosevelt Island Public Library.
Roosevelt Island is a mixed income, racially diverse waterfront community situated in the East River of New York City between Manhattan and Queens and is jurisdictionally part of Manhattan. The Roosevelt Island Tramway, which connects Roosevelt Island to the rest of Manhattan, has become the iconic symbol of Roosevelt Island to its residents.
The Purpose of this Blog is to provide accurate and timely information about Roosevelt Island as well as a forum for residents to express opinions and engage in a dialogue to improve our community.
