The performance run of Servant Stage Company’s production of ‘Swing!’ ends on August 10, 2025
By Steven Brodsky
… Be advised, though, that the final weekend of performances of Swing! at Lancaster Alliance Church will be June 13 – June 15, 2025.
If you’ll be attending a performance of Swing! this Father’s Day weekend, expect to have a swingingly entertaining time at the show!
Visit Swing! — Servant Stage for additional information and a link to order tickets.
All tickets are pay-what-you-will, consistent with Servant Stage Company’s mission to make exceptional theatrical experiences accessible to everyone.
Posted 6-12-25
The winning songs from the 2024-2025 Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge for High School Students will be performed by Broadway actors at a concert that will take place on June 16, 2025 in New York City at 7:30 p.m. ET
By Steven Brodsky
… Congratulations to the winning student songwriters!
Please share these links to the livestream of the June 16, 2025 concert with musical theatre fans that you know: arts.gov/songwriting and namt.org/challenge.
From a just-issued news release issued by the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre:
Washington, DC and New York, NY— The Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge for High School Students, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, returns to the stage with CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!, a concert celebrating the winning songs by high school songwriters from across the country. Musical theater fans will have the chance to see these fully orchestrated arrangements performed by Broadway artists such as Florencia Cuenca, Amina Faye, Claire Kwon, Carson Stewart and more on June 16 at 7:30 p.m. ET at New World Stages in New York City. The concert will also be available through a livestream at arts.gov/songwriting and namt.org/challenge.
The Winning Student Songwriters
The 2024-2025 winners represent six states and were selected by a panel of leaders in the musical theater field from 90 submissions: (grades and schools are as of the 2024-2025 school year
Judah Brown, an 11th grade student at Owasso Preparatory Academy in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Gwendellyn Doerfler, a 12th grade student at Dewitt High School in Dewitt, Michigan
Sydney Gray, a 12th grade student at Fairhope High School in Fairhope, Alabama
Leela Kumar, an 11th grade student at Howell High School in Marlboro, New Jersey
Ali Lewis, a 12th grade student at Mercy McAuley High School in Cincinnati, Ohio
Sadie Shapiro, a 12th grade student at Montclair Kimberley Academy in Scotch Plains, New Jersey
Elaina Stuppler, an 11th grade student at Lakeridge High School in Lake Grove, Oregon
Karsten Wallace, an 11th grade student at Bob Jones High School in Madison, Alabama
Excerpts of the winning song submissions and more information about the winners are available at namt.org. Winning students will come to New York City this weekend where they will work with mentors and musicians to hone their orchestrations while learning about process, technique and production. The 2025 Music Team includes Music Supervisor Dylan Glatthorn, Music Director Anessa Marie Scolpini, and mentors Andrea Daly, Timothy Huang and Jaime Lozano. The winning songs will be orchestrated by Faye Chiao, Teresa Lotz and Anessa Marie Scolpini. The concert casting director is Michael Cassara, CSA. More information about the Songwriting Challenge mentors is available here.
Broadway Stars Perform Winning Songs
The final compositions will be performed by Broadway artists for CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!, a concert on Monday, June 16, at 7:30 p.m. ET, available to watch live and on-demand at arts.gov/songwriting and namt.org/challenge. In addition, each winning student will receive a scholarship of $2,500, provided by the NMPA S.O.N.G.S. Foundation.
At the June 16 concert, each student songwriter and their mentor will premiere the winning songs, which will then be performed by a cast featuring:
Gabi Carrubba (Dear Evan Hansen)
Florencia Cuenca (Real Women Have Curves)
Michelle Dowdy (Hairspray)
Amina Faye (SIX The Musical, Nat’l Tour)
Claire Kwon (Maybe Happy Ending)
Carson Stewart (The Notebook)
Luke Islam (America’s Got Talent)
Posted 6-11-25
Servant Stage Company’s production of the musical revue ‘Swing!’ to be presented in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, June 6 – August 10, 2025
By Steven Brodsky
… Tickets (all of them are pay-what-you-will) are available now. You’ll find a link to order your tickets at: Swing! — Servant Stage.
Photo courtesy of Servant Stage Company
This news release was issued by Servant Stage Company on May 8, 2025:
Lancaster, PA – Servant Stage is thrilled to present the toe-tapping, heart-pounding Broadway musical SWING! as its summer MainStage production, bringing the infectious rhythms and exuberant energy of swing music to audiences across Lancaster County. Performances run June 6 through August 10 at multiple parks, schools, churches, and other community venues, in keeping with Servant Stage’s mission to make the arts accessible by bringing great performances into the community.
A jubilant celebration of the swing era, SWING! is a musical revue that features thrilling dance numbers, powerful vocals, and a live swing band performing classics made famous by artists like Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Count Basie. With electrifying choreography and show-stopping harmonies, this production invites audiences of all ages to experience the golden age of big band music like never before.
“This show is pure joy from start to finish,” says Johnathan Bauer, Executive Director of Servant Stage. “With a sensational cast of singers and dancers, and the excitement of a live swing band on stage, audiences will be swept up in the music and energy of a truly unforgettable era.”
SWING! features a large cast of talented singers and dancers backed by an 8-piece swing band and is directed and choreographed by Joshua William Green with musical direction from pianist and bandleader Marshall Lentz.
As always, Servant Stage continues its mission to make outstanding live theatre accessible to everyone with all performances offered on a pay-what-you-will basis. This ensures that families and individuals of all backgrounds can enjoy high-quality theatrical experiences, regardless of financial means.
The full schedule of performances can be found at ServantStage.org, but featured performances include two weekends at Lancaster Alliance Church (210 Pitney Rd, Lancaster), June 6-8 and June 13-15, two performances in Lititz Springs Park (24 N Broad St, Lititz) on August 3, and a weekend of performances at Warwick High School (301 W Orange St, Lititz) August 8-10.
Reservations are recommended and can be made at ServantStage.org or by calling (717) 455-0255.
Posted 6-3-25
Sarah Zahn will be performing in Servant Stage Company’s Sunday Night Cabaret Series on June 15, 2025 at the Magic & Wonder Dinner Theater in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
By Steven Brodsky
… This cabaret performance by the very talented Sarah Zahn will begin at 7 p.m.
Tickets are pay-what-you-will, consistent with Servant Stage Company’s mission to make exceptional theatre experiences accessible to everyone.
Visit https://servantstage.org/upcoming-cabarets/zahn-sarah-cabaret for additional information and a link to reserve your tickets.
Posted 5-22-25
Shackled and unshackled listeners
By Steven Brodsky
… have been enjoying episodes of UNSHACKLED!, the iconic radio drama show, since 1950.
Episodes of UNSHACKLED! are accessible at: https://unshackled.org/on-demand/browse-all-programs/.
John 8:36: “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
Note to readers: This post appeared at: https://delcoculturevultures.com/2025/05/06/conversations-about-faith/.
Posted 6-6-24, Revised and reposted 5-6-25
A New Season of Theatre Classes in Servant Stage Company’s Monday Night Drop-Ins Program is Underway
By Steven Brodsky
… Class subjects include: acting, improvisation, vocal technique, and dance.
These classes are pay-what-you-will.
From a Servant Stage Company press release issued on Febuary 14, 2025:
2025 marks the fourth year for the Monday Night Drop-Ins program. Last year’s program served 373 unique students (an 83% increase from the previous year) over the course of 64 classes, with many attending multiple classes. “It’s our goal to be a theatre home for people of all ages,” says Executive Director, Johnathan Bauer. “We want to create opportunities for those just getting started out all the way to those working on the professional level, and our Monday Night classes are a key component of that vision.”
Visit https://servantstage.org/mondays for additional information.
https://servantstage.org/
Posted 2-24-25
The responsibilities of managing a theater took a toll on William Butler Yeats
By Steven Brodsky
… and inspired Yeats to pen the poem “The Fascination of What’s Difficult” in 1912.
“The Fascination of What’s Difficult”: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43286/the-fascination-of-whats-difficult.
W.B. Yeats received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923 “for his always inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation.”
Posted 4-23-22