Friends of the Arts closes season with final membership meeting

  The Friends of the Arts is bringing its 2012 season to a close with a membership meeting on Tuesday, May 22, at the Marianas Resort.

“We’ve had a great year!” FOA president Dr. Susan Fishman-Tudor said. “We had two musical programs, one a revue of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music and one the fantastic Broadway play, Aida, both providing a tremendous showcase of the musical talent of our performers. We also had two finely acted dramas, The Miracle Worker and Sleuth, demonstrating a level of acting skills and set and costume design that brought the plays to life and captured the attention of the audience. Additionally, this season included two concerts by world renowned pianist Roman Rudnitsky who captivated all with his performances.”

The May 22 membership meeting, open to both members and non-members of the Friends of the Arts, will provide a range of entertainment from the cast of this season’s programs and the award winning musicians of the Marianas High School Glee Club, Rhythm n’ Harmony, the Do Re Mi School of Music and the Yonsei Academy.

The event will also include a buffet dinner prepared by Chef William Retardo’s staff at the Marianas Resort. There will be a charge of $15 for FOA members and $20 for non-members, $8 and $10, respectively for children under 11 years of age. Members and non-members should contact Frank Gibson at flgibson@yahoo.com or 287-7476 to make reservations.

“This meeting serves as a ‘thank you’ to our members for their support throughout the year, and most especially to our sponsors and advertisers, who are hosted by the FOA for this meeting,” said Gibson, FOA treasurer and membership/advertising chair. “Without the financial support of our sponsors and advertisers, this season would not have been possible and the community would not have had the opportunity to enjoy such special evenings of entertainment and talent that they will long remember with pleasure. Without their sponsorship the plays, concerts and other programs that the Friends of the Arts offers to the community would not happen.“

In October, the 2012 FOA season kicked off with a music revue, Andrew Lloyd Webber: Beyond Memories, with musical direction by Paul Dujua in a selection of songs from Webber’s Broadway musicals, to include songs from Evita, The Phantom of the Opera, Sunset Boulevard and Jesus Christ Superstar.

In January, FOA performed William Gibson’s classic play, The Miracle Worker, the moving story of Helen Keller and her life-long teacher, Ann Sullivan. This production was directed by Harold Easton and starred Ann Shoko as Helen, and Laura Kyonka as Ann Sullivan. The play also allowed the set and costume student competitors of the Thespians of the Western Pacific Islands an opportunity to display their creative skills in designing the costumes for the play.

From Jan. 22 to Feb. 5, FOA, utilizing a grant from Bridge Capital, LLC, sponsored a visit to the CNMI by the internationally renowned classical pianist Roman Rudnytsky. During his stay he visited and instructed at the high schools on Saipan and Tinian and provided the community with two concerts, titled An Evening of Magical Music-and both evenings truly were. At the second concert, the American Memorial Park Theater was filled to capacity and attendees were listening from the lobby.

The attendees at the FOA Valentine’s Day special were overwhelmed by the production of Elton John’s and Tim Rice’s Aida, again directed by Paul Dujua with the talented vocal support of many members of the Marianas High Schools Glee Club. In addition to Valentine’s Day, FOA also presented two performances of Aida on the weekend of Feb. 18 and 19. It was a spectacular show that was greatly enjoyed by an enthusiastic audience.

The last play of the year showcased Leo Goode and Bernard Rivera in the two-man crime caper, Sleuth. The Allen Shaffer play was directed by Harold Easton and produced by Ruth De Lemos Loyola. The play was an intense show of gamesmanship between the two protagonists in a well-acted drama that kept the audience entranced throughout the show. Again, the student Thespians of the Western Pacific Islands contributed to the success of the show with marketing and ticket and program design by Yongjeong (Annie) Kim.

“We’ve had great audiences and flattering reviews for all of our performances,” said Dujua, FOA vice president and musical director. “The attendees enjoyed the shows tremendously and showed it with applause and favorable comments after each show. Programs such as these demonstrate the tremendous talent that we have here on Saipan. The Friends of the Arts is grateful that we can assist them in expressing this talent and making it available to the community.”

“Again, thank you very much,” said Fishman-Tudor. “The support of our sponsors, advertisers, members and the community has been greatly appreciated throughout this 2012 season. I hope you will continue to support us in our upcoming seasons. We look forward to a new season with new shows and new challenges.” (FOA)