THE EAGLET

The Episcopal Actors’ Guild | Est. 1923 | For All Faiths, and None

Vol. 31, No. 1 | February 2019

BRAND. MOOD. VIBE. All
companies have one. A single
driving force that is the
through-line to all they do. As
a customer or patron or
member, you get it instantly.
All you need to do is look at
any kind of media to know
who is selling BEAUTY or
INNOVATION or STRENGTH.
But what about EAG? What’s
our vibe? Most people get it
when they walk in the door
and exclaim about the great
energy in Guild Hall. That’s
because our driving force is
CARING. We CARE a lot about
the people we help, our
members, and people
attending our events (see the
testimonials in our center
section).
As a small organization, there
is a lot of personal touch in
what we do. We believe in
offering you a cup of tea
when you come to see us, and
usually a home-baked treat.
We mail people cards, and we
pick up the phone to check in
on them. We visit people in
the hospital. And there are
always hugs for the giving
and taking.
But this spirit of CARING is
not just something our staff
does to make our clients or
The Episcopal Actors’ Guild of America
members feel good. It is 1 East 29th Street, New York, NY 10016
something that I have seen so 212.685.2927 | info@actorsguild.org
www.actorsguild.org
many of you do for one
another. Officers
Elowyn Castle | President
Father John David van Dooren | Warden/Vice President
CARING is in the thoughtful Nicholas Pavlik | Vice President
Peter Von Berg | Vice President
way Peter Von Berg runs our Suzannah Grady | Treasurer
free Actors Night every
Staff
month. Or in the nurturing Karen Lehman Foster | Executive Director
way that Jessica Cadden Rebecca Lovett | Assistant Director
Jamie Soltis | Office Manager
Osborne teaches our gentle
Monday yoga class. It is the Council
Mierre Eric Kuzmuk
way Sarah Ann Rodgers puts Amelia Anderson Laurel Lockhart
Tecla Armstrong Julia McLaughlin
together a beautiful reception Margot Astrachan Leslie Middlebrook
Paul Cardile Anthony Newfield
for every single event. And in Anstice Carroll Richard Olson
the way Barbara Primosch Ruthann Daniels
Claudia Dumschat
Tina Prins
Rev. Gerardo Ramirez
captured our holiday Bernadette Fiorella
Jennifer Fouché
Sarah Ann Rodgers
Louis Scheeder
celebrations (see pictures on Sam Fortenbaugh Sally Sherwood
Meryl Goodfader leslie Shreve
right). Steven Hayes Deborah T. Shull
Robert M. Hefley Ted Story
Evangeline Johns Webb Turner
Even this Eaglet comes to you
oozing with CARING. Our
Advisory Board Rev. Dr. James Kowalski
amazing volunteers worked Elizabeth Ashley Swoosie Kurtz
hard to bring this to you with Zoe Caldwell
Jim Dale
Angela Lansbury
Campbell Scott
great love. Elizabeth Franz Frances Sternhagen
Richard Thomas
Rosemary Harris
Dana Ivey
Are you in need of some
CARING? Or do you have The Eaglet is a publication of EAG and may not be
reproduced without permission.
some CARING to give? We’d Anthony Newfield, Mervyn Kaufman | Editors
love to hear about it. Sending Rebecca Lovett, Jamie Soltis | Layout & Content
Karen Lehman Foster | Cover
you all a cup of tea and a Publications Committee | Anthony Newfield, Rick Reiners,
Jerry Vermilye
warm hug.
Karen Lehman Foster
Executive Director
EAG is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City
karen@actorsguild.org Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council
and New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Gov.
Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
 Lessons and Carols Service and Resolutions 2019: Save More Money!
Holiday Open Mic 2018 by AM in the PM
So you've found yourself in a
nancially compromising
position. Take a deep breath
and take heart; there are
some “lifesavers” out there.
Though it may be a dif cult
time, try to remember that
the situation is temporary
and to think positively—
there are always options.
Here are some ideas to
hopefully ease the pain:
Electricity:
PULL THE PLUG! When not
using appliances, remove
plugs from their outlets. Over
time, I've saved about $20 a
month on electric bills. Use a
power strip whenever
possible. Multiple plugs in
multiple outlets raise costs.
Or try going to the library to
use your own (or their)
computer. Outlets exist in
every facility and can be
tapped for recharging your
phone, etc. (Side note: your
community library is also a
great source for ideas,
classes, and events.)
Bottles and Cans:
Recycle bottles and cans.
Many stores still offer the 5-
cent cashback. Take it. While
it is not a lot of money, you
are bene ting the
environment, and—over
time—it does add up.
Coupons and Codes:
Save on items you need and
already buy by using
cashback, rebate and
coupon programs and
websites. Signing up for
ebates.com, ordering online,
picking up at the store, or
Members celebrated the holiday season in the Little Church before heading having items delivered for
upstairs to a festive, standing-room-only open mic. (Top left to bottom right: free take minimal effort, and
Omar M’Sai, Elowyn Castle, Kingsley Matthew, and Laurel Lockhart; Betsy
could be cost ef cient.
Ross; Bernadette Fiorella; Evangeline and Ariana Johns; Karen Lehman Foster;
Deborah Thomas Shull) (Photos by Barbara Primosch)
Would you prefer to receive your future issues of The Eaglet online instead of through the mail?
You can now opt out of receiving a hard copy and opt in to receive a link to a downloadable PDF version,
by emailing EAG’s Of ce Manager Jamie Soltis at jamie@actorsguild.org.
Call merchants you regularly
buy from; ask if they offer
discount coupons. Usually
they will send two.
Should you be in the 55-and-
older club, check stores'
Senior Day discounts, not
always widely publicized.
Some airlines and hotels will
redeem miles and points for
free store and restaurant
gifts. Check your miles
programs for redemptions.
Some stores offer discounts
on gift cards—buy a $50
card for $40. That's an extra
$10 in your pocket!
Postage:
USPS sells Forever Stamps,
so stock up. Yes, the price
just went up—substantially.
But additional hikes are
always possible, so it’s good
to stay prepared.
Exercise:
No longer have a gym
membership but need to
work out? Athleta, Shape Up
New York, and
sassy tgirl.com list free
exercise classes. Most are
really wonderful.
Grooming:
Need a haircut or color?
Take a look at
salonapprentice.com for
available discounted and free
services.
Union Discounts:
Last, but not least, check
your union sites for
discounts. My own cell
phone charges, for example,
are lower than most.
 We care abou
“Thanks to EAG... I can smile and perform pain-free.”

The Episcopal Actors’ Guild makes me feel good about being an artist.
Walking into the Little Church, there is never any judgment, only good feelings, good vibes, and
compassion for people who have dedicated their lives to the arts.
When it comes to health, it is very dif cult to nd good doctors when you have limited insurance
and funds. In order to use my insurance, I had been going to teaching universities for dental
care. Once in a while I had a good experience; more often than not, I had terrible experiences. At
my last checkup, I found out that ALL the general work I had received there had pretty much
failed. Some within two years, some within months. They would not even repair the damage or
offer an implant for the bad work.
I called Karen at EAG to ask for recommendations in the hope that some members might have
found better care. Unfortunately, none of those doctors would accept my insurance, and my last
option was another teaching center.
EAG helped cover the costs for me to go to a trusted family doctor who did all
the repairs for me, and even saved the failed root canal that teaching-doctors wanted to rip
out. Thanks to EAG, I did not lose any work, and I can smile and perform pain-free. You guys are
the best! And I love to wear my EAG buttons. —Dorit Konig

“(EAG) has been a necessary and welcomed helping hand.”

The current situation of the partial government shutdown has an inescapable point of reference to
me. Those federal workers found themselves without a paycheck coming in, due to no fault of their
own. I can relate to such a disadvantaged situation because after thirteen years with New
York City Opera, I found myself permanently without a paycheck coming in. My dream occupation
became a memory.

Unfortunately food is an expensive expense. Just like the over 800,000 federal workers, too many of
these workers nd themselves relying on all sort of helping hands particularly for food. I am
earnestly indebted to the Episcopal Actors’ Guild Food Pantry. We all have to eat,
and this pantry of quality goods has earnestly supplemented my food expense. The quality goods are
items that I could never regularly afford on my xed income.

The Episcopal Actors’ Guild has been a necessary and welcome helping hand that I am earnestly
grateful to be able to take advantage of. My heartfelt thanks to the cheerful ladies who oversee this
wonderful program.
—Anonymous
ut our community!
“Because of the fund I knew his dream was attainable.”

Being a single mother and actor in the lm and television industry is hard,
but it gets worse during and after Christmas. Everything shuts down for at least two weeks.
Some shows go on hiatus until the middle of the year, and work just trickles in at the beginning
of the year. You have to rely on any reserves you accumulated throughout the year to hold you
over until things pick up again.
In my case, the show I was on got canceled, so there was a delicate balance between when and
what to spend money on because my next paycheck wasn’t guaranteed.

When I heard about the Florence James Children’s Holiday Fund, I literally
felt a burden lift off my shoulders. My son told me he wanted lots of gifts under the
Christmas tree, and because of the fund I knew that his dream was attainable. I was able to get
him toys and other essentials he needed and watch his little 6-year-old face light up as he
opened his presents. Thank you, EAG! You made our Christmas. —Anonymous

“EAG… is a hub of the artistic community.”

The Episcopal Actors’ Guild is not just another strong arm of charity; it is the heartbeat of the
artist community, providing much needed support to those of us who are struggling.
In 2017, my wife and I were on track for the next phase of my career. I never anticipated there
would be an unavoidable obstacle in our way. On September 12, I was leaving a lm set late at
night, not feeling well. Ignoring the pain in my chest, I briskly walked through Times Square,
headed home. Once there, I prepared for bed, anticipating the much needed rest that would
relieve the pressure. However, instead of subsiding, the excruciating pain in my sternum
increased, waking me up fully at 2 am as it radiated down my left arm to my elbow and hand.
After rushing to the emergency room, I was informed I was having a heart
attack, one that would require a quadruple bypass.
My physical impairment caused me to be out of work for a full year. As a result, we were
generously assisted by the Actors’ Fund, which in turn referred us to EAG as a resource for
ongoing assistance. EAG’s support was and is, for us, a source of great
generosity, wonderful humor and unparalleled kindness. My wife and I have
learned that everything rises and falls based upon leadership. An organization like EAG can only
function ef ciently based on the graciousness and benevolence of Executive Director Karen
Lehman Foster and her wonderful staff. They truly have a heart for people. EAG is not just
another arm of charity, it is a hub of the artistic community which quietly and consistently
pulsates, providing life support to those of us who have fallen on hard times. EAG also gives us
hope and helps shape our skills and spirits through career-building workshops. Thank you EAG
for your depth of loving shown by your degree of giving into our lives. Thank you for loving and
creating community. You will forever have our gratitude. —Terrence and Helen Thomas
 EAG Partners with
Quick Silver Theater Company for the
2019 Barbour Playwrights Award
Rebecca Lovett
EAG is proud to announce that the Barbour Playwrights Award
will be back for its 12th terri c year in March. This festival
celebrating new work for the theatre will feature readings of
three new plays by innovative emerging playwrights of color,
plays nominated by this year’s partnering company, Quick
Silver Theater Company (QSTC). One of these three
playwright nalists will be awarded a prize of $500.
QSTC is a collective dedicated to amplifying the voice,
individual potential, and overall presence of people of color,
women, and other marginalized groups within the American
theatrical landscape. They were last seen at EAG when they
presented Albino Deer as a recipient of the Summer 2018
Open Stage grant .
The Barbour begins on Thursday, March 14, at 7 pm with a
reading of Black Doves by Reynaldo Piniella. Loosely
inspired by Chekhov’s The Seagull, Black Doves follows a
middle-class African-American family in present-day Brooklyn,
New York. When a loved one commits an unforgivable crime,
will the family deal with the generational trauma that has
shaped their lives or will they choose to ignore it, which only
continues the cycle?
Next, on Monday, March 18, at 7 pm, is A Boy & His Bow by
Kareem M. Lucas. This piece tells the story of Joseph
Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Born in the mid-18th
century, Chevalier was the son of a wealthy European planter
and an enslaved African woman. Against all odds, he became a
champion fencer, a virtuoso violinist, the conductor of the
leading symphony orchestra in Paris, an abolitionist, the leader
of the rst all-black regiment in Europe, and the rst classical
composer of African ancestry.
Closing the festival on Thursday, March 28, at 7 pm
is BURNBABYBURN: AN AMERICAN DREAM by a.k. payne,
a piece that explores depression in the African-American
community and suggests that black futures depend on an
understanding of the relativity of time and of the constant
palimpsestuous presence of those who walked before.
Doors will open for each reading at approximately 6:40 pm.
Following each reading will be a brief talkback with the
playwright, then a wine and cheese reception. To make a
reservation, please email reservations@actorsguild.org.
The Barbour Award was established in 2007 to honor the
legacy of actor, playwright, and EAG member Thomas Barbour
(Arthur, Great White Hope). It was endowed by Janet Barbour
Carhart, Alison Barbour Fox, and a portion of the gift left to
EAG by Thomas Barbour’s estate. All proceeds from the
staged readings of the Barbour nalists’ plays will go directly to
supporting future Barbour.
Meet Your Fellow Guilder
Ruthann Daniels
“I am a former ballet dancer who actually
held down a 'real' job at the same time:
accounting during the day and ballet
class and performances in the evenings.
Later, I spent four years working at
Comedy Central doing payroll for
freelance players and writers on The
Daily Show. Then when the channel
became one of the MTV Networks, I
spent several years doing much the
same work under the parentage of
Viacom.
“At present, I am working with a friend on
an online essential oil business and am
an elder and teacher with the Temple of the Spiral Path, teaching
Wiccan Studies to seekers of the Craft. And, off an on, I am involved
with a group at NYU that promotes the study of Romany music and
culture, learning to sing like the Roma people.”
Why did you join EAG? I attended an event with a friend
and after speaking with some other members, who were very
welcoming, I thought it would be a great place to be, so I
joined not long after that.
Favorite Guild memory? I remember being very moved
by the rst Barbour play I saw (Along the Way by Perri Guzzi,
2016). And later, I was happy to hear that play had won the
award that year. This was my rst time volunteering for an
event and I enjoyed chatting with the actors after their reading.
Performer, living or dead, whom you would like to
see at Guild Hall? Margaret Hamilton.
Favorite line from a movie or play? There are so many
but here's one I've always loved.... "Goodbye, Jennifer, be a
bad girl."—Cecil Kellaway to 'daughter', Veronica Lake in Rene
Clair's I Married A Witch (1942).
In heaven, there’s a Sardi’s. Who is at your table?
Ladies' Night with Jackie O, Katharine Hepburn, Grace Kelly,
and Marilyn Monroe.
Welcome, New Members!
Chelsea Anderson-Long Michael Hajek
Vincent Bivona James Harter
Suzann Capra Richard Kautz
Jeanie Columbo Veronica Shea
Erik Endsley Maren Sugarman
Mayra Ferrer Paul Sugarman
Barry Fisher Carolann Valentino
Liz Flemming
 Turnley’s Turns… EAG Members Appear on Stage and Screen | Rebecca Lovett
...Around Halloween, Craig Wichman
reTURNed to Cape May's East Lynne Theater
Company as The Great Detective, in his own
adaptation of Doyle's most scary Holmes tale,
The Speckled Band….
...Griselda Steiner's in-depth 1991 interview
with shekere musician and founder of the
musical company Women of the Calabash
Madeline Yayodele Nelson (who passed away in
September 2018) appears in the November
issue of Scene4 online...
...Ziegfeld Society's 10th Anniversary
Celebration starring Jim Dale, with Mark York
at the piano, was Sunday, December 9 at Lang
Hall, Hunter College...
...Actors Shakespeare Company (James Rana,
artistic director) offered a staged reading of The
Second Shepherd's Play on Thursday,
December 13, at EAG. The cast of this popular
medieval holiday play included Michael Hajek
and Maren Sugarman...
...Woody Regan's non-p.c. musical tribute to
smoking, drinking, high-cholesterol foods, illicit
sex, drugs, gambling, and falling in love with the
wrong person, Bad For You! was performed at
The Cornelia Street Cafe on Thursday,
December 14...
...Claudia Dumschat was the conductor for The
Church of the Trans guration's Christmas
Candlelight Concert featuring Vivaldi's Gloria on
December 14 and the musical director for their
annual production of Menotti's beloved opera
Amahl and the Night Visitors staged on January
5 with Charles Brown in the role of Balthazar.
On February 12, don't miss it when Claudia
performs an eclectic range of new works for the
organ at the Little Church at 7:30pm...
...Sarah Clingenpeel was a nominee for
Featured Actress in a Musical at the
BroadwayWorld Los Angeles Awards for her
part in Two x Two at the West County
Playhouse...
...Noelle McGrath DePaula and Elizabeth Bove
both appeared at Gallery Players December 1-
16 in the rarely produced gem by Agatha
Christie, Appointment with Death…
...On January 23, Bruce Scott appeared in a
swingin' evening of real jazz and classic bossa
nova at The Gardenia in Hollywood, CA,...
...Elowyn Castle directed a staged reading of
The Philanderer at Triangle Theatre Company
on January 25 and 26. The cast included Sam
Fortenbaugh, Dudley Stone, and Eric
Kuzmuk...
...Sandra Daley-Sharif's new full-length play
Hedda (Portrait of a Young Woman) had a
reading on January 27 at The Fire This Time
Festival, Season 10 at The Kraine Theater. Also
at The Fire This Time Festival, a 10-Minute Play
Festival directed by Kevin R. Free was
performed on February 1 and 3…
...on February 4, Gerald vanHeerden directed
Break A Leg’s staged reading of The King’s
Face here at Guild Hall…
...Tyrone Henderson is appearing as the
magician Prospero in Geva Theatre Center's
world-premiere production of Lila Rose Kaplan's
The Magician's Daughter in Rochester, NY,
through February 10...
...on February 10, Sam Fortenbaugh stars in
Frederick Kirwin's murder mystery Dog Bites
Man here at Guild Hall…
...Also on February 10, Laura Shapiro will
appear in her new solo dance piece between
two oceans at Speyer Hall at University
Settlement on the LES...
...Elizabeth Bove can currently be seen in
Caravan Theatre Company's production of The
Glen playing through February 16 at Theatre 54
at Shetler Studios…
...Richard Alleman’s two new one-act plays,
Quiet Car (directed by Anthony New eld) and
Adrift, are being produced together as Comfort
Zones as part of New York City’s Frigid Festival,
with performances scheduled between February
20 and March 10 at the Kraine Theatre...
...Becca Ayers is currently appearing in Lincoln
Center's Broadway production of My Fair Lady
in the role of Mrs. Hopkins...
...Rachel Leslie is joining the cast of Harry
Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway this
spring!..
...2018 Open Stage recipient Athena Theatre
(Tragic Greek Sitcom) is producing I Carry Your
Heart by playwright Georgette Kelly at 59E59,
March 30 through April 14...

Two on the Aisle | Jerry Vermilye
Occasionally, Hollywood displays odd notions of Broadway
and theatrical verisimilitudes, from those early Busby
Berkeley musicals like Gold Diggers of 1933, whose
grandiose sets no mainstream venue could possibly
accommodate.
But what to make of the carelessness of those who crafted
1938’s comedy The Road to Reno, wherein a Manhattan
prima donna (former silent star Hope Hampton) performs
“Musetta’s Waltz Song” from La Boheme. In the opera,
this aria occurs in the second of four acts. But in the movie
it closes both the act and the opera; she takes her bows
and bouquets and leaves the theatre! Who knew she had
more to sing?
Equally unbelievable is the behavior of a New York stage
actor in 1959’s Career, adapted from his off-Broadway
play by James Lee. Anthony Franciosa plays the star of an
intense courtroom drama who converses at length with his
agent just minutes before the curtain rises on his opening
night! (Nerves of steel, apparently.)
And in 1937, Hollywood made so free an adaptation of
Stage Door, the successful Broadway drama George S.
Kaufman co-authored with Edna Ferber, that he was
inspired to quip, “It should be called Screen Door.”
Beyond the Fourth Wall | Mervyn Kaufman
New to the East, I recall being trans xed by Katharine
Hepburn's Viola in Twelfth Night, onstage at the American
Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Connecticut. That was
back in 1960; she was luminous, and her audience was
rapt. Cut to 1982 and The West Side Waltz, Miss
Hepburn's late-career Broadway vehicle. During a key
scene in the second act, an audience member raised her
camera and flashed a picture. In response, the angry star
halted the performance, ordering ushers to seize the
camera and escort the offender out (she went tearfully).
What would that great lady have made of audiences today
who boldly click on their iPhones and recording devices—
often late in performances when most ushers are gone? I
am appalled that theatergoers must be urged repeatedly
to stash their gadgetry. And, more than once, I've gnashed
my teeth when cellphone lights kept flickering, even after
the house lights have dimmed. Why would any sensible,
sensitive theatergoer let distracting gadgetry compromise
a live performance? Where is dear Kate when her outrage
is so needed?
And wouldn't it be great if, when searching handbags and
briefcases, theatre security teams insisted that electronic
devices be checked at the door? That's something to hope
for but will probably never happen. Sorry, Kate!
 X
New York, NY 10016
1 East 29th Street
The Episcopal Actors’ Guild
“I know that today is another day, and you are still
working hard on my behalf. I still can’t thank you
enough for what you’ve done so far. Yesterday you
truly gave me hope, and that blessed me real
good! You have NO idea what a difference EAG
has made in my life, so if you don’t mind, AGAIN, a
million thank-yous to you for everything!!!”
—EAG client