Never Mind the Happy: Showbiz Stories from a Sore Winner with Author Marc Shaiman
Thursday, November 12 • 7:30 p.m.
We are delighted to welcome legendary composer, lyricist, and music producer Marc Shaiman for an unforgettable evening celebrating his New York Times best-selling memoir, Never Mind the Happy: Showbiz Stories from a Sore Winner. From Hairspray to Sister Act, Smash to South Park, Shaiman has shaped the sound of Broadway and Hollywood for decades – and now he's telling all.
Expect an evening of candid conversation, surprising stories, and live music as Shaiman takes us behind the curtain on a life lived entirely in the spotlight. Whether you're a movie fan, a lifelong theater devotee or simply love a great story well told, this is a night you won't want to miss.
This event is part of the Irving and Anne Nevard Sherr Annual Arts & Culture Series – The Stories That Connect Us – unique opportunities to share and celebrate traditions that connect us.
The Lost Baker of Vienna: A Novel with Author Sharon Kurtzman
Tuesday, December 1 • 7:30 p.m.
Chana Rosenzweig sneaks out most nights to return to the hotel kitchen where she works as a dishwasher, baking her late father’s recipes. Soon, she’s caught in a love triangle and we see how she struggles to balance her love of baking against her family’s need for security. This historical novel is inspired by the experiences of the author’s own family after the Holocaust.
An aspiring newspaper reporter comes across a mystery that threatens to turn the Cold War hot in a funny, thrilling, and strictly undercover romantic comedy by the bestselling author of Don't Forget to Write.
In 1962, opportunities are typically few for nice Jewish girls clacking away at ninety words per minute in a newspaper typing pool. Except Judy Greenberg isn't typical. An aspiring reporter in DC, she's aiming for journalistic greatness – not finding a husband. Just don't tell her mother.
Then one day she answers her boss's private line. The message is curiously cryptic. It's also delivered in a Russian accent. Judy is certain she has stumbled upon a scoop. Charming reporter Jack Fields isn't one to dismiss Judy's instincts. Perfect. A seasoned ally she can trust, not to mention pass off as a pretend boyfriend around her relieved parents. Together, they're following the leads – from a clandestine hotel bar to the dressing room of a slinky Cuban nightclub singer to an exhilarating underground of secrets and spies stretching from Moscow to Havana to Texas.
Now Judy must choose between the safe life expected of her or one hell of a dangerous story that could make her career. She might even fall in love for real. If her ambitions don't get her killed.
Registration required by January 12 to get a zoom link
Breathing Under Water with Author Jacqueline Friedland
Monday, March 1 • 7:30 p.m. • Virtual Free
The current is threatening to pull them under.
Berry thought she had it figured out – juggling her vice-principal role while raising her sixteen-year-old autistic son, Leo. But when a promotion opportunity collides with her family's deepest needs, she must confront whether she's been fighting the wrong battles all along.
McKenna is drowning. Between caring for her grandmother with dementia, losing her swimming scholarship, and facing homelessness, the college student's carefully constructed world is crumbling. Her only lifeline? Teaching swim lessons to children with autism – including Leo.
As these two women's paths converge in the most unexpected way, they discover that sometimes the people who need saving the most are the ones who end up saving you.
A deeply moving exploration of motherhood, sacrifice, and the extraordinary connections that emerge when we're brave enough to let others see our struggles.
Registration required by February 28 to get a zoom link
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