WHO’S ZOOMIN’ WHO
AT DO40’S FIRST NATIONAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING!
Tuesday, August 25th, 7pm
DO40 President John Sefakis, along with ZOOM host Jason Harris,
take the helm of this huge membership meeting! Took a few pages of our desktop to see everyone!
DO40’s first ZOOM national membership meeting Tuesday night, August 25th was phenomenal! There were over 50 members from all over the US of A – CA, CO, WI, KY, KS, MD, NC, DC, MA, RI and NY (and one from the UK at our “rehearsal” meeting August 22nd!), a few technical screw ups, but hey, we're dancers over you-know-what, and this technology is new to us! We did not know what to expect! This from Patch Schwadron, of The Actors Fund who gave us a power point presentation: “The warmth of those gathered was so evident. I hope (everyone) will continue to develop appreciation of how they can stay connected virtually from wherever they may be.”
Besides The Actors Fund’s Schwadron, Actors Equity, Equity League and SAG/AFTRA spoke about benefits, pensions and COVID-19 issues (Jennifer Swiderski, Vincent Cinelli and DO40 member and SAG/AFTRA LA delegate Anthony Marciona). DO40 members and authors Kevin Winkler, John Gilvey and Ken Bloom, talked about their prospective and respective works on Bob Fosse, Gwen Verdon and Tommy Tune. Also, a trip down memory lane with Sue Samuels and JoJo's Dance Factory, (which may become a DO40 Zoom event on it’s own!) and a mini-reunion of cast members from 42nd Street featuring super cast members Lee Roy Reams, 2020 DO40 Legacy Award honoree Jeri Kansas and Cathy Jones Wolf, celebrating the 40th anniversary of their Broadway opening. We are also in talks to produce the 20th anniversary ZOOM of CONTACT and a reunion of the Broadway and movie casts of THE WIZ! All that while still figuring out how to produce our 2020 DO40 Legacy Awards (contingent on NYC COVID-19 rules and regulations).
A clip from DO40 2014 Legacy Award honoree Carolyn Kirsch’s talk at our 2007 (!!!!)
Women of Fosse event (also pictured, Jeannie Jones Snow, Dana Moore, Harvey Evans and Marge Beddow)
Besides the “live” event, we showed clips our previous panels and performances, featuring the opening Wilkkomen number from Cabaret by our members, DO40 member Carolyn Kirsch speaking on the importance of theater and dance education from our Women of Fosse event, our 42nd Street “reunion”/closing number from our David Merrick event and the Dancin’ Man number recreated by 2019 DO40 Legacy Award honoree Kathryn Doby from our 40th Anniversary of Bob Fosse’s DANCIN’ event!
We went a teensy bit long - 2 1/2 hours – as our ZOOM host, Jason Harris, allowed each of our members to take “center stage,” say hello and mention their community affiliation. It was SO long, 2019 DO40 Legacy Award honoree Candy Brown had to take her dog out for a walk, and stayed on line – looking like a bee keeper in her COVID protective gear! We thought we were getting ZOOM-bombed (yes, that’s a thing now!).
DO40 will continue its mission to promote a community of support for mature artists and pay it forward to the next generation in any way, shape or form we need it to be to get through these troubling times. Your support through membership dues and donations is crucial to our survival, however. The video of the meeting will be available on our website (for DO40 members only!) soon!
She’s STILL eager to give “notes” on this 2017 performance of
the 40th Anniversary of Bob Fosse’s DANCIN’!
(Fosse assistant and DO40 2019 Legacy Award honoree Kathryn Doby)
Attendees: Leni Anders, Gail Benedict, Barbara Bernardo, Ken Bloom, Candy Brown, Leslie Burgin, Eileen Casey, Lori Tan Chinn, Vincent Cinelli, Christine Colby, Kathryn Doby, James Dybas, Josh Ellis, Ellen Fluhr, Darlene Wendy Frank, John Gilvey, Jason Harris, Lynda Harris, Cathy Jones Wolf, David James, Jeri Kansas, Teddy Kern, Carolyn Kirsch, Lawrence Leritz, Anthony Marciona, Patrick McCarthy, Susan McCollum, Thomas McRoberts, Sandy Nance, Kristine Nevins, Diane Nicole, Michon Peacock, Lee Roy Reams, Francis J. Roach, Larry Ross, Joanna Rush, Robert Sacheli, Sue Samuels, Patch Schwadron, John Sefakis, Kathy Seng Gurland, Sasha Spielvogel, Stephanie Stabile, Mary Jane Stevens, Francine Storey, Jennifer Swiderski, Reed Waller, Martha Warschau, Sharon Wendrow, Kevin Winkler and Judy Wong.
Watching our DO40 members perform the Wilkkomen number from Cabaret in front of a the
TONY Awards performance they did back in 1968!
Page Two of our ZOOM meeting members (some hidden, some twice, for some reason!)
The 42nd Street “Gang” from our 2019 David Merrick event!
VIEW THE ZOOM MEETING - FOR MEMBERS ONLY!