Hey Hear Againers!If you were at a certain retirement community in Audubon two weeks ago you may have seen some familiar equipment on the stage. Robb Hutter, who runs Philly Senior Stage, borrowed some Hear Again sound effects and yours truly to add some foley flair to his already excellent OTR show at Shannondell At Valley Forge.
Philly Senior Stage is a company that "brings theatre workshops and the thrill of performance to adults 55 years of age and older!" One of the ways they do that is by sending teaching artists (mainly Robb) to retirement communities around the Philadelphia suburbs to direct the residents in live performances.
Last month at Shannondell I had the pleasure of accompanying Robb and the residents as a foley artist in an OTR medley of clips from classics like The Inner Sanctum and Father Knows Best, vintage commercials for everything from Brylcreem to Oscar Mayer Weiner, and nostalgic songs such as That's Amore, I Could Have Danced All Night, and Making Whoopie.
It was a blast working with so many talented and sweet individuals, but it was a challenge working on Shannondell's huge stage. The sound effects were being swallowed in the space and you can only pick up a telephone receiver so loudly.
Challenges aside, it was a really wonderful and heartwarming experience. It was refreshing to work with a group of artists whose main goal was to have fun no matter how many times anyone lost their place on a page or missed a cue in the music or whatever other little flubs normally make your heart stop as a performer. They all seemed to find so much joy in just being a part of it.
To find out more about Philly Senior Stage and the wonderful work that Robb is spearheading in the community, www.phillyseniorstage.com.
I'll sign off with Shannondell's charming radio jingle:
WSDL: Shannondell, seems like old times being here with you.
(It's much more charming when they're all singing it, but you get the idea!)
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