At the www.MLKDay.gov website, we’re reminded that Martin Luther King Jr. Day is not a day off; it’s a day of service. Visit the site to see the many opportunities that are available to be of service on the day itself and in the future.
Dr. King once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?” Each year, Americans across the country answer that question by coming together on the King Holiday to serve their neighbors and communities. How will you help?
Dozens of local museums invite visitors to attend free of charge on this special day. See the complete list here. This offer is for general museum admission only and does not apply to specially ticketed exhibitions. Regular parking fees apply at each museum. Consult individual museum websites for hours, directions, and other visitor information. Museums Free-for-All is partnering with Metro, encouraging visitors to Go Metro to explore participating museums, many of which are a short walk from Metro bus or rail stops. Make your plan by using metro.net. Have fun!
The students in the BSAC art and hand-crafting classes, including Watercolors, Scrapbooking, Card Making, Painting, and Sketching, all got together to host a holiday party on December 19th where they exchanged handmade cards and artwork. It was a lovely time with fine food and great conversation. Some even turned it into an impromptu class as they explained how they created some of the beautiful cards they made!
The Beverly Belles returned for their annual holiday show at BSAC on December 20th. It was a packed house, with residents spilling out into the hallway and library to listen. The performance was followed by a holiday raffle and great food and drink.
~Megan Hocking, Program Director
Tune in to Experience Talks, our weekly “Radio Magazine for the Experienced Listener,” on Sundays at 5:30 PM PT on KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles, 98.7 FM Santa Barbara, 99.5 China Lake, 93.7 N. San Diego, streaming live online, and now syndicated on up to 100 Pacifica Network stations! Experience Talks is produced by the non-profit EngAGE, Inc.
Miss the show? You can always hear it as a podcast on our website! You’ll also find an archive-in-progress of all of our previous shows there for you to enjoy. New shows are usually posted within 48 hours after broadcast.
Dudley Riggs didn’t have to run away from home to join the circus. Home was the circus. Son of the acclaimed aerial flyers Riggs and Riggs, he made his circus debut as a polar prince parading in a wagon pulled by a polar bear. He has since worked as a circus aerialist, movie actor, vaudevillian, comedian, writer, stage director, and producer.
A noted improvisational comedian, Riggs created the Instant Theater Company in New York, which he moved to Minneapolis in 1958 and established as the Brave New Workshop.
Riggs also opened the Experimental Theater Company (E.T.C.) in the Seven Corners area of Minneapolis in the early 1970s. This theater provided a wider range of material including stand-up comedy, variety shows, and specialty acts, including the Flying Karamazov Brothers, Penn & Teller, Louie Anderson, and Lizz Winstead, among many others.
Riggs has attended the University of Chicago, the University of Tulsa at Oklahoma, the University of the Philippines in Manila, Mankato State Teacher’s College, and the University of Minnesota. His continuing education includes being accepted into the Harvard University Writing Program in 1996.
In addition to receiving a Kudo Award from the Twin Cities theater critics, Riggs received the Urban Guerrilla Award and the Charlie Award from the National Association of Comedy Arts. In 2009, The Ivey Awards, an annual celebration of professional theater in the Twin Cities, named Dudley Riggs its Lifetime Achievement honoree.
After selling the Brave New Workshop in 1997, Dudley Riggs started his third career as a writer. His memoir, Flying Funny, My Life Without a Net, was published in 2017. Here’s one review:
“The great Dudley Riggs is a titan of comedy. There was no laughter west of the Mississippi before him. He let us perform at his theater when we were just getting started, so we owe him a blurb. So buy this book.”—Penn & Teller
A collaboration between WSH Management and EngAGE made the celebratory “All White Holiday Event” possible for residents at the Metro at Compton Senior Apartments. Many residents dressed all in white, and the decorations reflected the all white theme. The celebrants enjoyed an evening full of excitement, with delicious food and fun raffles. And thanks to DJ Bang, they danced the night away. [Click on the photos to enlarge them.]
~ Sandra Vargas, Program Director
EngAGE and WSH Management brought a Winter Holiday Celebration to the Metro at Hollywood Senior Apartments in Los Angeles, CA. Residents had a great afternoon enjoying raffles, delicious food, and wonderful music by DJ Bang that got them dancing!
~ Sandra Vargas, Program Director
The annual toy drive sponsored by The Road Theatre took place just before the holidays, with the Roadies generously providing toys for the kids, gift cards for the for the teens, and a visit from Santa Claus for the the families living at Vermont Family Apartments in Los Angeles, CA. This award-winning, 49-unit community was developed by Meta Housing specifically to meet the needs of grandparents caring for their grandchildren.
In November, Taylor Gilbert, founder and Co-Artistic Director of The Road Theatre Company, made the request for support at the Road company meeting. In December, Roadie and EngAGE Program Director Elizabeth Sampson collected donations, then pulled together the last of the gifts and gift cards for the teenagers. On December 19th, Nancy, Sara, and Elizabeth wrapped the remaining presents, filled the gift cards, and then loaded all into Nancy’s “sleigh” to head down to Vermont the next day.
Roadie David Gionopolis met the “sleigh” there on Wednesday night in time for the holiday festivities. He served admirably as Santa, handing out the gifts with the help of Sandra and Dehalie. (David can be seen in the play, “Through the Eye of the Needle,” opening at The Road Theatre in March).
EngAGE thanks The Road Theatre Company for their continuing generosity. A look at these terrific photos shows how much it means to these families! (Click on the photos to enlarge them.)
~ Elizabeth Sampson and Sandra Vargas, Program Directors
