Spotlight on Carole English

I had never sung in public, but my husband Harvey said I should consider it. I saw an article in the Good Times about the Choraliers and attended a rehearsal. I noticed all the folks there were older than me, and having a good time singing, so this seemed like a safe place to start. At 68, it was an epiphany for me to say Yes, realizing that in ten or twenty years I would have aged like them. 

I sang with the Choraliers and after two years, feeling my chops, I auditioned and sang with the Santa Cruz Follies where I met Lynn Knudsen. She had a vision to expand the opportunities for performers age 50 and up in Santa Cruz beyond a once a year performance. We started learning from a similar organization called StageBridge in Oakland who mentored us for a year.  Then in 2014, we incorporated NextStage Productions as a non-profit. We started several performance troupes, and offered classes to teach singing, dance, improv and performance skills to support the newbies (like me) who want to perform but would like to improve their skills (or try something totally new).

What I learned while creating NextStage with Lynn and Kathryn is that my organizational skills blended well with theirs.  It made our weekly Executive Committee meetings easily productive.

For five years, I managed the troupes that were performing at senior residences, which is so rewarding for the performers and fun for our audiences.  Now, many who performed with NextStage perform in the Market Street shows, the Choraliers and still for NextStage.  I feel truly proud that NextStage helped to nurture their inner artist, and share that gift with the community.

My experience with Readers Theater and the recent Storytelling performance directed by Brad Roades, have inspired me to take this spoken word theater to the radio, so I am currently enrolled in a class “Learning All About Radio Production” offered by Actor’s Workshop.

Next year marks NextStage’s 10th Anniversary and we are celebrating with a Gala Party. I am on the committee researching venues, and so looking forward to this milestone event.

Patti Maxine Headlines Benefit Performance

Santa Cruz favorite, Patti Maxine headlines a benefit concert supporting Taiko Drumming for People Living with Parkinson’s. Produced by NextStage Productions, the show will be held on Sunday November 5 from 11 am - 2pm at El Vaquero Winery, 2901 Freedom Blvd in Corralitos.

Lap steel virtuoso and vocal stylist, Patti Maxine has become a household word in Santa Cruz area as well as Hawaiian circles. A musical Swiss army knife, she handles a variety of styles with ease, sliding gracefully from Hawaiian to swing, from R&B and rock, from blues to jazz and back again.  She has played with countless bands, established and up-and-coming musicians and visiting Hawaiian players.   Audiences love her incredible musicianship and unique vocal interpretation along with her comfortable and fun stage presence, and undeniable oneness with her music. She always leaves 'em wanting more.   

You can learn more about Patti Maxine and buy her music on her website: https://pattimaxine.com/music

Also performing are Three of a Kind, Alive & Kicking and Four Ever Young. Suggested donation is $20 at the door. 

You don't want to miss this show!

For more information, email ellenmdj@gmail.com or visit http://nextstagesantacruz.org

Sliding Gracefully Into Fall

Do you feel the change in the air? It feels thin, cool with a certain crispness. Or is that the crackle of fallen leaves underfoot? The sunlight seems sharp but quickly disappears in the late afternoon. I love Fall.

With the season gracefully sliding towards winter, NextStage Productions is gearing up for the holiday season and beyond. At the top of the ladder is the November 5 Benefit for our Taiko Drumming program. Rehearsals for the holiday show move forward toward 8 performances schedule in December at area senior residences. And planning for the 10th Anniversary celebration in 2024 is beginning it’s climb to the top.

So while it appears that the year is winding down, we at NSP are always in motion, climbing and sailing down the slide with music, motion and joy.

- Kathryn Adkins

Spotlight on Claire Paul

Claire Paul has been singing in Santa Cruz since the 1980's. Currently her high soprano resonates in five groups: Healer Trio, Key of 3, Amica women's choral collective, Bear Hugs and Threshold Singers. In 2021, she went to hear friends perform in a NextStage Productions show at an outdoor venue, and signed up to help create a Gratitude show in November of that year. She loved the camaraderie, getting to know new friends at rehearsals. 

She took on the job of contacting senior residences and venues to schedule shows and rehearsals for the various projects, with help from veteran members like Sally Bookman. Most recently she was wowed by the quality of Storytelling by NSP members, crafted with coaching help from director Brad Roades, performing in a sold out Actor's Theater. 

"As an Active Adult over 70, it's a delight to participate with peers to engage, educate and enrich our lives through experiences with the creative arts. I would tell someone who is curious that there are other opportunities to participate besides performing: NSP is currently seeking board members to help bring these opportunities to the community, and we also need volunteers to help in other capacities. You still get the opportunity to make a contribution with your skills and talents, and make connections with new friends."

Claire (far right) sings with Key of 3 at Gratitude show at Santa Cruz City Hall

One of the Threshold songs Claire sings in trios at bedsides expresses her philosophy: "Singing this song blesses me. Singing with you blesses us. My heart is searching for your heart, your heart is letting me find you." 

We thank you, Claire, for blessing NextStage with your song and your time.

In Your Life Storytelling

You just had to be there!  Nine members of the community came together to write, rehearse and perform an episode from their lives. The premise, given by director Brad Roades, was to write about “the day you discovered there is no Santa Claus.” Not to be taken literally, we were to write about the time we discovered that something in life was not what we thought it was, or could be. 

It turned out to be an introspective journey for some, a therapeutic moment for another and for others, a simple opportunity to be comical and entertaining. The performance was held on Saturday, September 9th, at the Actors’ Theater, Santa Cruz to a standing-room only crowd.  What an audience! They gasped, they laughed, they clapped.  The energy in the room was palpable.

So successful was this event that we are seriously considering adding this to another of our “arms” and making it a recurring event.  There is even talk of taking the current show “on the road” into selected senior residential facilities.

Join us!  We are always looking for those interested in writing and performing. Contact info@nextstagesantacruz.org