Unity Center for Practical Spirituality is proud to present an upcoming musical extravaganza: ‘Hear Our Song,' to be held at the Norwalk City Hall, Concert Hall at 125 East Avenue, Norwalk, on Friday April 8, 2011 at 8 pm. The show will feature Cabaret and Broadway numbers performed by a roster of talented national and local musical celebrities from Broadway, TV, Cabaret and film. All performers are members and friends of Unity Center and a portion of the event's proceeds will go to support Norwalk Hospital's Whittingham Cancer Center and The Domestic Violence Center. The event is sponsored by Dr. Garrett H. Bennett, facial plastic and sinus surgeon in Manhattan and B. J. Ryan's Restaurant of Norwalk, CT.
"We have a lot of talent in our spiritual community and we really wanted to share that, as well as our philosophy for positive living, with a wider audience," says Reverend Shawn Moninger, Unity's minister.
‘Hear our Song's' line-up will feature 16 performers and includes actress, singer, dancer/performer - Lucie Arnaz; Broadway/film actor and singer - Laurence Luckinbill; film/theatre composer, lyricist and conductor of scores for Disney blockbusters like ‘Beauty and the Beast,' ‘Aladdin,' ‘Pocahontas,' ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame' and more - David Friedman; Broadway/Cabaret Performer Raissa Katona-Bennett; Broadway songstress Rosemary Loar; prominent blues/rock singer Lina Koutrakos; New York City Cabaret director/performer Scott Coulter; New York City music director/performer Kenneth Gartman; Cabaret performer Nancy Timpanaro-Hogan; Dr. Garrett Bennett, Christina Connors, Bobbie Horowitz, Roger Mapes, Don Martocchio, Valeria Roncoli, and Wayne Timpanaro-Hogan. The program will include solos, group numbers, duets and a finale with all performers.
Unity Center for Practical Spirituality has been located at 3 Main St. in Norwalk since 1991. The Center holds a Sunday Celebration service as well as a wide variety of daytime and evening workshops and classes throughout the week. Reverend Moninger describes Unity's message as "a spiritual philosophy for positive living."
"We're promoting a new way of thinking," he explains. "That people are good and have always been good." And Unity members are unabashed in their endorsement of the Center's teachings.
"Everything that Unity Center provides, has, quite literally, changed the way I live my life," says Lucie Arnaz. "I have TOOLS now that I never had before to help me approach each circumstance with gratitude and have learned to experience and use my feelings to mature, emotionally and spiritually."
David Friedman notes; "Being part of Unity has changed my whole life by giving me access to internal joy and peace and a sense of safety and possibility no matter what's going on. I am participating in this concert not only to let the entire community know that this wonderful resource is available to everyone, but to give people a taste of the joy and the talent that exists within the Unity Community."
The entire congregation is excited about their upcoming event and happy to be able to share their musical talents while giving back to the community.
"We look forward to seeing everyone who loves Cabaret and Broadway music, live music and some great New York City musical talent," says Rev Moninger.
For more information, contact Rev. Shawn Moninger at 203.855.7922 or visit
www.unitycenterps.org
For tickets, call the box office line at 203.866.7004
REV. Shawn Moninger, MINISTER - Rev. Shawn is an ordained Unity Minister. He has been the Senior Minister at Unity Center for Practical Spirituality since September 2004. Rev. Shawn is the founding President of The Unity Church of New York in New York City. He began his spiritual journey in earnest ten years ago after a twelve year career as a lighting and sound designer in New York nightclubs. He has won four MAC Awards (Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs) and a Backstage Bistro Award all for outstanding Technical Direction. To top it all off, three years ago he began performing stand-up comedy for which he was nominated for a MAC Award. (Becoming a minister was the only thing left to do after that.)
Lucie Arnaz has starred on the Broadway stage in THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONG, LOST IN YONKERS, GRACE AND GLORIE and DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS; in First National companies of SEESAW, WHOSE LIFE IS IT ANYWAY?, SOCIAL SECURITY, and MY ONE AND ONLY; and in the London premiere of WITCHES OF EASTWICK.
She has appeared on television in THE Lucie Arnaz SHOW, SONS AND DAUGHTERS, THE BLACK DAHLIA, THE MATING SEASON, WASHINGTON MISTRESS, and HERE'S LUCY; on the big screen in THE JAZZ SINGER, DOWN TO YOU, SECOND THOUGHTS and BILLY JACK GOES TO WASHINGTON.
Lucie was Executive Producer of the I LOVE LUCY 50TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL and LUCY & DESI: A HOME MOVIE. She produced two CD-ROMS, and recorded two albums, JUST IN TIME and LATIN ROOTS. She also travels the lecture circuit.
Lucie currently serves on the Board of Directors of The American Theatre Wing. With her brother, Desi, she manages Desilu, too, LLC. With her husband, actor-writer Laurence Luckinbill, she manages five children. Lucie invites you to visit her online at WWW.LUCIEARNAZ.COM.
Laurence Luckinbill has been writing and acting in his own award-winning solo performances portraying four great Americans -- LynDon Johnson, Clarence Darrow, Teddy Roosevelt and Ernest Hemingway -- for almost two decades. In his fifty plus year career, Mr. Luckinbill has starred on Broadway, off-Broadway, in television and in movies. He has been awarded an Emmy Award, a Critic's Choice Circle Award, a Silver Gavel Award, as well as a Tony nomination and a Drama Desk Award nomination. In 2007, he was inducted into the Arkansas Entertainer's Hall of Fame. Despite all those accolades, he feels his best work has been in the off-off-off Broadway theatre of family -- starring his wife of thirty years, Lucie Arnaz, and his five children -- Nick, Ben, Simon, Joe and Kate. Thank you, family...
David Friedman has written songs of inspiration, love and hope that take on new emotional meaning in these challenging times. With 5 Broadway shows, his own Off Broadway Show , 8 Disney Films, 3 television series and recordings by such artists as Diana Ross, Barry Manilow and Nancy LaMott to his credit, David has, in recent years, come to realize that his true mission in life is to help heal and enlighten people in whatever ways he can. With this in mind, David recently wrote a book entitled The Thought Exchange -Overcoming Our Resistance to Living a Sensational Life, and spends a great deal of time traveling around the country lecturing, giving concerts and teaching Thought Exchange principles in workshops and private sessions.
Scott Coulter (Director/Performer) is widely regarded as one of NY's top male vocalists. For his work in cabaret, he has received four MAC Awards (Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs), four Bistro Awards and two Nightlife Awards. TimeOut NY picked his show, "Unexpected Songs," as one of the 'Best of 1999'. His self-titled debut CD won the 2003 MAC Award for Outstanding Recording and was chosen as the best recording of the year by TheatreMania and Cabaret Scenes magazine. Scott toured the US as 'Jinx' in "Forever Plaid" and was in the world premiere of "Floyd Collins" directed by Tina Landau. He has appeared at NY's Town Hall in numerous editions of the popular "Broadway by the Year" series (BBTY) and can currently be heard on the Bayview recordings of those performances. Since 1997, Scott has performed around the country with award-winning songwriting duo Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich in their many revues and tours the world with Oscar and Grammy winning composer Stephen Schwartz along with Liz Callaway and Debbie Gravitte in the revue "Stephen Schwartz & Friends." He has taught master classes from Los Angeles to Kalamazoo to Riga, Latvia and is creator of his own unique group vocal coaching series called "Songbook." As a director his credits include many shows for The Town Hall in NY (Broadway by the Year, Broadway's Rising Stars, Broadway Originals, Broadway Unplugged) and BBTY at The Berkshire Theatre Festival. Along with Michael Kerker and ASCAP, he's produced several installments of Michael Feinstein's "Standard Time" at Canegie Hall. Scott is co-founder/owner of Spot-On Entertainment (www.Spot-OnEntertainmnet.com) and is a graduate of the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
Kenneth Gartman (Music Director/Performer) - Kenneth most recently music directed a reading of Once Removed, a new musical with music by Graham Russell of Air Supply. Kenneth music directed two shows in the New York Musical Theatre Festival: Show Choir! the Musical (2010) and Bryan Putnam's The ToyMaker (2009) as well as two prior readings and demo recording for The ToyMaker, featuring Christiane Noll (Ragtime) and Zachary James (The Addams Family). Award-winning FringeNYC production of Trouble in Shameland, starring Evita's Florence Lacey and subsequent cast recording. Demo for the new musical Welcome to Shoofly. Kenneth has performed as a singer/actor throughout Ireland in Side by Side by Sondheim, Simply Sondheim LIVE! (BBC Broadcast), and A New York Songbook: Way Off Broadway. For more information, visit www.KennethGartman.com
