An Abundant Life - Speaking Our Truth

Rich Orloff is a playwright who I've been honored to know for more than twenty years. I met him when I was cast in a play he had written that was performed as part of an evening of short plays with the Circle Repertory Company's LAB which I have been a part of since I first moved to New York City. As I've written in these pages before, I was fortunate enough to have an internship at Circle Rep right out of College, and I was invited to join the LAB the following year. At the time, though I knew that this was the best theater company in New York City with a history that dated back to the 1960's and Cafe Cino and some of the most extraordinary downtown theater that has ever graced the New York scene, in a strange way I took it for granted that this was the company where I'd found myself after college because I felt so at home there. And that is the beauty of Circle Rep, which is now known as New Circle Theatre Company. It is a theater home for those of us who have been fortunate enough to walk into its doors one day and be invited to be a part of its family. A few years back I participated in a celebration of the life of Michael Warren Powell who was the Artistic Director of the LAB, and though there were some people there who I hadn't seen in more than ten years, it felt like we'd just been hanging out in the green room yesterday.

Theater is one of the hardest art forms to love to do because Actors, Writers and Directors cannot work in a vacuum. We can practice our craft somewhat alone if we absolutely have to, but even writers need to get together with Actors and a Director and an audience if they want to hear and experience their play. Theater people need people, and as the Jule Styne and Bob Merrill song goes, "People who need people are the luckiest people in the world." When we are able to find a theater home like Circle Rep we are very lucky and very blessed, but sometimes it can be very lonely being a theater person, when you're between projects or at a time like we are in now when we can't get together for performances, or read-throughs, or just to hang out and talk shop.

That is why when I received word that David Kronick, the Executive Director of New Circle Theatre Company, was casting a play by Rich Orloff that was going to be done via Zoom for the 50th Anniversary of the shootings at Kent State, I responded to the call immediately. I love Rich and his plays and the opportunity to be working on a play of his with New Circle Theatre Company about a topic like that at a time like this is priceless.

"Days Of Possibilities" is written in a documentary style, and incorporates the true stories of Oberlin students who were involved in protests during the time from 1964 through 1970, when life as it had been known and what was felt to be the status quo were changing rapidly. Students who begin the play talking about the simple things of student life at a co-ed campus undergo a transformation that is at first subtle and over time becomes life changing for themselves and their families, and their actions and experiences inspire their own and future generations to recognize and rebel against social injustices and inequalities that had been accepted as the norm up until that point. I have a great respect for authority, and although I am a believer in non violence, I have a great respect for those who risk and give their lives in wars that they feel are necessary, but as is widely recognized now, there were important reasons to question that war and the draft that sent a generation of youth to fight it. But back in those days it was at first only courageous people and students like these who raised their voices to say they had serious questions that weren't being answered, and who put their lives on the line to try to change the world to a better one.

Rich Orloff is such an extraordinary playwright because he writes about very deep and very serious topics while still keeping them entertaining and sometimes even funny with moments of genuine humor. The play that I was in years ago was called "Prague Summer" which was about the opening up of Prague after the fall of Communism and the aftermath that created a gold rush of sorts with Capitalists racing to make a profit in a place that was very much part of an older more genteel Europe that today does not exist any more. I played the girlfriend of one of the characters, and as he describes to his friend how wonderful I am as a business woman and as a girlfriend, I arrive and I'm dressed as a cockroach, or as Rich corrected me, I am a cockroach. In his description I'm "a tall, sexy cockroach, with good business skills." The description is pure Rich Orloff magic, and the visual alone was memorable, and I kept that costume for years. One friend of mine asked me to wear it every year at his annual holiday costume parties. It's images like these along with his incisive writing that make Rich Orloff and his plays so important. His voice is unique and he writes a truth that needs to be heard because it's a way for us all to speak ours.

Rich Orloff's "Days Of Possibilities"

Performing Via Zoom May 4, 2020

Across The Nation

And At New Circle Theatre Company

New York City

For Information About How To Login

For This Historic Performance

https://www.richorloff.com/
https://www.richorloff.com/days-of-possibilities/

Photographs And Information
Courtesy Of Rich Orloff And His Website

Selected Screenshots From Rehearsals On Zoom

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - Love Never Fails

When I started to write this blog post, the title "Love Never Fails" came to mind. It's from the famous passage in 1 Corinthians 13 that so many people know because it is often used at weddings and other celebrations of love, and at first I thought that it might seem silly to use it when I was talking about a coffee company, but in these very difficult times we're living in now, somehow the simplest things are taking on great meaning. I've been wanting to write about Empire Coffee & Tea Co. for a while now, and specifically the one in Hoboken because that is where I buy my coffee most regularly. There is also a location in Manhattan on 9th Avenue, but though friends of mine have gone there for years I had only walked by it many times and had never gone in. It was only when I moved across the River and saw that there was one in Hoboken that I decided to try it. It looked so inviting, and reminded me of one of the first stores where I bought coffee and a coffee maker and cups when I was in college in Pittsburgh, a sweet place in an area called Shadyside which is where the real Mr. Rogers lived. His neighborhood was actually based on Shadyside, and in a lovely way Hoboken is like that. The store that I went to in Shadyside had all kinds of coffee and lovely coffee makers and all kinds of things to help you enjoy a coffee experience. The cups and maker I bought there I still have, and one of my friends from that time says that I make the best coffee and at one time I thought that maybe it's those cups. I still do in a way, but I also know that there's something else that goes into a great cup of coffee, or a great anything that anyone makes, and that's love. Empire Coffee & Tea Co. has a wonderful variety of coffees and teas and some things to snack on and coffee makers too, but the thing that I think made me think of this title is that the thing that makes this very sweet and beautiful store so special is that there is love there.

I have had their coffee which they make there which is delicious, but my favorite way to have coffee is at home. I used to drink coffee all day long, but a number of years ago I realized it really was keeping me awake at night so I've limited myself to the morning hours, not usually having it after 2pm at the absolute latest. But in the morning I make a nice big pot of it and through the early afternoon I allow myself to finish it, so I may after all be getting the same amount that I was once upon a time when I wasn't counting cups or hours. Long ago I decided that I enjoyed coffee so much and it was one of my few extravagances that I didn't mind paying extra for it to make sure that I had a delicious cup. But Empire Coffee & Tea Co. is reasonable in price too. For the quality there are other companies out there that charge almost double per pound. And their variety is so much fun to explore, with different roasts and blends and even a few flavors to make for a lively experience when visiting the store, which always smells divine if like me you think that coffee is a sweet perfume.

Empire Coffee & Tea Co. is one of those places you can enjoy walking into, and the service is not only with a smile it's even more than that. There's a feeling of comfort and warmth and welcome that makes it a place that feels like a destination even if you're just stopping by for a pound of coffee to bring home. There are lots of places that try to make you feel like you're at home, but somehow Empire Coffee & Tea Co. does it with what seems like a very natural gift. It's this feeling that brings comfort and helps you feel comfortable, even during days like these when life has become not very comforting or comfortable at all. But there it is, suddenly, in a feeling of warmth, of welcome and light, in the coziness on a cold day and a breezy airiness on a warm one, that feeling like love that can remind us that love never fails.

Empire Coffee & Tea Co.

338 Bloomfield Street

Hoboken, New Jersey

https://www.empirecoffeetea.com/

Making Mornings Special At Home

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - A Voice For The People

Rashad Wright is a combination of so many wonderful things that it's hard to give him a title because he has so many talents and he can't be easily described. He is the Poet Laureate of Jersey City which says a great deal about the level of his skill and talent and his far-reaching voice and presence in the art and writing world, but though that title is an awesome one, he is even more than that. Rashad is a tour de force walking, someone whose writing and performing are on such a consistently high level that every time I hear one of his pieces I'm almost in a state of shock. I have to just stop and listen, and on one memorable occasion when he was performing at an art opening for the Artist Anthony E. Boone at Hamilton Square in Jersey City, when he got up to speak I was in the back of the room and I realized very late that I had to get up front and start videotaping him. I dodged through the crowd and found a place and caught all except the first few words. I usually only tape about a minute's worth of time because I'm always thinking Instagrammable moments these days, but in this case I just kept on taping. The piece was so incredibly beautiful and there was not one moment that I felt like I could just go ok, this is good enough I can stop taping here. The whole thing was a soaring and rushing breath of breathtaking beauty, each line and cadence built onto the next until he finished and the room gave an audible gasp before breaking out into applause.

And that is what Rashad does. I've heard him perform several times and each time I've been awestruck. I met him on November 13, 2018 at an art event I curated at the Antique Loft in Hoboken with the Artists Anthony E. Boone, Andre Kaulesar and Joel Lisco. He arrived to perform with a band who I was also just meeting that night for the first time, though I'd seen them perform before and spoken with one of the members over the phone when we had been planning the evening. The event was inspired after an introduction I made between Anthony Boone and Andre Kaulesar and Chef Paul Gerard, the Executive Chef of Antique Bar & Bakery and one of the Partners there and at the Loft. Andre and Anthony both helped to plan the evening and hang the show. Andre who is also a Chef had prepared some very special hors d'oeuvres and Chef Paul Gerard had contributed his own masterpieces, and Anthony had recommended a band that was part of an Artist Collective named Sound in Color who he had worked with before at another event. Because of travel for work, we'd had a conference call with the Director, Emilio Guarino, when he was still in California. Rashad was one of the performers and invited guests of Sound in Color, and the night when I met him was memorable because the event itself had already been so incredible. And then Rashad took the stage and it was as if something even more magical happened.

Rashad is a graduate of New Jersey City University, and he has also done duty with the National Guard. He teaches and coaches and produces, and among other projects he has just recently published a book, Romeo's Whiskey, which I have not had the chance to read in its entirety yet because it is on a longer than usual term order due to the current state of the world. I have seen Rashad perform some of the pieces in it on livestream through Instagram, and even in that smaller than life venue he filled up the screen and my home with his presence and the power of his words.

Over time as I have seen him perform at different venues he has always been somehow like something entirely new. Each time is different as if he himself changes like a chameleon for the feeling in the house that evening. He hosts an evening at Mana Contemporary where he brings in other Artists and Performers and Artisans on a regular basis, and even there he is always different, bringing in new work and a new sound and a new feeling. I would say he's always reinventing himself but it is something deeper than that. He is always digging within and bringing out the best, sharing all that is precious and shining it even brighter so that all the world can hear his stories and he can tell the stories of all the world.

Rashad Wright

At The Antique Loft

Hoboken, New Jersey
https://www.instagram.com/write_raw

Photographs Courtesy Of Anthony E. Boone

Photo Credit Jermaine D. Clark

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

 

An Abundant Life - Animal Friendly

I usually don't write about a restaurant unless I've eaten there, but in these strange new times we're living in I'm making an exception. VeganAF is located in Jersey City Heights, and it opened its doors on the day after the late night announcement that the Mayor of Hoboken down the hill closed all the restaurants for everything except for takeout and delivery, and not long after that the Mayor of Jersey City did the same. I had been planning to go to the opening day, but as it was I was in a bit of a state of shock and I only remembered it was the opening day when it was very late that evening. I wasn't sure if William, the owner, would have opened or not, but then a few days later when I was walking by I saw him in the window. I waved and we had a brief conversation from a distance as we have to these days, and I told him that I was in the process of developing a project to help local restaurants in Hoboken and Jersey City get funding to provide meals for people in need. He enthusiastically told me he'd be happy to help once I got it going, and as I had already planned to write a blog post when I had first met him, I thought why not go ahead and do it. I'm sure the food he makes is terrific - I had met him originally a few weeks before because the wonderful Artist Distort was talking to him outside the restaurant about creating a sign for him before the current crisis had become what it is now, and we all thought that we'd basically be able to go about our lives as we usually did but with just a bit more caution. But of course all that's changed now, but some things like the quality of a restaurant and a Chef and a person don't change, and if Distort liked William, and he was also planning to create a sign for the restaurant, then I knew that William was not only a great person, but he must be a great Chef too.

William has been very busy since he opened, which is great news. With restaurants closed for just takeout and delivery I have been worried about some of the people I know and care about who own restaurants and work in them. There's a great spirit in the great Chefs and Restaurateurs I know - they are resilient like Artists and no matter what happens they have to figure out a way to feed people the way an Artist has to make Art. Food is their creative outlet and feeding people is as natural to them as having an audience is to a performer.

I know from my work teaching nutrition and wellness that food can be a great healer when it is made from the heart with delicious and nutritious ingredients. I'm looking forward to trying some of the menu items at VeganAF soon because they look really wonderful. With everything from shakes and grilled cheese to rellenos made with maduros, and make your own salads and soups of the day to add some extra surprise and spice to life, VeganAF may have started at a difficult time in all of our lives, but from everything I can see, it's here to stay and to be a part of our community just at a time when we need its care.

VeganAF

291 Central Avenue

Jersey City Heights, New Jersey

https://veganaf.business.site  

https://www.instagram.com/veganaf_the_heights/

Photographs Courtesy Of The VeganAF Instagram and Website

Blessings,

Jannie Susan