Harrisburg Magazine’s Simply the Art

Story By Christina Heintzelman cheintzelman@benchmarkmediallc.com

Photos

Submitted

In August 2022, Harrisburg Magazine, celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of Simply the Best. A decision was made to expand this program and create a niche award program to represent artists. Nineteen categories representing visual and performance artists were created and the voting began. Some winners are alumni of previous art related stories in Harrisburg Magazine, but many are new artists not known to us before. This article is the last in the series that began in Harrisburg Magazine in the November 2022 issue.

Amy Simpson (Harrisburg Magazine, October 2021) took home the title for Local Singer in Simply the Art. She performs in a duo with keyboardist Larry Lentz and at other times with various local artists.

Simpson comes from a military family and has lived all over the world, which greatly informs her musical versatility and style. One can pick up 90’s rock, blues, jazz, world music, and contemporary vibes in her style as a vocalist and songwriter. She has been performing since the age of eighteen and has performed all over the world and in the upscale hotel circuit.

Simpson is on a new course and has begun studying with Lana Ryder, director, and senior instructor of Soundwise Health Associates – School of Harmonic Therapy. The school teaches the healing power of sound, voice, and music. She is using her studies with Ryder to create another business as a vocal instructor, teaching her students the various ideas of breathwork and information from Simpson’s varied career as a performer. “I take students who already know the basics in music theory and teach them the necessary but often untaught tools of the trade beyond that. This is so important because I affected my vocal cords in a very negative way while I was out on the road singing, by not knowing the proper way to breathe and use my voice. I ended up having to take two years off from my singing career because of that.” She adds that she wanted to study with Ryder because of her holistic, individualized, and intuitive approach to the idea of sound as an energetic path to healing.

Regarding Simpson’s voice coaching she says, “In addition to giving lessons to singers, I also assist people who may have an interest in doing voiceovers or even improving their voice for public speaking. This is an entirely different approach for students in voice lessons.” by Artists

“I’ve grown up a bit and realize that as one gets older, you are more aware of your comfort zones and what you want to take precedence in your life to find your own way.” She adds, “In the creative process you begin to channel your expression into all areas of your life. I love change and I love adding tools to my belt to grow creatively.”

In addition to her musical art, Simpson, along with Denise Nickey, create visual art through their business Zeta Ascending. Art is done in the encaustic style on birchwood, with the hot wax then manipulated into varying designs. Birchwood is chosen because it is a natural product and beeswax is used also because of its natural properties. These designs are created during a total immersion with meditation, with musical tones informing the creation of the art pieces through energetic harmonizing. Fractal images are then created through photography using a special computer application to create fractals, kaleidoscopes, and mandalas. Originals and prints of these pieces are available. A piece of the art from Zeta Ascending, entitled Unity, has been purchased by Penn State Hospital in Lancaster and is on view there.

Her parting words are, “Do what you love and love what you do!” Contact Simpson for voice lessons through her email simpsonamy83@ yahoo.com; for information on art use the website zetaascending.com.

In addition to Amy Simpson in the vocal category, other winners were The Swisher Sweets (photo on page 39), who won for Local Band, and Shea Quinn (photo on page 39), who won as Local Musician. Unfortunately, neither was available for a personal interview.

The Swisher Sweets is a local trio consisting of Joey Dalto, lead vocals/guitar; Phil Cannizzaro, bass guitar/vocals; and front man, Steve ‘Swish Dogg” Swisher, drummer. The trio are regulars at all the local area hot spots for live music. They have performed as the opening act for national recording artists.

An interesting aside is that Swish Dogg and Shea Quinn were the founders of the highly popular Luv Gods in the late 1990’s and they still perform as a duo periodically. And, as mentioned above, Shea Quinn was awarded a STA win for Local Musician.

Quinn was/is a member of the 1980’s band, The Sharks, winners of the MTV Basement Tapes competition; the Band Who Sold the World, undeniably one of the best David Bowie Tribute Bands; and of course, The Luv Gods.

Find more information for The Swisher Sweets on their website swishersweetsband.com; on Facebook:

The Swisher Sweets; and Instagram @swishersweetsband. Information for Shea Quinn can be found on Facebook: thebandwhosoldtheworld; and the website of the same name. Read more about The Luv Gods on the website theluvgods.com.

Gamut Theatre Group, winner of Simply the Art for Theatre Company, and Paul Hood, winner of Simply the Art for Local Actor, go together mainly because theatre is life enhanced and amplified both negatively and positively, with actors providing us with those experiences through working with a well written script and a creative director.

Gamut Theatre Group (Harrisburg Magazine, October 2021) and its founders, Melissa and Clark Nicholson, are now celebrating thirty years of bringing NYC quality live theater to our area. Gamut has been in their new home located at 15 N 4th St, Harrisburg, since 2015. Before that they were in Strawberry Square, which was home to their very first Harrisburg venture, Popcorn Hat Players, a theater for children. Gamut Theatre Group is home to Select Medical Mainstage Productions, the Stage Door Series, Popcorn Hat Players, TMI Improv, and the Young Acting Company. They are also well known for the annual Free Shakespeare in the Park, held every summer at Reservoir Park through the Harrisburg Shakespeare Company. When asked how they manage all that Clark Nicholson says, “There must be a division of labor with nine of us here full time and then there are probably thirty part time workers here. We have to figure out our budget, how to pay the bills, and how to let people know that we are here and producing quality live productions. In early years we were often over-programmed and underfunded, and we had to figure our way around that. It is only with the help of my business partner and life partner, Melissa, that we have been able to figure out how to play that game.” Melissa adds, “As a non-profit we are governed by a board of directors, who are very helpful to us in many ways including fundraising, meeting new people, and keeping up with all of these different entities that make up Gamut Theatre and keep it afloat.”

As a non-profit art related group, the need for art related grants is utmost in keeping the doors open. Melissa says, “The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (TFEC) is a constant as well as other local arts grants and corporate groups, but it is important to keep searching for other sources of new money to diversify the portfolio.”

The Nicholsons have made it a priority to let the Harrisburg community know that the quality of stage performances available in this area are of the quality one would expect to see in NYC, Chicago, and LA. “We bring in performers from nationally held auditions, bring them here to Harrisburg and house them for the season – they are here for a year and sometimes even sign on for another season. We do open auditions here in the community so a cast can really vary greatly in the mix,” Melissa says. Currently they are getting ready to plan the 20232024 season, with the season running from September 2023 through August 2024. “By this coming summer we will be getting down to the nitty-gritty of next season – set designers, costume designers, and graphic designers,” Clark adds.

“We stand on the shoulders of giants here in the Harrisburg theater community,” Clark says as he mentions Jay and Nancy Krevsky (Harrisburg Magazine, October 2022). The Krevskys, after their move to this area, became involved with Harrisburg Community Theatre (HCT), which was formed in 1926 and is one of the oldest active community theatres in the United States. HCT was later renamed Theatre Harrisburg and their productions are staged in two locations, The Krevsky Center and The Sunoco Performance Theater at Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts. “The Krevskys’ help sustain one of the oldest and most respected small theatres in this country,” Clark adds. “We got familiar with Jay during the time Gamut was doing the ‘Merchant of Venice’ and Jay played the role of Shylock. He then singlehandedly got all the synagogues in the area to come to different night’s performances to build our audience.” Clark then says, “Our history with the Krervskys is so full and rich and I was the first director to have the honor of directing both of them on stage together for the first time in the same scenes and exchanging dialogue in our production of ‘The Sunshine Boys.’”

Gamut Theatre’s thirtieth season opened with “Innocent Merriment; An Evening with Gilbert & Sullivan”. Along with Sankofa

African American Theatre Company, Gamut is currently showcasing “Voices of the Eighth CHRONICLES II: Stories from Harrisburg’s Old Eighth Ward” by Sharia Benn. This is a collage of storytelling that fuses imagery, movement, sound, and music and is the second part of an original work that pays homage to the resilient spirit of the nineteenth and twentieth-century African American liberators, educators, orators, and writers who fought to build a community of freedom and belonging.

“Thistle & Salt: The Ireland of J.M. Synge,” directed by Narçisse Theatre Company’s Artistic Director, FL Henley Jr., opens on March 4th and runs until the 19th of the month. “The Jungle Book”, based on the story by Rudyard Kipling and directed by Rachita Menon Nambiar and Melissa Nicholson, opens March 31 and runs through April 2nd. “Macbeth,” directed by Melissa Nicholson, opens for three days beginning on April 14. And Shakespeare in the Park’s “Richard III” opens at Reservoir Park in June. Maria James-

Artful Inspirations

Meet the Winners, continued from Page 39

Thiaw will also be debuting her new play “HairStory: Reclaiming Our Crown”.

Popcorn Hat Players Children’s Theatre still has two more shows: “Rollicking Ripsnorters: American Tall Tales”, and “The Three Little Pigs,” available in this year’s calendar.

Although Paul Hood (Harrisburg Magazine, February 2021) is mostly known for his plays, directing, and novellas, he was awarded Simply the Art as Local Actor, which unfortunately he hasn’t been able to concentrate on lately because of his success in getting his plays on stage, working for Narçisse as a resident artist, and his work with Susquehanna Township School District in Special Education, along with his summer work for Hope Spring Farms. “I was thrilled to be recognized as a part of the Harrisburg Arts Community with this award,” Hood states.

The Harrisburg art community is a close-knit group, and the connections are quite varied. Paul Hood met the Nicholson’s back when Gamut was still in Strawberry Square. Paul adds to this story by saying, “I was looking for a location to do a workshop of my new play ‘Sequin Royale,’ one of my most bizarre plays about a Viet Nam vet trying to win back the love of his life while suffering a mental crisis. I met with Melissa and Clark, and they offered to give me a platform, a place to show my work. Back then it was more difficult to make a break into having live performance showcased here in town and I am extremely grateful to them for allowing me to use their stage and get a cut of the door! They really jumpstarted my career.”

And as the conversation with the Nicholsons and Hood intertwine, another interesting connection is told. Clark Nicholson tells of his interest in the African Grove Theatre, founded and operated in New York City by William Alexander Brown in the early 1800’s. The company drew heavily on Shakespeare’s works for its performances. Unfortunately, the theatre burned to the ground in 1826. Hood says, “I was approached by Clark to develop a new play about this time in history and what may have happened if this theatre would have lasted and thrived. I wrote ‘The African Company: The Mystery of the African Grove Theater,’ which was presented at Gamut in January 2021. At the time I worked closely with Kim Greenawalt who is a dramaturg for Gamut, and she helped immensely with my understanding of developing the dramaturgy for this historical piece.” The piece is developed with the idea of how the Black theatre community would have thrived if it could have continued after the burning of the theatre. It is hoped that this play can move on and be shown in different locations for others to learn about this very important part of theatre history.

Theatre Harrisburg is currently doing “Pieces,” one of Hood’s plays. This play is the story of Phil Blakeny’s life as told through a collection of real time moments, both past and present, dreams, and the harsh reality of his mental breakdown due to the loss of his family business. The play was workshopped by Bare Bones Theatre Ensemble in 2020.

Hood’s list of plays is a long and impressive one. His recent productions include “My Electric Life,” “The Imposter’s Snow Cone Machine,” “Apostle of Freedom,” “Freedom’s Eve,” and the riveting “Kill Keller” in which Hood bares his soul by portraying his early life through the story of an Allison Hill family that is torn apart by one man’s relentless quest for control. Hood’s novellas include “The Time of Their Lives in London,” “The Itch of Gloria Fitch: A Play,” and “Paths: The Diary of Baine Adams.” He has also done a series of audio monologues on Patreon for Epic Theatre entitled “Deadly Things: Monologues for Sinners.”

Currently, Hood was hired to do re-writes for an independent film. He states that his work in photography has assisted with this as his usual method of snapping photos is to think about what story the photo might be telling and how this informs his ability to re-write other’s works.

Although Hood is a multitalented artist through his acting, directing, producing, and photography, he is most involved with his writing and he says, “My writing has given me voice for everything else I am involved with in my life, the springboard for every other creative thing I’ve done.”

Melissa, Clark, and Paul all agree on one important point, and that is within our small community the various live performance theaters have all banded together in a supportive way to help each other along the path to not only bring impressive performances to our area but also to get the word out as to how awesome our theater community really is. This is just another example of our burgeoning art community’s desire to work together for the betterment of all.

Gamut Theatre information is available online at www.gamuttheatre.org; on Facebook: Gamut Theatre Group; and Instagram: @gamuttheatregroup. And pick up one of their 2023 calendars which has all their performances listed by month and date.

Paul Hood’s information is available online at Facebook: Playwright/Director, Paul Hood; and Instagram: @ phwroteit. He is also available through LinkedIn. His books are available through Goodreads and Amazon.