THE GAZETTE
Thursday, August 1, 2013 bo
CARA HEDGEPETH STAFF WRITER
On a recent Tuesday morning at Olney’s Bedford Court Senior Living Community, the activities room, known as The Bistro, was packed. Chairs, wheelchairs and walkers lined the walls. Eventually, residents who came late had to settle for a spot in the hallway. They were there to see Seniorita Sunshine, also known as Andrea Hancock of Rockville. Standing at the front of the room, at maybe 5-feet tall, Hancock was dressed in a red and white striped skirt and top, and wearing a blonde wig. She welcomed her audience, turned on the song “Bring Me Sunshine,” and started making her way around the room, stopping at each resident to offer a handshake, a little dance or just a smile. “At my first show, I went to each person and connected with them,” Hancock said. “And that’s become something I’ve done with each show. It says, ‘I see you, I acknowledge you, thank you for being here.’” For the past four months, Hancock has traveled to senior living communities in Montgomery County as Seniorita Sunshine, performing a cabaret-style act, featuring songs from the 1930s through 1960s, for residents. A Silver Spring native, Hancock said she’s always loved to perform. “The very beginning was camp,” Hancock said. “I was 9 or something; I believe we did ‘Pippin.’ And then I performed in high school, I was in all the shows. I did some Montgomery College Dinner Theatre.” But after graduating from the University of Maryland, Hancock made the decision not to pursue a career in the arts. “Some people said, if there’s absolutely nothing else you could do or want to do, then you go for it and take the direct line to performing, to showbiz,” she said. “I’m blessed that I can do different things ... I was like, ‘Well, I like to do this, and I like advertising and marketing and that’s what I did after college.” Though she wasn’t on stage for a living, Hancock said she
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Continued from Page B-1 with directing. It’s also directed by Sara Pearson and Patrik Widrig, and they have a dance company, so the choreography is going to be really good, too.” Singer/songwriter Bobby McFerrin of “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” fame will share the stage with jazz legend Chick Corea on Feb. 8. “That’s going to be an amazing show,” Snyder said. “And it’s selling pretty quickly, so people need to get their tickets as soon as possible.” The Clarice Smith Center also is participating in The National Civil War Project, a multicity, multi-year collaboration among four universities to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. The project focuses on the struggles of the civil rights movement. The center also will host a national symposium called “Civil War/Civil Rights: The Well-Being of a Nation,” on Sept. 5-6. The symposium will honor the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.ech. The Kronos Quartet, a favorite of the center, will play the world premiere of a new work by Phillip Glass on Oct. 24. The show is in recognition of the quartet’s 40th anniversary. The Maryland Opera Studio is set to perform “Die Fledermaus,” a popular operetta by Johann Strauss, in April. For dance lovers, the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, celebrating its 40th anniversary, will present the world premiere of “Times Bones” in September, while David Dorfman Dance is set to present “Come, and Back Again,” which will feature a live rock band. Tickets for all events are on sale now at the Clarice Smith Center ticket office.
never abandoned her love of performing. In 1993, after moving to Hawaii, she rediscovered the arts. Over the next five years, Hancock did everything from community theater, to improv, to commercials and even landed a spot as an extra in a scene from “Beverly Hills 90210.” While still living in Hawaii, Hancock subscribed to Backstage, a magazine for people in the performing arts industry. “When I was in Hawaii, I started getting Backstage, ordering it from New York,” Hancock said. “And that was the end of it; it was like, that’s where you need to be.” Hancock made the decision to move to New York where she got into stand-up comedy and developed her own musicalimprov act. “I kind of did comedy and then my own brand of musical comedy,” Hancock said. She studied at the New Actors Workshop for one summer and said she did what all aspiring performers in New York do: “You perform for love, not money,” Hancock said. “But you get your chops.” To earn a living, Hancock got into the professional organizing business. “I was helping people and I got into the relocation and the downsizing,” she said. After moving back to Maryland in 2005 and working for herself for a few years, Hancock began looking for moving companies in need of her services. “WhenImovedhome,Ifound a company that focused on moving seniors,” she said. “It wasn’t really a conscious decision.” While Hancock said the decision was not a conscious one, it did turn out to be her introduction to the senior community. In 2009, Hancock started working for Transitional Assistance & Design, helping seniors downsize from their homes into assisted living or independent living communities. “I moved them from their homes of many years, helping them shed their stuff and fit into a senior living community,” Hancock said. “That was a way to connect with people one-on-one. They’re making the decisions, you’re not telling them what to throw away. It was all about really empowering the client; it was their choice.” The professional organizing eventually led Hancock to a sales job at Sunrise, a company
For more information about any of the upcoming shows, tickets and times, be sure to visit the center’s website at claricesmithcenter.umd.edu or call the ticket office at 301-405-2787. wfranklin@gazette.net
CARA HEDGEPETH/THE GAZETTE
Seniorita Sunshine (Andrea Hancock) dances with Bedford Court resident Arthur Williams. that runs several senior living communities, including Bedford Court, in the area. But Hancock said she found herself gravitating toward the activities room whenever she was at work, and soon, the urge to perform again started to creep in. “I met other performers at Sunrise who inspired me, who taught me ... it’s about connecting with an audience,” Hancock said. Now working full time as Seniorita Sunshine, Hancock said she applies the same philosophy
to her act that she did to her professional organizing: empower the client. “The opportunity to have someone interested and giving them attention ... that’s huge,” Hancock said. Hancock said she’s also witnessed the incredible power her music has. “I saw firsthand, for the memory impaired, how incredibly beneficial and therapeutic music is,” she said. “How somebody who might have difficulty
expressing themselves verbally, once songs are turned on, show tunes or those standards ... they know all the words ... They’re enlivened, a switch goes on and I wanted to be a part of that.” Looking ahead, Hancock said she hopes to take her Seniorita Sunshine act to private events including anniversary parties and milestone birthdays. Wherever she performs, she said
she’s determined to spread her musical message. “Sunshiny and happy, that’s my message,” she said. “I want to always stick with that.” For more information on Seniorita Sunshine visit her website, www.senioritasunshine.com. chedgepeth@gazette.net
NOTICE OF OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT PURSUANT TO COMAR TITLE 27.03.01.03 REQUIRING NOTIFICATION OF PROJECT APPLICATIONS FOR LOCAL AGENCY DEVELOPMENT IN THE CRITICAL AREA NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN:
Of opportunity for review and submittal of written public comments re: M-NCPPC - Patuxent River Park – Observation Tower. Project plans are available for review at the Prince George’s County Department of Parks and Recreation, Design and Engineering Section, 6600 Kenilworth Avenue, Room 205, Riverdale, MD 20737. Public comments must be submitted in writing and must be received on or before 08/15/13. Comments may be submitted to the Patuxent River Park, Attention: Mr. Greg Lewis, 16000 Croom Airport Road, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772, or via email at the following email address: greg.lewis@pgparks.com, or via fax to (301) 952-9754.
Food Pantry
Open Monday 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. & Friday 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. The project consists of 35 feet high Observation Tower, with ADA Accessibility, and landscape enhancements. The project is located at Jug Bay Natural Area of the Patuxent River Park at 16000 Croom Airport Road, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772. 1895312
7111 Cherry Lane, Laurel, MD 20707
301-490-0777
1894696
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WALKING ON SUNSHINE
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Montgomery County woman looks to brighten the days of senior citizens n
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