Lovin' Life After 50 - Tucson - June 2021

June 2021

‘Space Wars’

What a Beaut!

Gaslight Theatre pokes fun of ‘Star Wars’ in new play

Vegan burger eatery doesn’t sacrifice flavor

Inspired by

Mom

Steve Alfonsi wants others to feel respected in home care

Tucson Edition

Tulsa professor shows sides of Bob Dylan in new book Page 10

The latest news and top local stories!

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inside THIS ISSUE

6 Inspired by Mom

Western Winds Apartments, located in Tucson, is a HUD subsidized apartment community for low income seniors 62 and older. We also accept those under the age of 62 if mobility impaired. Tenant rate is based on 30% of the adjusted gross income.

Steve Alfonsi wants others to feel respected in home care

Many updates are to come on this lovely living facility! We are also very conveniently located near grocery stores, shopping and restaurants!

Opinion

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Leibo At Large

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Entertainment

10 The World of Bob Dylan Tulsa professor shows the troubadour’s sides in new book

11

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Hitting the Stage Once Again

Arizona Theatre Co. unveils its 54th season

12 A Galaxy Not Far, Far Away Gaslight Theatre turns classic into humorous melodrama

15 Transit Tea

Dining

Manish Shah puts a new spin on a traditional drink

14 What a Beaut!

Vegan burger eatery doesn’t sacrifice flavor

16 What’s Cooking?

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Opinion Leibo At Large

Hunting should be a 2-way street

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ

JULY 3 & 4

CHASE FIELD

dbacks.com 4

| JUNE 2021

602.514.8400

Every so often on Facebook or Instagram, I see that one of my friends has gone hunting, successfully killing this or that forest creature. There are smiles all around as the hunter strikes a pose beside a mule deer, turkey, or javelina. All involved — except the animal — seem inordinately proud of the conquest, which always leaves me feeling a bit curious.

As in, why such obvious pride? I mean, isn’t hunting sort of a one-sided competition, given that the predator typically has some sort of weapon, like a high-powered rifle, whereas the best a white-tailed deer can manage for weaponry is a set of antlers?

Then I remind myself what I have known for a long time: Some folks simply enjoy killing things a little bit more than the rest of us.

I was reminded again recently when the National Park Service and the Arizona Game and Fish Department offered 12 hunters the chance to cull bison from a herd of 500 that have roamed the North Rim of the Grand Canyon since the early 1900s. The bison apparently have been raising all kinds of hell up there, trampling ancient ruins, contaminating watering holes and leaving Budweiser cans and pork rinds bags everywhere.

Kidding about that last part.

But I’m not kidding when I say that more than 45,000 hunters applied online during the 48 hours the agencies were taking digital hunting applications.

As Matt Mallery of Flagstaff told the Associated Press: “It needs to happen for management purposes. And if it’s going to be somebody, it may as well be me.”

Which is exactly the opposite of my own logic when it comes to killing animals: If it’s going to be somebody, it doesn’t have to be me.

I have no moral objection to hunting.

I ate a burger for dinner last night and I have no affinity for, say, javelina, which tend to destroy things I like, like golf courses and small dogs. I wasn’t traumatized by the murder of Bambi’s mommy as a kid. I’m not afraid of guns, which I’ve fired on many occasions. It’s the beaming pride I don’t get — relishing taking an animal’s life.

Listen to James Vasko, one of those 45,000 applicants, explaining himself to the AP: “I just thought it would be a cool experience,” said the 27-year-old, who works in real estate and farms in Nebraska. “I’m an avid fisher, hunter. Going to the Grand Canyon to hunt bison would be absolutely awesome.”

Would it really? Male bison weigh up to 2,000 pounds and can stand 6 feet tall. They have poor eyesight and run at speeds up to 35 mph. That makes these bulls slightly larger than my parents’ 1972 Volkswagen Beetle, a 50-horsepower behemoth that topped out at about 75 mph. While no one ever riddled that car with bullets, it wouldn’t have been a difficult shot, especially armed with a Browning BAR Mark II Safari rifle featuring the Ballistic Optimizing Shooting System and using belted magnum big game cartridges and a telescopic site.

My hunter friends love to refer to hunting as a sport. They cite rules like “fair chase,” which Game and Fish defines as the “ethical, sportsmanlike and lawful pursuit and taking of free-range wildlife in a manner that does not give a hunter or an angler improper or unfair advantage over such wildlife.”

Personally, I prefer not to sugarcoat things. Just be honest and admit it: You like killing things.

You can try to even up the hunt all you want, but let’s be real: Shooting a 2,000-pound bison will be a sport as soon as the bison can fire back.

David Leibowitz has called the Valley home since 1995.

Contact david@leibowitzsolo.com.

www.LovinLife.com

Ask Gabby Gayle

Advice column for the over-50 crowd

BY GAYLE LAGMAN-CRESWICK Gabby Gayle: The head- maybe should have been my first sugQ Dear line on your recent column really gestion: Find yourself a church and get incaught my attention. “Do I need to go to church?”

I thought I would add my two cents’ worth because I qualify at age 83! Years ago, someone asked me if I were a Christian. Of course, I responded, “I go to church.”

Their answer has stayed with me for well over 50 years! “If you go to your garage, does that make you a car?” You were right to differentiate between spirituality and religion. Yes, we have a choice: We can put our car in the garage (church), safe from the elements, or we can leave it in the driveway, beaten on by the wind and rain, and baked in the sun. Which one do you think would weather the storms of life?

So, you see, AH (whose letter was in a recent column) has been given an invitation to go to the garage, not go by the rules set by man but to find a safe haven until that day. Signed, ML

volved — feed the poor, help with church events, live this good person that you are.

When your life becomes whole, you will find people who want to date you. Also, there are situations where your rights can be restored. Do a little studying on this issue. Good luck! Signed, GG Gabby Gayle: I received Q Dear a beautiful invitation in the mail from my granddaughter, who is getting married for the first time at age 35.

I know there has been some talk among family members that she might be gay, but there was nothing official until I received this invitation with a snapshot of them. I thought I was going to be sick. I only have two grandchildren, and now one of them is pulling this. Maybe I have lived too long?

What do you say? Signed, JJ JJ: You are not going to like A Dear what I have to say. I’m going to say

ML: I loved your analogy! I you haven’t fully identified your job deA Dear apologize for having to shorten scription. I believe your job as grandmother your beautiful letter. I have never thought of church in that way, but I like it!

A place of refuge, of learning, of strengthening, of becoming! Thank you for writing. Signed, GG Gabby Gayle: Dating sucks!

Q Dear I am 47.5. I am so sad and lonely. I broke the law when I was 23. I was just a kid, and now I have lost a lot of rights, but none of the dating sites want anything to do with me. Plus, I feel no one would want to date a felon. It has been over 20 years, but I am still paying for it. What do I do?

Signed, VL

is to love, accept, understand and set an example. It is not to judge, try to change or to disown. I’m sorry you are missing out on the joy of seeing your granddaughter happy and being who she is meant to be. I wish you a change of heart. An old dog can learn new tricks! Good luck, GG

Q

Dear Gabby Gayle: Our grandson is getting married to a lovely girl. We all love her, but we also know she comes from a family with limited means.

Would it be appropriate for his grandfather and I to offer financial help to them for the wedding festivities? Signed, BR

VL: I know it is really tough BR: That could be a sticky situA Dear A Dear for felons post-prison. I went on ation. You don’t want to insult her or Google and found several groups who help people like yourself.

So that is my first suggestion. Try Google. My second suggestion is to find a singles group that does things you may enjoy, such as biking, hiking, going to events together, dancing, etc. My third suggestion www.LovinLife.com

her family. It might even upset your grandson’s parents. Perhaps, it might be better to give the couple an early wedding present that they can use however they see fit.

Good luck, GG If you have questions for Gabby Gayle, please send them to Ask Gabby Gayle at lagmancreswick@gmail.com.

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5

Features

Mom INSPIRED by

After a personal loss, CEO Steve Alfonsi found his mission to provide home care for those in need. (Photo

by Pablo Robles)

Steve Alfonsi wants others to feel respected in home care

BY GLENN SWAIN Steve Alfonsi is on a mission to assure dignity and respect for individuals and families needing care at home, as well as those facing illness, and bring comfort at the end of life.

On the second floor of his Scottsdale office, Alfonsi is CEO of Royal Hospice and Vital Palliative and franchise owner of ComForCare Scottsdale, an in-home care agency.

He spends his days directing his home care services and, at the same time, continues a legacy to his mother’s memory.

In November 2005, Alfonsi’s mother, Shelby, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, a fast-moving disease.

Then an executive with Proctor & Gamble in Chicago, Alfonsi had his mother move in with him so he and his wife could provide personal care.

Alfonsi says he went “full bore” into

his new caregiving role. Growing up in a small town in central Illinois, Alfonsi learned the importance of one’s family and the responsibility to provide care and support for the family when needed.

Alfonsi began doing everything from making doctor’s appointments to changing bed sheets.

“I was a corporate executive with the responsibility of millions of dollars and working with a team,” Alfonsi says. “I thought I could figure it out. But I was also in denial. There was much I did not know about, but I quickly learned.”

At the time, Alfonsi wasn’t aware of the available home-care options.

Alfonsi remembers he and his sisters spent the last days and weeks of their mother’s life acting more as caretakers than as a son and daughters.

“Mom just wanted us to be with her and hold her hand,” he says. “Instead, we

were doing dishes or taking care of her other needs.”

Shelby died in March 2006.

“I dealt with my mom’s passing by working longer hours and days,” Alfonsi says. “It was a way of processing what had happened. Over the years, I found out that there was more to life.

I wanted to find a way to honor my mom and leave a legacy for her.”

Following a move to Scottsdale as an executive with Henkel, Alfonsi was determined to leave a legacy for his mom.

He learned the home care industry’s ins and outs, intending to start a company to serve families who find themselves in the same position he was in back in Chicago years before.

Alfonsi’s passion for serving others began when he purchased a ComForCare franchise for Scottsdale in March 2015.

Four years later, Alfonsi started Royal Hospice, which provides compassionate care and supports families, and Vital Palliative, a company offering care for severe and Alfonsi opened Royal Hospice and Vital Palliative care in 2019.

(Photo by Pablo Robles)

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| JUNE 2021

chronic illnesses such as congestive heart failure, cancer, AIDS, kidney failure and Alzheimer’s.

Alfonsi plans to open Royal Hospice and Vital Palliative in Tucson later this year, along with further expansion to the Portland, Oregon, area.

“It’s something I feel passionate about,” Alfonsi says. “We provide respect and dignity for others. We aspire to be perfect.”

Alfonsi advises people who find themselves in a caregiving role for those who are ill or need assistance that help is always just a phone call away.

“Make those last hours, days and weeks a better experience for your loved ones,” Alfonsi says.

“Life is precious; the time goes by so fast. Spend it with loved ones.”

Vital Palliative Care and Royal Hospice Care 14809 N. 73rd Street, Suite 201, Scottsdale 480-626-2303, vitalpalliative.com 480-626-5055, royalhospice.com www.LovinLife.com

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Lending a Hand Arizona Caregiver Coalition offers support to families

BY LAURA LATZKO Being a caregiver can be physically, emotionally and mentally draining.

They aren’t sure where to go if they have questions or need financial help.

The nonprofit Arizona Caretaker Coalition helps caregivers by providing services like a resource line, classes, information on support groups and respite care, and supply reimbursement programs.

The organization’s services and programs are available to folks throughout Arizona.

Executive Director Jutta Ulrich says the organization helps inexperienced caregivers with a lot of questions to seasoned, long-term caregivers.

“We are really trying to answer questions for family caregivers who don’t really know where to start and what programs exist,” Ulrich says.

Caregivers need support, Ulrich says. If they don’t, they risk becoming isolated or ill.

“If help is offered, whether it is a neighbor, family member or somebody, they should really try to accept the help and then really make use of things like a support group or a respite program,” Ulrich says.

“People feel guilty. They may think, ‘I’m supposed to do it. I’m the daughter or the spouse.’ Some may be a little bit embarrassed about it. It can be hard to take that first step.”

Arizona Caretaker Coalition shares information about navigating insurance or paying cash for private care, programs that pay for care, and the services that are available for veterans.

Ulrich says her organization can help caregivers find the services or programs they need.

“When people ask us where to find a caregiver, what resources and programs are there, we try to tell them the answers as best as we know. Often, we refer them to other organizations,” Ulrich says.

“That’s really important that we try to tell people about these other organizations that are out there. Nobody can do it by themselves. The Area Agency on Aging, they are large, but even they can’t help everybody. So, it’s important that we try to have a good idea of other organizations so

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| JUNE 2021

we can give people some options.”

Ulrich says many people often don’t think about caregiving until it is needed.

This often happens when a family member breaks a hip or is experiencing memory loss because of a condition such as dementia.

She says caregivers need someone to talk with, and she and her staff can provide a listening ear for them.

“Once in a while, the phone call can get very long because they either want to tell their story, or sometimes they want to vent. So, you have to really be patient, be empathetic, try to understand what the family is experiencing, and put yourself in their shoes,” Ulrich says.

The coalition started in 2014 with a helpline and expanded its caregiver services. The five-person staff is aided by student interns and volunteers, the latter of whom assist with the hotline, data entry and filing.

Ulrich says her organization often looks for volunteers who have been caregivers before.

“They are very good at explaining things and understanding what others are going through,” Ulrich says.

Through its classes, the organization educates caregivers or helps them care for themselves. It stopped offering services, such as CPR and caregiver self-care classes, last year because of the pandemic.

Ulrich says that by June, Arizona

Caretaker Coalition should start having in-person CPR and online caregiver education classes.

The coalition often works with outside organizations or experts for its classes. The therapeutic writing classes, for example, are taught by a local poet and ASU professor who has been a caregiver.

The Arizona Caretaker Coalition helps caregivers acquire respite care funding. As part of a state contract, the coalition offers Lifespan Respite Care Program grant funding and allows for up to 96 hours of respite care in an adult day health center for qualified applicants.

Ulrich says caregivers are encouraged to spend time for themselves.

“We tell people not to use it all to run errands or do paperwork,” Ulrich says.

“We tell them to take a little time to read a book, have lunch with a friend. At the same time, the person they are caring for, most of them really like the day center because there are programs and they meet other people.”

Through its respite care program, the coalition also grants vouchers to pay for respite care. Under this program, qualified families can receive up to $599 per calendar year and reapply the next year.

Ulrich says the organization can help more than 250 people per year that way.

This funding decreased in 2020 because the pandemic forced the closure of many adult day programs. Also, families worried

about their loved ones falling ill.

Other organizations, such as Area Agency on Agency and the ALTCS program also offer funding for respite care, but some families don’t qualify.

Ulrich says her organization is often able to help.

Ulrich says nonprofits like Arizona Caretaker Coalition are especially important.

“Somebody will call us and say, ‘I haven’t had a break in two or three years.’ They are very grateful that we can help to pay for a respite worker,” Ulrich says.

“We sometimes have to talk them into it. We keep telling them, ‘It’s OK for you to take a half day or full day and just go and do other things. It’s better for your mental health and physical health.”

Along with respite care, the organization helps families to get funding for expenses related to caregiving. Through its Family Caregiver Reimbursement Program, the coalition helps pay for home modifications and technology purchased for care of loved ones.

This funding can help to cover 50% of costs up to $1,000 for those who qualify.

They can apply for funding until they have reached the $1,000 limit and must provide receipts dated after January 1, 2020.

It can be used on ramps, roll-under sinks, bedside tables, special bedding, shower handrails and grab bars, hearing aids, wheelchair lifts, bedside commodes, wheelchairs, canes, walkers, crutches, medical alert equipment and voice recognition software.

This program debuted last year and served about 130 people.

“I think the most common situations are a ramp up to the door or to the shower,” Ulrich says. “For older people, it becomes very hard to climb into a bathtub. So, a lot of people modify their shower to where you can easily walk into the shower or even go in with your walker or your wheelchair.”

Arizona Caregiver Coalition

1-888-737-7494, crl@azcaregiver.org azcaregiver.org www.LovinLife.com

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9

Entertainment

“The World of Bob Dylan” Available in bookstores now. https://dylan.utulsa.edu/ the-world-of-bob-dylan-book

The World of Bob Dylan Tulsa professor shows the troubadour’s sides in new book

BY ALEX GALLAGHER University of Tulsa professor Sean Latham joined other music lovers to pen “The World of Bob Dylan,” which was released on Dylan’s 80th birthday.

“The book itself brings together 25 different contributors, each of whom is explaining their version of Bob Dylan,” says Latham, who served as editor.

Latham is the first to admit he’s not the biggest Dylan fan, but he does appreciate the legendary musician and the impact he made on music.

“I was fortunate in the sense that Bob Dylan came to me rather than me going to him,” Latham says.

At the University of Tulsa, Latham is a James Joyce expert who edits James Joyce Quarterly. The executive secretary of the Joyce Foundation, Latham was selected to run the Bob Dylan Institute by University of Tulsa President Brad Carson because of — as he describes— his ability to focus on one person.

“We knew we wanted the institute to focus on all of the ways Dylan might matter,” Latham says. “This is, in my view, the most important and most influential artistic figure of the latter half of the 20th century.

“This is, in part, because many other artists talk about what Dylan did for them,” Latham says.

Latham admires how Dylan’s songs did not just impact music, but they changed how the public speaks about the medium.

“His music doesn’t just live in the history of pop; it lives in the history of the civil rights movement,” Latham says. “It lives in conversations about theater, film and performance and ideas relating to justice.”

When it came to creating “The World of Bob Dylan,” Latham knew he could approach it in many ways. However, only one was right.

“We wanted an edited collection like this with a grand title like ‘The World

of Bob Dylan’ to say there is no one Bob Dylan to get your mind around,” Latham says. “He changed too much, he made too much music and his impact is far too broad.”

Latham structured this by delegating chapters to different writers, and some really jumped off the page, he says.

“I conceived each of the chapter titles and then approached people who I thought could write in really interesting, thoughtful and accessible ways about those topics,” Latham says.

Ann Powers, NPR’s music critic, wrote an essay on Dylan’s body and how his body and performance had changed over the course of his career.

“No one has really written their thoughts about the different ways that Dylan has inhabited his body, from being that kind of soft almost puppy dogish folk singer he was at the start of his career through that really angular body that we came to know in the ’60s,” Latham says.

“It’s a really interesting (take) on Dylan’s changing performance of masculinity on stage over the course of his career.”

Latham was also impressed by Devon Powers’ take on Bob Dylan “the brand.”

Powers is formerly of the Village Voice and is a marketing professor at Temple University. He explores how Dylan manipulated his own stardom to produce a branding effect.

“The impetus behind the book was to pull all of these different views and create a fractal view of Dylan,” Latham says.

Latham had a secondary motivation for this book.

“It was essential that this book be conceived, in part, as an introduction to Dylan,” Latham says. “We want this book

to be a way for people to sort of say I understand why Bob Dylan matters to the history of rock.”

“The World of Bob Dylan” fills a niche for fans who have been asking for an extensive book like this.

“There’s been a demand for this kind of book,” Latham says. “This book operates as a hinge. This book and others like it are the ones that are going to pivot us from fandom to trying to take full stock of Dylan for the next 80 years.”

Latham hopes readers come away with an appreciation for Dylan the artist.

“When you teach and you look back over an era, you get three or four people who become the representatives of that era, and that’s probably what we’re going to have for pop music from the second half of the 20th century,” Latham says.

“Dylan is going to be that guy, maybe also Prince and the Beatles, these are going to be the touchstones that we dwell

on when we talk about what happened in music and its relationship to literature and culture from 1960 to 2001.”

While Latham hopes the book will make its way onto the shelves of Dylan’s fans, he encourages teachers and professors to use it as an educational tool.

“This book is written to be used in classrooms as well,” Latham says. “If you’re teaching a literature class, there’s a chapter in here about Dylan and literature that will give you the sense of why you need to know something about Dylan.”

“The World of Bob Dylan” premiered in the United Kingdom first, but Latham ensured the book would be released on an important day.

“We put this out as a kind of birthday present, and it also came out in conjunction with the announcement of the Bob Dylan archive,” Latham says.

“Another thing that makes this book important is that we have access to this material. We’re going to have access to see how the songs got made, who he was exchanging letters with, and we can see and listen to the studio tapes.”

In the meantime, Latham hopes readers will do much more than just read his book.

“I suppose the one thing that we would hope is that people would read the book and go back and listen to the music,” Latham says.

“Even as you read a book like this and get a sense of all the different entangled ways that we can think of Dylan from a marketing standpoint to the way that he was influenced by gospel music and shaped how gospel music could intersect with rock, through it all, you still need to go back and hear the music itself.”

Get your copy today!

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| JUNE 2021

www.LovinLife.com

Hitting the Stage Once Again Arizona Theatre Co. unveils its 54th season

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Arizona Theatre Company’s 54th season will feature six productions each in Tucson and Phoenix from September through June 2022.

“To say that we’re ecstatic to be back creating live, in-person theater is an understatement,” says Sean Daniels, the Kasser Family artistic director. “We can’t wait for the curtain to go up and for audiences to feel the thrill of a world-class play or musical.”

As Arizonans emerge from the pandemic, ATC curated stories of reemergence, rebirth and rejuvenation.

ATC’s lineup includes two world premieres: “Justice,” a musical about Supreme Court justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and “How to Make an American Son,” a new play about the complexities of privilege, citizenship and family.

“This is just the beginning of shows starting in Arizona before they play the rest of the world,” Daniels says. “‘How to Make an American Son’ received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and will go off-Broadway after its run here. ‘Justice’ already has theaters lining up to produce it. These are true examples of ATC becoming the local theater the world pays attention to, and I’m excited for other states to see what starts in Arizona.”

In his third season at ATC, where he first fell in love with theater growing up in Mesa, Daniels brings a wealth of national and international resources and connections to his first fully programmed season on stage since joining ATC. The 54th season includes three plays and three musicals, five of which are written or created by female artists. Daniels will direct three performances, while the other three will feature nationally noted directors, including Kimberly Senior, who is the director of Broadway’s Pulitwww.LovinLife.com

zer Prize-winning “Disgraced” and will direct ATC’s “How to Make an American Son,” and Tiffany Nichole Greene, resident director of Broadway’s “Hamilton” and director of “Nina Simone: Four Women.” The director of “Justice” will be announced shortly.

“Based on the amazing support we have seen from our subscribers and overall excitement and anticipation to attend live performances once again, we are very enthusiastic about our reopening to live stage this fall,” says Geri Wright, Arizona Theatre Company’s managing director.

“We have worked hard to position ourselves stronger than ever to be ready for our patrons and provide them with high-quality entertainment while contributing to their journey of life-long learning.”

With opening night still months away, ATC is committed to protecting the health of its audiences, artists and staff.

The theater will communicate information about safety requirements to ticket holders as the first show date approaches. For ticket holders who are unready to return to the theater, all mainstage plays will be professionally recorded with three cameras on opening night.

Although ATC’s stages have been dark, audiences nationwide have tuned in to the theater’s digital play readings for more than a year. With more than 250,000 views of its digital work and 5,000-plus students at 70 schools across the state watching, these offerings gave audiences a peek into the playmaking process and

provided a welcomed option when live theater was not possible.

In addition to its mainstage productions, ATC will continue to provide digital play readings and access points throughout the coming season.

“Part of this new chapter for ATC is a focus on lifting up local voices,” Daniels says.

“This last year, we hired local legend Chanel Bragg to become our associate artistic director and presented our monthlong salute to Tucson playwright Elaine Romero. That type of home state love will

continue as this season showcases local designers Connie Furr, William Kirkham and Kish Finnegan; local music director Alan Plado; and local actors Seth Tucker, Chanel Bragg, Veronika Duerr, Cyndii Johnson, Lena Quach and so many more.

Part of being the state theater is showing that the best in the country want to come work here — and also live here.”

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A Galaxy Not Far, Far Away Gaslight Theatre turns classic into humorous melodrama with its production ‘Space Wars’

BY LAURA LATZKO “Star Wars” and its beloved cast of characters ranging from Darth Vader to Lando Calrissian have won over the hearts of moviegoers.

The Gaslight Theatre will poke fun of that with the parody “Space Wars” from Thursday, June 10, to Sunday, August 29.

The production stars familiar and new performers. Most actors will play one role, but a few will pull double duty.

Jake Chapman is tasked with Dark Brawl and Shuey, and Jacob Brown will star as MP3PO and Yoga.

The lineup also features Janee Page as Princess Layla, Erin Thompson as Zarphixia, Ruthie Hayashi as Vendala, Todd Thompson as Lance, and David Orley as Sobe Kal. A 17-year theater veteran, Mike Yarema will reprise his role as Duke, the show’s hero. He says he enjoys returning to a character like Duke.

“It’s always good when you’ve played the part before. It makes it like putting on a comfy old shoe,” Yarema says.

The dynamics change, however, when castmates change.

“You will come up with different jokes and come up with different ways to mess with each other onstage,” Yarema says.

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| JUNE 2021

special effects with the first production of “Space Wars” and later incorporated it into other shows.

“Back in those days, we had been used to doing plays the way that we had, without a lot of extra tech,” Yarema says.

“Our technical things would be something on a stick or something on a string. We still do that in this show, but we have made some advances that were out of our comfort zone. It really made us realize as we moved forward into the other shows that when we tackle some of these sci-fi things, we can get even more brazen with our technical stuff.”

Fight choreography will be in top form when the characters engage in lightsaber battles. These scenes brought back memories for Yarema.

“We would pretend to have lightsabers if we had a flashlight. The first time I ever did it, I felt like a kid again,” Yarema says.

Audience members are encouraged to get involved by cheering for the heroes and booing the villains. They’re also welcome to dress as their favorite characters.

To align with pandemic times, “Space Wars” will operate at a reduced capacity to keep audiences and cast members safe.

“Financially, it’s been a really challeng-

The Gaslight Theatre brings a parodied version of “Star Wars” with special effects, over-the-top characters and comedic moments. (Photos by Brian Gawne)

“We’re very improv heavy. As we get comfortable with the show, we will, as actors, take liberty with the script.”

Yarema helped writer-director Peter Van Slyke pen the show.

“We have people attend multiple times in a row because they want to see how the show started out, and they want to see what we ended up doing to it by the end of the run.”

Like other Gaslight productions, “Space Wars” will have large-scale musical numbers and comedic dialogue and characterizations.

The production draws from the original three “Star Wars” films, telling the story of Duke’s personal journey.

“The story of the show is the story of Duke Starfighter coming from a nobody

farm boy to realizing the fate of the universe is in his hands,” Yarema says. “He has to learn how to become what we call a ‘galactic knight’ to defeat the evil in the universe.”

Although most of the characters are inspired by the classic films, a few are drawn from later material, including Dark Brawl.

The show parodies music from the ’70s and ’80s, making them fit the sci-fi theme.

One tune is a galactic-focused spoof of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons’ “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night).”

Like the film series, the theatrical production uses special effects to create illusions, such as characters flying through space and the narrative used in the opening crawl.

Yarema says the company explored

Space Wars...continues on page 13

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Space Wars...continued from page 12 ing year for the theater,” Yarema says.

“As I understand it, there was a period of time where we almost shut down. We are really happy to be in this position where we are putting on shows for an audience. We’re really not out of the woods yet Gaslight Theatre’s production of “Space Wars” when it comes will star Mike Yarema as to our local the- Duke and Jacob Brown as Yoga. aters.

“There’s still a long way to go. The entertainment industry, by the nature of how we do in our craft and how we get lots of people together, is going to be one of the last things that recovers. We are really hoping for our fans and the community to show up and enjoy the show with us. Without them, our theater and other theaters are still at risk of closing.”

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13

Dining

Beaut Burger opened as a fully vegan restaurant in 2018, offering a variety of vegan burgers, fries and additional side dishes.

(Photo courtesy of Beaut Burger)

What a Beaut!

Beaut Burger

267 S. Avenida del Convento 344-5907 beautburger.com

Vegan burger eatery doesn’t sacrifice flavor

BY ANNIKA TOMLIN Before Beyond Meat and Impossible burgers, Ari Shapiro was inspired to create a vegan burger after hiking with his partner, Kerry Lane.

He craved a juicy burger and fries, with one stipulation — the patty had to be vegan.

“I’ve been plant based for almost 20 years,” Shapiro says.

“My partner, who is a vegan macrobiotic chef, and I were hiking in Canada, and we were craving In-N-Out or Shake Shack. We just started wondering why no one is making kind of a veggie version of Shake Shack — juicy, sloppy fries, Coke and cheap beer. We thought it was a great idea. We believe in it.”

After years of development, Shapiro and Lane opened Beaut Burger in Tucson in 2018. Shapiro stresses that, unlike other vegan or vegetarian burger options, Beaut doesn’t offer “mock meat” or “textured soy protein.”

“We are not trying to mimic meat. That was never the intention,” Shapiro says.

“The intention was to recreate the hamburger-fry classic experience.

“We put as much thought into the patty, the bun, the fires, the drinks — all of

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| JUNE 2021

it — because it was a holistic approach.

What makes ours unique is that it’s unprocessed. It’s based on the idea of macrobiotics, which is like a balanced blend of whole vegetables, grains, spices, legumes. It’s gluten free.”

The top-selling items, which Shapiro jokes “keep the lights on,” include fries and the B4 Burger, made with griddled mushrooms, caramelized onions, Swiss cheese and mayo, along with the vegan patty, a choice of bun, and cauli bites.

“I came into this being a fry obsessive, and I think our fries are phenomenal,” Shapiro says.

He calls it “the perfect fry.” The kitchen uses expeller-pressed sunflower oil on the hand-cut, blanched potatoes.

“I’m a big fan of our fries,” he says.

Shapiro also loves the B5 Burger made with zhoug (jalapeno pesto), ranch, cucumber and lettuce.

“My new favorite it the Fooled Pork, the jackfruit sandwich,” Shaprio says.

“I’m blown away at how great that came out.”

From beginning to now As a self-proclaimed “word nerd,” Shapiro wanted his newest business to have

a unique and creative name to match his other ventures, including Sparkroot, a veggie coffee shop, and Falora, a plant-centric wood-fired pizza joint.

“I’m particularly fond of made-up words, or if I can’t make up a word, my second favorite option is like a defunct word that used to be in linguistic use and has kind of fallen off,” Shapiro says.

“Beaut sort of fell into that category.

It was used a lot in the ’50s and ’60s as slang. Farmers would say, ‘Look at my new tractor. Ain’t she a beaut?’ It’s used a lot in New Zealand and Australia, same kind of slang.”

As a shortened version of beautiful, Shapiro says he and Lane thought “Beaut Burger just flowed so well.”

“Even though we are a plant-based fully vegan restaurant, we designed this for vegans, but we really designed this for omnivores,” says Shapiro, who adds that it was important to create a buzz about its fries and burgers.

“In Tucson, some our biggest fans are carnivores, and we are starting to see that a little up here, too,” Shapiro adds.

“It’s always the most pleasing part to me when people who aren’t necessarily vegan love the food here. Really we just

want to be considered good food.”

That said, the hardest part about creating Beaut Burger was persuading prospective guests to believe in the concept, according to Shapiro.

“Three years ago, most people didn’t know about Beyond and Impossible. That is only within the last couple years,” Shapiro says.

“I think the hardest part of year one in Tucson was proving the concept and sticking with it. It was embraced by a large part of the Tucson community, but it also took time to kind of ingratiate ourselves into the city at large.”

Shapiro knows that not everyone will like the fully vegan menu but says “the people who like it love it but there are some people who think it’s not 100% for them.”

In terms of the Phoenix location, Shapiro says the lease was signed prior to COVID-19. However, after the pandemic hit, he was forced to ask “some existential questions” about if he should move forward in the dwindling restaurant industry.

“It proved to be really difficult around all of the complexities around COVID, but it’s working,” Shapiro says. www.LovinLife.com

Transit Tea Manish Shah puts a new spin on a traditional drink

BY ANNIKA TOMLIN Manish Shah, owner of Maya Tea Café, unexpectedly missed his flight and drove 12 hours to his destination five and a half years ago.

Along that drive, he came up with the concept for Transit Tea. “He was just kind of feeling burned out, in general, in the tea business,” says Transit Tea brand manager Kristin Brakke.

“He doesn’t miss flights.

He doesn’t miss anything like that. He had this kind of ‘idea download’ while he was driving, and that’s where Transit Tea, the inspiration for it, was born.”

For two years, Transit Tea was a traveling school bus serving hot and iced tea.

“What we did on the truck is not at all what we do in the store, just because the truck doesn’t have the capability,” Brakke says. “We are working on kind of retrofitting the truck to make it a mini Transit, if you will.”

After years of testing and modifications for the specific ingredients, the brickand-mortar version opened February 3.

“What we’ve created now has actually taken us five years to do,” Brakke says.

“There is a lot of science behind what we do, but what we created is a way to take tea. … Our tea base is kind of a shapeshifter.

“Ours is different. We can make it hot.

We can make it iced. We can make it sparkling. We can also make it into a snow cone.”

It took five years to develop because they wanted “the very best of everything,” according to Brakke.

“If you look at our syrups, they are not all the same brand,” Brakke says.

“We’re, like, OK, strawberry syrup, great.

Well let’s bring in all of the strawberry syrups and taste them all and let’s see what happens — and that’s what we did.”

From syrups to a specific ice machine that created pellet-sized ice and “the best water in Tucson,” the Transit team carefully chose the top-tier ingredients for the products it wanted to sell.

“We spent a lot of time finding the best of the best,” Brakke says. “You can make

Transit Tea

After five and a half years of taste testing, the brainchild of Maya Tea Café owner Manish Shah was born — Transit Tea. (Photos by Dustin Sinclair)

iced tea at home, but we wanted to create something that you can’t really do at home.”

Transit Tea offers an array of tea-based sodas, lattes and snow cones, along with plain and chai tea.

“I love Solstice; that’s one of my recipes,” Brakke says about the green teabased drink with lychee, grapefruit and elderflower.

“The Solstice is probably my favorite overall, but there are a bunch of other ones that kind of stand out because we use really unexpected flavors.”

For example, the Kaleidoscope tastes like a watermelon Jolly Rancher, while the Zephyr was inspired by key lime pie. The Rainforest is Brakke’s version of an adult Hawaiian Punch. Fans of bananas foster will like the Luminous.

“Each drink has its own kind of inspiration.”

2645 E. Speedway Boulevard, Tucson 433-2886, transittea.com

www.LovinLife.com

Transit Tea offers a variety of tea-based sodas and snow cones, along with regular teas that come in unexpected flavors.

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What’s Cooking?

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Frozen Lemonade Pie Ingredients: • 1 store-bought graham cracker crust • 1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened • 16-ounce container Cool Whip, thawed • 1 (12-ounce) container frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed • 2 (10-ounce) jars of lemon curd (20 ounces total) • Yellow gel food coloring

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Interactive Services: ADT Command Interactive Solutions Services (“ADT Command”) helps you manage your home environment and family lifestyle. Requires purchase of an ADT alarm system with 36-month monitoring contract ranging from $45.99-$59.99/mo. with QSP (24-month monitoring contract in California, total fees ranging $1,103.76-$1,439.76), enrollment in ADT EasyPay, and a compatible device with Internet and email access. These interactive services do not cover the operation or maintenance of any household equipment/systems that are connected to the ADT Command equipment. All ADT Command services are not available with all interactive service levels. All ADT Command services may not be available in all geographic areas. You may be required to pay additional charges to purchase equipment required to utilize the interactive service features you desire.

General: Additional charges may apply in areas that require guard response service for municipal alarm verification. System remains property of ADT. Local permit fees may be required. Prices and offers subject to change and may vary by market. Additional taxes and fees may apply. Satisfactory credit required. A security deposit may be required. Simulated screen images and photos are for illustrative purposes only. ©2021 ADT LLC dba ADT Security Services. All rights reserved. ADT, the ADT logo, 800.ADT.ASAP and the product/service names listed in this document are marks and/or registered marks.

Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited. Third-party marks are the property of their respective owners. License information available at www.ADT.com/legal or by calling 800.ADT.ASAP. CA ACO7155, 974443, PPO120288; FL EF0001121; LA F1639, F1640, F1643, F1654, F1655; MA 172C; NC Licensed by the Alarm Systems Licensing Board of the State of North Carolina, 7535P2, 7561P2, 7562P10, 7563P7, 7565P1, 7566P9, 7564P4; NY 12000305615; PA 09079, MS 15019511.

DF-CD-NP-Q221

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| JUNE 2021

Directions: In a large bowl, combine the quart of softened vanilla ice cream, 2 1/2 cups of thawed Cool Whip, and the thawed lemonade concentrate. Mix to fully combine.

Pour half of the mixture into the graham cracker crust to form the first layer.

Place pie and the bowl with the remainder of the ice cream mixture in the freezer to hardened for one to two hours. Meanwhile, make the lemon curd mixture.

In another bowl, add remainder of the Cool Whip (2 1/2 cups), the lemon curd and 1/2 teaspoon of yellow gel food coloring. Mix to combine. When the pie has hardened, spread the lemon curd layer over the layer of ice cream mixture. Return to the freezer to harden, about one to two hours. When hardened, spoon the remainder of the frozen (slightly thawed) ice cream mixture over the lemon curd.

Return to freezer for six hours or overnight. When ready to serve, slice and serve immediately.

Watch the how-to video for frozen lemonade pie at jandatri.com www.LovinLife.com

Columns

Puzzles

ANSWERS ON PAGE 13

Ask the Expert

5 stroke risk factors you can control

BY TUCSON MEDICAL CENTER Stroke is the No. 5 killer and a leading cause of disability in America.

“Certain uncontrollable circumstances, such as age, family history and gender, may play a role in stroke risk, but there are several risk factors that are within your control,” says Dr. David Teeple, medical director of Tucson Medical Center’s stroke program.

“Regular checkups with your primary care provider can help you identify those risks and control and treat them.”

Here are five conditions you can manage so you can worry less about stroke.

Diabetes If you have Type 1 or 2 diabetes, controlling your blood sugar can help ward off stroke. Diabetes is a risk factor for stroke all on its own; however, many people with diabetes also have high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol and are overweight, increasing that risk even more. If you need help controlling your diabetes, your primary care provider can help you or refer you to an endocrinologist. If you need a primary care provider, you can find one at tmcaz.com/tmc-one/ one.

Diet Eat those fruits and veggies. Diets high in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol can raise blood cholesterol levels. Diets high in sodium can cause high blood pressure, and those with high calories can lead to obesity. All of these can lead

to stroke. However, a diet that includes at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day may reduce the risk of stroke.

Obesity Obesity is linked to an increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and stroke.

Even losing a little bit of weight — 5 to 10 pounds — can significantly change those risks. Losing weight and maintaining weight loss can be a real struggle, but taking small steps at a time can make a difference. For example, swap out your afternoon candy bar for an apple and some peanut butter, or instead of a burger at lunch, have a salad with chicken.

Smoking If you are a smoker, you have a higher risk of stroke because the nicotine and carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke cause damage to the cardiovascular system. If you are smoking and taking birth control pills, that risk is even greater. For tips on quitting smoking, visit https://bit. ly/3fqayqd.

High blood pressure This is the leading cause of stroke and the most significant controllable risk factor. Your primary care provider can help you get on a plan to lower your blood pressure. You can also buy a device to check your blood pressure at home.

Knowing your numbers and keeping them low can help prevent stroke. For ways on lowering your blood pressure, visit https://bit.ly/3yFwZiB.

ACROSS

1 5 9 12 13 14 15 17 18 19 21 22 24 27 28 31 32 33 34 36 37 38

Met melody “CSI” settings Apply cream Fender bender Gumbo need Mode lead-in Instrument panel Homer’s neighbor Thread holders “Tiny Alice” playwright “Heavens!”

Spud Green gem Church seat Ken or Barbie Glamorous Gardner Shoe width Teeny Baseball glove British “Inc.” -- B’rith Soil

51 52 53 54 55 56

Opposite of nyet “Yippee!”

Vile Ghostly greeting Music group at a New Year’s Eve party Wall St. debut Jacob’s twin Author Ferber “A mouse!”

Peel Optimistic

DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Tosses in Harvest Not -- many words Not on the road Novelist Anita Alias letters “It’s c-c-cold!”

Nasser’s successor “The Da Vinci Code” author

EVEN EXCHANGE

by Donna Pettman

www.LovinLife.com

40 41 43 47 48

10 11 16 20 22 23 24 25 26 27 29 30 35 37 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 49 50

Out of the storm Ordered Journalist Nellie Started Pearly whites Dumbstruck Bread spread Bird (Pref.)

Appointment tracker Hide Meadow Tiki bar necklace Eastern path Sweeney Todd, for one Actress Winona Female hare Theater award Aspiration Gulf War missile Pedestal part Hostels Crucial time “-- was saying ...”

Indian bread

Each numbered row contains two clues and two answers. The two answers differ from each other by only one letter, which has already been inserted. For example, if you exchange the A from MASTER for an I, you get MISTER. Do not change the order of the letters.

JUNE 2021 |

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The Healthy Geezer

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is acted upon by the normal bacteria in your intestines. Insoluble fiber is not digested by the body and promotes regularity and softens stools. Wheat bran, whole grain products and vegetables are good sources of insoluble fiber.

Soluble fiber appears to reduce your body’s absorption of cholesterol from the intestines. Oatmeal contains soluble fiber that reduces your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the “bad” cholesterol that can increase your risk of heart attacks and strokes. This type of fiber is also found in such foods as kidney beans, Brussels sprouts, apples, pears, barley and prunes.

The American Dietetic Association recommends a healthy diet include 20 to 35 grams of fiber a day, including both soluble and insoluble fiber. (Soluble fiber should make up 5 to 10 grams of your fiber intake.) However, Americans only consume about half that amount.

There are other foods that work against cholesterol.

Soy protein, found in such products as tofu, soy nuts, soy milk and soy burgers, can help lower blood levels of LDL cholesterol, particularly when it’s substituted for animal protein. Ingesting 25 to 50 grams of soy protein a day lowers LDL cholesterol by 4% to 8%. That’s a lot of soy. People with the highest cholesterol levels seem to benefit the most from soy protein.

Women with breast cancer or who are at high risk of breast cancer should consult with their doctors before eating soy, because it is not clear how these plant estrogens might affect them.

Studies have shown that walnuts can significantly reduce cholesterol levels in the blood. Rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, walnuts may also help keep blood vessels healthier and elastic.

When walnuts represent 20% of the calories in a cholesterol-lowering diet, they reduce LDL cholesterol by 12%. Almonds appear to have a similar effect. All nuts are

high in calories, so use them as replacements for high-calorie foods with high levels of saturated fats.

Omega-3 fatty acids in fish are noted for lowering triglycerides, another form of fat in your blood. They also benefit the heart in other ways. The highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids are in mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon. Other good sources of omega-3 fatty acids include flaxseed, walnuts, canola oil and soybean oil.

Some foods are fortified with plant substances called sterols or stanols, which are similar in structure to cholesterol; this helps them block the absorption of cholesterol in the intestines. Margarines and orange juice that have been fortified with plant sterols can help reduce LDL cholesterol by more than 10%.

The American Heart Association recommends that foods containing plant sterols should be reserved for adults requiring lower total and LDL cholesterol levels because they are at high risk of — or have had — a heart attack.

You may want to try eating more soluble fiber, soy protein, walnuts and fatty fish. The next step would be the addition of foods fortified with plant sterols. Eating a combination of these cholesterol-lowering foods increases the benefit.

Of course, if you’re a geezer and you plan to make a change in your habits that could affect your health, it is recommended that you consult your doctor first. www.LovinLife.com

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JUNE 2021 |

19

Your primary care physician should know you at ALL levels of health.

- Jeffrey Selwyn, MD FACP Member of the P3 Patient Engagement Committee You don’t have to be sick to see your primary care provider.

In fact, one of the easiest ways to stay healthy is to schedule a comprehensive visit. Your face-to-face visit helps you connect with your primary care physician, establish trust, and share your health care preferences before serious illness hits. Best of all, it‘s often covered by your insurance.

Take back your health in

2021.

YOUR PARTNER IN HEALTH:

Dr. Jeffrey Selwyn

Schedule your comprehensive visit TODAY with your PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER! Or call (520) 244-0600 with questions. I P3Arizona.org

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| JUNE 2021

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