T H E Z E I T E R I O N P E R F O R M I N G A R T S C E N T E R D O N O R N E W S L E T T E R • W I N T E R 20 24
Winter 2024 Welcome to the latest installment of Musings from The Z! Although our building remains closed, The Z is as vibrant and active as ever. We hope you enjoy the stories and updates in this quarterly newsletter. As you may know, our primary focus is completing the ambitious restoration and renovation of our beloved building. What you might not realize is that we’re also hard at work reimagining and revitalizing the organization itself.
In the coming months, we’ll unveil an exciting and ambitious strategic plan outlining our vision for the future. Together with the renovation project, we are truly transforming The Z—inside and out. Our bold vision includes bringing the building to life in new ways, remaining a vital civic asset for the city and region, and fulfilling our promise to be a center that places the community at its heart. Thank you for your continued support as we reach this pivotal moment in The Z’s journey. We invite you to join us as we move forward into an exciting future together!
An Uplifting Performance
Illuminating News About our Chandelier
We experienced a truly sensational event when The Z partnered with New Bedford Historical Society and New Bedford Symphony Orchestra for Lift Us Up: An Afternoon Interlude on October 5.
Months ago, the Zeiterion chandelier, which was custom built for the theater’s opening in 1923, was removed from the building for the first time in 100 years. It’s now in the hands of the lighting professionals at Grand Light. The Connecticutbased company is deep cleaning and re-cabling the century-old fixture with patience and great care piece by piece.
Contemporary Black and Latino creatives Iva Brito, Maia Jaye Livramento, and Hendrick Hernandez– Resto shared their beautiful and powerful words in honor of New Bedford’s abolitionist past in Abolition Row Park. The artists brought forward the struggles for liberation and hope for a future free from oppression in collaboration with musicians from NBSO. The event was free and open to all.
Not only is the chandelier receiving the TLC it needs, we’ve discovered details that have been lost over the last century. We know it is a cut glass Czechoslovakian chandelier, but we could only estimate the number of crystals. Thanks to Grand Light, we’ve learned it has a total of 25,066 crystal components! They’ve also discovered it originally had a gold finish with washed copper inlay. Grand Light was also surprised that the fixture was constructed of plaster, wood, brass, and steel.
The unique arrangement of original works, the exceptional live music, and the sunshine elevated the experience for all in attendance at Abolition Row Park that afternoon. If you haven’t visited Abolition Row Park (located at 22 7th St. in New Bedford), we encourage you to check it out!
To spruce up the crystals, they will each be ultrasonically and hand cleaned. Technically speaking: Grand Light’s Industrial Ultrasonic Cleaning Tanks provide high-frequency sound waves transmitted through liquid to scrub clean the surface of immersed parts. The high-frequency sound waves, typically 40 kHz, agitate the liquid solution of water or solvent and cause the cavitation of solution molecules. And that’s why Grand Light are the experts!
HBCU College Fair Returns We’re excited to bring back the HBCU College Fair! Save the date for Saturday, February 15, when The Z once again teams up with local and regional alumni to showcase Historically Black Colleges and Universities – this year with live step performances! Free and open to the public.
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Soon our beloved chandelier will return to the Zeiterion where it will sparkle for all to enjoy.
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The Zeitz Family Returns
Seat Selection
Over the summer, we had the pleasure of meeting Rick Anderson for a tour of the Zeiterion, just after the restoration started. But this wasn’t the first time Rick had been to the Zeiterion. He’s the grandson of Harry Zeitz, one of the brothers who built the Zeiterion, and he has many fond memories of growing up at the theater.
One of the major highlights of this project is new and uniform seats, but there is more to consider than just comfort. This is a restoration after all, so the seats need to be historically accurate as well. The trouble is, we don’t have photos of the seats from 1923. So we relied on what was likely selected in the 1920s and what is consistent with the theater’s Neoclassical style. This led to reference material to help select everything from the shape of the chair (back of the seat, armrests, end panels) to details like wood backs, seat bottoms, and fabrics. The end result is one that incorporates the comfort of today yet is true to the time period.
Richard L. Anderson, who was born in New Bedford and raised in Fall River, is the son of Harry’s daughter Elaine Anderson. Harry and his brothers Barney, Fisher, Mort and Frank built the Zeitz empire that owned several of New Bedford’s grand theaters in the early 1900s. When Rick came to New Bedford to see his grandparents, he would also visit the Zeiterion. His grandfather’s and uncles’ offices were right off the main lobby. “It was always a treat to come here to theater and sit in the big leather chair with my uncles,” Rick recalls. When the Zeiterion hosted the star-studded premiere of Moby Dick, Rick was about 9 years old. He remembers the event and the parade that went through downtown New Bedford. “It was a lot of fun,” Rick said. “Gregory Peck and his beautiful wife Veronica stayed at my grandmother’s house up on Taber Street. There’s been a lot of nice memories here.”
Jamie & Josh Zeitz
This summer we also had a visit from Rick’s cousins, Jamie and Josh Zeitz. The great grandsons of Harry Zeitz were in New England in June and came to New Bedford to tour their family’s theater and reminisce over photos from The Z archives.
Lorum Ipsum
Now 79 and living in Brooklyn, NY, Rick last visited the Zeiterion in 1963. He’s grateful that his family’s legacy lives on. “It’s so nice to see what my uncles and grandfather have built has been preserved,” he said. “My grandfather was a man of very few words. He was proud to be able to provide the public with entertainment.” Rick hopes to organize a Zeitz family reunion for our grand re-opening!
Lorum Ipsum
UMass Dartmouth Main Auditorium
Jamie Zeitz, Josh Zeitz
The big dig, Zeiterion style 4 MUS I N GS FROM TH E Z
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VALUES IN ACTION: Community Time This year, The Z launched an exciting new policy to encourage building relationships in our community. All staff are now required to spend 16 hours per year visiting or volunteering at community organizations led by or in service of a group that is underrepresented at The Z. This new policy speaks to three of our organizational values: connection, equity and transparency. Here’s how our staff have spent their Community Time so far.
PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: Bristol Community College I am grateful for having the opportunity to see my city through an entirely different lens. I have lived here my whole life and didn’t realize how many important events took place right here. - Kayla
In October, several Z staffers took New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park’s Underground Railroad Tour in downtown New Bedford
Hats off to Bristol Community College, one of the organizations we’re proud to call a partner! While we’ve collaborated with them in the past (like Gisela João’s performance while we were “On the Road”), our recent collaboration was especially a success. In November, we jointly presented PBS host and author Maria Lawton – but it was more than an event, it was a multi-faceted experience. Maria’s stage presentation explored Azorean culinary history with Portugalia Marketplace’s Mike Benevides and TV personality Ricardo Farias. Additionally, there were two student components that truly made it dynamic. She first met with their Culinary Art program for lunch and an inspiring conversation, then her post-show reception was catered by the Baking & Pastry students.
Many from The Z volunteered for Child & Family Services’ annual Holiday Hope gift drive in December. Since 2018, Z staff have purchased gifts for Holiday Hope families. Offering help on site last month made for an even more meaningful experience.
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The event’s success speaks to Bristol Community College’s can-do spirit and professionalism. They were generous with their time, resources, and facility. Like other organizations we work with, Bristol Community College shares our value in these types of opportunities where community, education, and entertainment converge – and not just for adults, but students in particular. It was a pleasure working with Dr. Laura Douglas and her team, and we look forward to our next joint venture!
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
What do you miss about The Z while the building is closed? We’d love to know! Please email Molly McCarthy, The Z’s Development Director, with your thoughts at mmccarthy@zeiterion.org.
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ZEITERION PERFORMING ARTS CENTER DEMELLO INTERNATIONAL CENTER 128 UNION STREET, NE W BEDFORD
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THE ZEITERION PERFORMING ARTS CENTER DONOR NEWSLET TER
Lift Us Up
In this issue An Uplifting Review - Chandelier Rehab Zeitz Family Visit - And More!