Broad Perspectives

In a life-saving attempt to flee El Salvador’s civil war in 1980, Dora Rodriguez was one of thirteen survivors found near death while crossing the border through the Sonoran Desert. By bravely publicizing her story of migration and through her unwavering support for migrants rights, Dora’s image has been propelled to the forefront of the sanctuary movement in Tucson, AZ.

Through her public speaking and advocacy work, Dora’s focus is to educate communities about the harsh realities migrants face in the desert, and to inspire transformative changes to the immigration injustices plaguing our border towns.

She lives in Tucson, Arizona, with her husband and is a proud mother of five and grandmother. Dora serves as Founder and Director of Salvavision, a nonprofit offering aid and support to migrants and deportees.

Aubyn Philabaum is a professional actor and coach based in both Los Angeles and Tucson.  She holds her BFA in Acting from Boston University and her MFA in Acting from The Yale School of Drama.  Aubyn also studied in London and worked on New York stages for many years before moving west.

Aubyn founded Book The Room Coaching in Los Angeles in 2019 – acting coaching and self-tapes for the professional actor – which turned remote during the pandemic.  This allowed her to meet clients all over the world.  She now coaches actors in the U.K., Mexico, Philippines, Ecuador, Canada and all over the U.S.

She now operates the Aubyn Philabaum Acting Studio for in-person workshops and classes.

This was the music played on our music break.

Margo Newhouse has lived through 48 hot Southern Arizona summers.  She is a retired special education teacher and elementary school librarian.  When she isn’t busy with The Raging Grannies she keeps active with the International League for Peace and Freedom, political activism, her church social justice council and many hours in her church kitchen.  For the past ten years she’s spent time planning, preparing and presenting heat preparedness workshops with a group from Physicians for Social Responsibility.  Margo and her husband of 66 years have three grown children and five grandchildren.

Lee Stanfield as a child lived in several US states as well as Yokohama Japan because her father was in the military. As an adult she lived in Arizona, Texas and Oregon.  She retired in 2005. Her career ranged from being a photographer, to a mental health counselor, to a case manager for ALTCS (Arizona Long Term Care System) coordinating in-home services for disabled and elderly Medicaid patients. She is a long time activist, has worked with the Tucson Sierra Club, she founded Single-Payer NOW, and she’s a member of Move To Amend to get money out of politics. Lee has two grown kids, two grandkids and one great grand baby. She joined Raging Grannies around 2012.

Music played on our break. 1000 Grandmothers by Holly Near

Serenity Stewart is the powerhouse vocalist behind Serenity Brings The Storm (SBTS), a dynamic band that revives the best of Classic Rock and Country while keeping the dance floor alive with R&B and funk favorites. A classically trained soprano turned jazz and standards artist, Serenity is known for her sultry voice, commanding stage presence, and fearless style. With a career spanning music, stage, and screen, she’s a true entertainer who delivers every performance with glamour, grit, and heart.

Hannah Clyde Taylor is the Director and Choreographer of the play Six – Teen Edition that played at The Rialto Theatre this week – on June 17 & 18. Hannah is a local director, choreographer and actor here in Tucson and has worked on several productions.  

Grace Christian (Anne of Cleves) is 14 years old and an incoming freshman at Ironwood Ridge High School. SIX marks her sixth production and her first year involved in theatre. She loves acting, dancing, and spending time with friends.

 Natalia Hightower (Anne of Cleves) is 17 – sewing is one of her biggest passions and she’s currently in the process of creating her own clothing collection and plans on pursuing fashion design.

Sadie Maddox (Anne Boleyn) is 16 years old. She is a dancer, singer, and actress and will be a senior at Salpointe Catholic High School.

Eleanor Gann (Catherin Parr) is an incoming sophomore at Ironwood Ridge High School and has been performing since she was 7 years old. You may have seen her in shows such as Alice By Heart, and Anything Goes.

Bianca Caruso is a dynamic singer, songwriter, and performer best known as one half of the Americana-soul duo Freddy & Francine, alongside her husband Lee Ferris. Raised in Maine and Austin, Texas, Bianca brings a rich blend of folk, soul, and theatrical flair to her music. They have played at the Tucson Folk Festival and are now residing in Tucson.

Freddy & Francine and RISO   –   Hotel Congress on June 7th, 2025

https://hotelcongress.com/event/freddy-francine-and-riso/

https://dice.fm/event/2wd5mm-freddy-francine-and-riso-7th-jun-club-congress-tucson-tickets?lng=en-US

Lauren has a B.S. in Watershed Hydrology and Management from the University of Arizona. As a Tucson native, Lauren has a passion for the environment and the community in this area and wants to continue spreading this excitement for nature, water and people through her work with the River Run Network.

Billie Eilish – all the good girls go to hell….was played on our music break.

After decades of working in the fast-paced but occasionally scandalous apparel industry, Dana sought more control of her life and returned to her early love of story. She created a new female protagonist, Andrea Kellner, and an accompanying mystery series born out of the long-lived, albeit amplified, desire to shed light on shadows. The series, commencing with the gripping Lies in High Places, renders a journey through crime and corruption countered by Andrea’s confidence and ability to confront deceit.

Dana’s most recent book, though, Where the Shadows Dance, is a deeply personal story of love, lies, and leaving, examining how Dana became collateral damage in her alcoholic marriage. She sums it up with “He got sober, I got broken.”

On our music break we played Trouble in My Mind by Mavis Staples with Levon Helm

Syndenn Sweet is a hearing impaired creator living in Tucson, AZ. She owns Hanner House Records located in the heart of Tucson. She is a singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, Foley artist, luthier, published author, visual-artist and poet.

As a musician she has appeared with: Mr. Natures Music Garden, ESP, and The Sapiens Music Collaborative, Sunny and the whisky machine, Random animal, Mama’s Boy and other various Tucson acts.

Syndenn currently performs with: Cat Mountain, the Desert Museum Family Band, sweet west, Broke down palace, THE SHRIEKING VIOLETS and Feral Claw.

For more information about Syndenn, you can visit her website at syndennsweet.com. Because there is lots more that she does with her recording label, Hanner House Records.

Debbie Stewart (Starchild) is currently touring with the band Chris Baron and Two Secrets playing cello. She has been playing the cello “forever” and calls it her soul instrument.

She began touring 2 years ago and considers it a new beginning. After suffering years of chronic pain, in which she was unable to play music, she realized how important it was to her survival. It was a dark time, to be a musician who’s hands didn’t work. When relief came, there was nothing else to do but play. And she does!

A songwriter in her own right, Debbie has been writing songs since she was 18. While her songwriting has become second to cello these days, the band is working her songs into the set. Every show she revels in the fact that she can play again, and she knows she’s doing exactly what she was meant to do.

Virginia Cannon is a music industry consultant from Nashville with decades of experience working as a consultant, talent manager and live performance coach.  While working in Nashville, Virginia hosted a popular weekly Songwriter Showcase for over eight years on Nashville’s historic Music Row.  When she moved to Tucson, she began hosting a monthly Songwriter Showcase at Monterey Court that went on for over 7 years.  In both Nashville and Tucson, Virginia has earned a reputation as a trusted advocate for performing songwriters and Indie Artists.  Her monthly Songwriter Showcases continue now at Brother John’s on the fourth Saturday of each month. She is currently hosting an Indie Music Conference next weekend with an LA music entertainment executive to talk about how musicians can make actual money.  That should be a welcome topic for many Tucson musicians.