Richard Skipper Celebrates

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Peter Onorati was born and raised in Boonton, New Jersey. He attended college at Lycoming College, where he received his B.A. degree in Business Administration. He was an NCAA all-conference wide receiver, and signed up to play in the World Football League, which quickly collapsed. He then enrolled in Fairleigh Dickinson University, where he received an MBA. He worked for Ford Motor Company and McCall's magazines. He started in comedy, and left the business world for acting. He now lives in Los Angeles, appearing in both films and television shows. He is married to writer Jeanette Collins, and they have three sons.

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Marc Sotkin began his writing career in 1976 and has been a staff writer and producer on more than 350 episodes of various situation comedies for every television network. His credits include Executive Producer and Head Writer of Laverne & Shirley, The Golden Girls, as well as co-writing and producing two Garry Shandling specials for Showtime. He has been honored with multiple Emmy, Golden Globe, and Cable Ace award nominations and has won a prestigious Writers Guild Award. Marc was an early adopter and started creating content for the web in 1997 as Founder and CEO of Talentstream.com. In 2008 he began writing, producing and appearing in 109 episodes of his weekly Boomer Alley videos. In addition he hosted Boomer Alley Radio which aired weekly in Los Angeles, Colorado, and podcast to the world. He has written three novels, The Comatose Adventures of Lenny Rose, With Time Off For Bad Behavior, and Kinda Dirty Paris Confessions. He co-created and launched a multi-media graphic novel ebook, The Improbables. In 2013, after years of participating in spin classes, Marc became a certified spin instructor and taught his popular class at Colorado Athletic Club/Flatirons. In 2014 he received his NASM certification as a personal trainer. As a result, he co-wrote anew non-fiction book, Hacking The Aging Process. All his books and videos are available for free download on http://www.marcsotkin.com

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Broadway and Goodspeed alumna Laiona Michelle (Amazing Grace, The Terris Theatre) and Richard Skipper sit down to discuss her stirring bio-musical Little Girl Blue: The Nina Simone Musical, about the life and music of the legendary Nina Simone at Goodspeed by the River this August (2021). Writer/creator, Laiona Michelle will be playing the leading role of Nina Simone joined by a trio of musicians. This moving new musical begins August 4 and runs through August 29 under the tent alongside the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Conn. Goodspeed by the River is presented by Community Health Center, Inc. Inspired by Simone’s story, and the music that has come to define her, Laiona Michelle breathes life into Simone and gives her a platform from which to speak her truth in Little Girl Blue. “I fell in love with Nina Simone a very long time ago, but only really understood her importance in the world of music, and as an activist, once I began researching this project.” Ms. Michelle along with her collaborative partners on this project, have drawn from Nina’s rich life to create a portrait that is honest and powerful. Little Girl Blue had its premiere at George Street Playhouse in 2019. Ms. Michelle’s dynamic performance, filled with songs like “Feeling Good”,”Ooh Child”,”My Way” and more, will be supported by a company of three musicians, Saadi Zain on bass, Kenneth Salters on percussion and Music Supervisor/Arranger Mark Fifer on keys. Little Girl Blue: The Nina Simone Musical is an exuberant new musical with a tour de force performance by award-winning actor Laiona Michelle.

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With a 5-octave vocal range that runs the gamut from tender to tempest, Serafin LaRiviere has cultivated a cross-genre audience that embraces Jazz, Torch and even Classical music. Serafin’s first album, 2am At The Torch Café, peaked at Number 7 on Canadian college radio Jazz charts, with over 3000 downloads through Internet music sites like iTunes. A BravoFact documentary was filmed to coincide with the release of Torch Café, and aired frequently on Bravo during a two year period. His second album, Nothing Goes Quietly, premiered at Number 9 on the same charts, reaching Number 1 within a week on CHUO radio in Ottawa. A third album, Love’s Worst Crime, featured Serafin’s largest contribution of original material yet. Serafin’s cover of the Barry Mann classic “I’m Gonna Be Strong” (from his second album, Nothing Goes Quietly) was added to a Readers Digest International compilation CD alongside Glenn Campbell, Bonnie Tyler and Captain and Tenille. Serafin’s new album, Unravel, will be released February 5th, 2021 on the Arté Boreal record label. The first single, a haunting cover of A-ha's 1980s hit 'Take On Me' was released in December 2020.

https://www.serafin.ca/

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Diana Templeton has had a varied career in show business. Her credits include TV, radio, nightclubs, country clubs, cultural centers, retirement venues and libraries. In 1978 she began a twenty-seven year stint in the cabaret world, performing in all the leading Manhattan cabaret clubs, including The Russian Tea Room, The Firebird Cafe, Judy's Supper Club, Danny's Skylight Room and the Hideaway Room at Helen's. She has recorded ten CDs. Diana is also the creator and Artistic Director of "Broadway In The Bronx", a variety show featuring top-notch cabaret artists. Her talent was recognized and honored by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs when they presented her with their 2006 MAC Award for Best Female Vocalist. Diana taught tap dancing for eight years and in 1979 she choreographed the Off-Broadway show "Stardust" presented at The Carter Theatre in NYC

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Robin McWilliams was born in Omaha Nebraska and raised in SoCal. Growing up in Long Beach, she eventually made Hollywood her home and has been living there for most of her adult life. She made her living doing hair while juggling acting, directing, dance and art. After doing hair both privately and in the entertainment industry for more than 40 years, and working on series like Grounded for Life, Less than Perfect, Even Stevens. Film Gods and Monsters and with Del Shores on many Sordid shows, Robin decided it was time to turn her focus toward her acting, directing and creative side. This journey led her to join the NoHo Arts Center theatre company in North Hollywood. She and her wife Madonna worked with the theatre ensemble and met wonderful people along the way. As a matter of fact, while watching incredibly talented actors work who had no representation, Robin and Madonna opened MadCatch Entertainment talent management company in 2004 to help actors get out, audition, workshop and work in film, television and theatre. While Madonna also began her work in the nonprofit world during this time, Robin became full-time Owner/CEO of MadCatch Entertainment and represents a diverse list of clients from New York and LA, and has expanded to working with writers. Producing Independent Films in the LGBTQIA community. She has spent much of her time giving back to the LGBTQ+ community through volunteer work with APLA Health, the Los Angeles LGBT Center, Christopher Street West, and more. As if that weren’t enough, she has managed a 38-unit apartment building in the middle of Hollywood for more than 15 years.

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An Evening with Richard Skipper: The Magic of Believing tells the story of a precocious 13-year-old South Carolina-an who decided on August 5th, 1974 that he would move to New York in five years, to the day, and try his hand at show business. Sure enough, come August 5th, 1979, equipped with a one-way plane ticket and five hundred dollars, 18 year-old Ricky Skipper kept that promise to himself, and forty years later he is still nurturing, daily, his unquenchable thirst for the business of show: “The show business bug did not bite me, I bit it – and I bit it hard. I wanted to be in show business before I even knew what show business was.” The Magic of Believing: An Excerpt from Broadway World, by Stephen Mosher Aug. 6, 2019 The musical autobiography that Mr. Skipper presented was a true celebration of a gifted entertainer and a resilient human being – and it was an absolute delight. The standing-room-only audience was a veritable who’s who of cabaret luminaries, all on hand to hear Skipper’s tale, and it did not disappoint. The over-forty crowd was so captivated by Skipper that only one person was seen tiptoeing out for a restroom break, an unheard-of feat in a two hour evening of theatre. Skipper’s ability to paint a picture with words brought to life characters one might easily find in the writings of Willa Cather or Armistead Maupin, and it didn’t matter that the characters weren’t famous enough to give the audience a frame of reference because the true star of the night was the story being told. It would be impossible for Mr. Skipper to speak about his life without some delicious name-dropping, but it wasn’t essential, except in the case of Carol Channing, for obvious reasons.

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Amy Spanger - Broadway credits include Kiss Me Kate, The Wedding Singer (Drama Desk nomination), Rock Of Ages, Elf: The Musical, Chicago, Sunset Boulevard, Urinetown, and Matilda. Amy originated the role of Susan in Tick, tick… Boom! off Broadway and played Maureen in the first national tour of Rent. Some of her other favorite roles include Gwendolyn in The Importance Of Being Earnest at Williamstown directed by David Hyde Pierce and Alana O’dell in Robin and the Seven Hoods at the Old Globe directed by Casey Nicolaw. Her television credits include Six Feet Under, Bored To Death, Royal Pains, Law & Order: SVU, The Blacklist, and Chicago Med. She played Sally DeBaines in Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical starring Alan Cumming and Kristen Bell, directed by Andy Fickman. She has performed her solo show at Joe’s Pub, 54 Below and Birdland. Amy is a vocal coach and teaches master classes in musical theater. She lives in New York City with her husband, actor Brian Shepard.

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Labris Willendorf is a queer, femme, author, proponent of joy and enthusiast of people and animals. Labris has had many years of writing courses and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Women’s Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz. How I Became The Love of My Life, is her first published book.

She has recently launched, www.BecomeTheLoveofYourLife.com to encourage, develop, inspire and be inspired by others becoming the loves of their own lives. How I Became The Love of My Life, is a memoir of one queer woman's self-excavation and voyage into a new life. After her world implodes the night her wife admits to cheating, Labris begins to trust her gut again. She finds the strength to leave her marriage and sets out to walk the Camino de Santiago in Northern Spain. Saying, "Yes!" to the Universe leads her on journeys through fear and rejection to adventure, sexual escapades and an evolving sense of joy and victory.

https://www.amazon.com/How-Became-Love-My-Life/dp/0578861178

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Originally from the UK, Zoe now lives and performs in Provincetown, Cape Cod. She's traveled to over 70 countries picking up musical grooves and stories along the way, released ten albums of original material, she’s toured with Judy Collins, the Indigo Girls, Richie Havens, Nanci Griffiths and has even opened for Pat Benatar on the ukulele! She plays vintage jazz, world beat grooves, is known for her storytelling and plays anything from the piano to the spoons! She’s written 2 musicals, has won numerous songwriting awards and her songs have appeared on Broadway, in documentaries, movie soundtracks and in commercials. Every winter she takes her show to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and has most recently starting writing music for an upcoming Netflix kid’s TV show. Her shows are upbeat and fun, perfect for all ages, almost circus-like, an entertainer from another era “She is as much storyteller as she is musician, this British transplant is blessed with the uncanny ability to uncover the extraordinary beauty in the seemingly ordinary”.

ZoeLewis.com