Page 34 April 2012 Volunteer helps theater company celebrate 45th By Christina Sampson The Arizona Theater Company (ATC) will be celebrating its 45th anniversary on April 21 with a special event called Curtain Up Cabaret: A Sapphire Celebration. As well as honoring award recipients, including Ann C. Lynn (this year’s Gregory Award Winner) and APS (the Ovation Award Winner), attendees will view an intimate performance by Jevetta Steele onstage at the Herberger Theater Center. Steele starred in last season’s production of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and has appeared on Broadway and in several major movies. Locally, she has performed with the Penumbra Theater Company. Participants will sit at tables on stage where Steele will be singing. This is the second year onstage seating is featured, which is a large part of what makes the event so special, said Zelda Faigen, ATC board member and event co- chairwoman. “Sometimes great ideas come out of desperation,” Faigen said. “The year before (last year) we had done it at the convention center, and it was wonderful, it really was.” But in 2010, the ATC was unable to secure the convention center space. “So I guess they decided then, in desperation, ‘Well, we’re a theater company. Why not the stage?’” Faigen said. The anniversary celebration also serves as a fundraiser for the ATC’s education and community engagement programs. “We do many, many programs for students,” Faigen said. Just one of those programs is Open Doors, for which students apply. The program exposes young people who have never been to a live performance and takes them to all kinds of performances from opera to a symphony to a play. “We need to expand our audience, which is the problem, if you will, that most performing arts organizations have today,” Faigen said. “The young people, a lot of them, because of television and the computer and iPhone and all of that, going to see live performances is not necessarily important to them.” Faigen moved to Arcadia in 1970 after marrying her husband, Burt, discovering the ATC a few years later almost on a fl uke. She was volunteering as the director of the Arizona Council for International Visitors, the Arizona branch of the United Continued on page 50 CALL US TODAY CALL US TODAY TO REPAIR OR REPLACE TO REPAIR OR REPLACE Family Owned & Operated Licensed, Bonded & Insured Service & Install on all Makes & Models Free Estimates on New Equipment RESIDENT Ʈ AL & COM 0( R ǨƮ AL RESIDENT Ʈ AL & COM 0( R ǨƮ AL REBATES & CREDITS AVAILABLE! I Ǖ6 TA ǒ L $ N Ʃ W I Ǖ6 TA ǒ L $ N Ʃ W ENV , ƺǖ ƴ 0 ENTA dz ǒ Y ENV , ƺǖ ƴ 0 ENTA dz ǒ Y F ƺ , E ǕLjǒ Y $ /C ǜ ǣ67 Ʃ 0 ! F ƺ , E ǕLjǒ Y $ /C ǜ ǣ67 Ʃ 0 ! ROC Licenses: 80131, 80132, 80133 R E F R I G E R AT I O N  A I R C O N D I T I O N I N G  R E S I D E N T I A L  C O M M E R C I A L 3231 East Washington 602-957-3745 www.AccuTempAZ.com Bill Murley, President ACCUTEMP IS AN APS/SRP QUALIFIED CONTRACTOR $ /C • H Ʃ $ TI Ǖ G • Ʊ OW 7 Ʃǔ P • , Ǩ( M $Ǩƭ IN ( & M 2 R ( ! $ /C • H Ʃ $ TI Ǖ G • Ʊ OW 7 Ʃǔ P • , Ǩ( M $Ǩƭ IN ( & M 2 R ( ! ESTABLISHED | EDUCATED | EFFECTIVE L Gi`mXk\J\jj`fej L J\d`$Gi`mXk\J\jj`fej L DXkXe[KIO:cXjj\j 8I:8;@8JKL;@F ++))<%@e[`XeJZ_ffc O -')$,*/$,-/- :<EKI8CG?F<E@OJKL;@F .+)<%>c\e[Xc\8m\% O -')$)0-$+-+0 nnn%k_\g`cXk\jYf[pXq%Zfd L G ` k J ` k J ` The Pilates Body Proudly owned and operated by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. ©2012 Talking Stick Resort 101 & INDIAN BEND | 480.850.7777 | TALKINGSTICKRESORT.COM Let the chips fall where they may. P L AY I N S T Y L E

Page 35 April 2012 ARCADIA NEWS PHOTO CONTEST Winning Photo by Valerie Slade This month’s theme: SCENIC SHOTS Runners up, clockwise from top left: Sarah Harman, Courtney Gaintner, John & Amy Carden and Melissa Faulkner. Congratulations to Valerie Slade, our monthly photo contest champ! London has never looked more beautiful! Valerie is the lucky winner of a collection of gift certificates from: Next month’s theme: MOM & ME Send your pics to photos@arcadianews.com or upload them at our new photo contest website, arcadiapix.com ! Thank a Teacher Know a teacher who really makes a difference? Nominate him or her for the new monthly column TEACHER WE LOVE TEACHER WE LOVE It’s easy & fun to recognize your favorite teacher! Just ĺ ll out this form and mail, fax or drop it by our of ĺ ce. OR, you can nominate a teacher online at www.arcadiadaily.com/teachers.pdf Be sure to include details about why your teacher is great (more details = better chance of winning!) Send Entries to: 3850 E. Indian School Rd., Phx, AZ 85018 or ŷ ll out a nomination form online at: arcadiadaily.com/teachers.pdf Teacher/Administrator Name: __________________________ School Name: _____________________________________ Your Name: _______________________________________ Your Email Address: ________________________________ Your Phone Number: ________________________________ How does this person make a difference? ______________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Winning teachers will receive special gift certificates to Salon Sandoval for some much-deserved pampering! BARB THOMAS Arcadia High School Nominations for May’s Teacher We Love are due 4/16/12. hurry! hurry! Congratulations, Mrs. Thomas! Barb wins a a gift certificate to Salon Sandoval for some well-deserved pampering. teacher we love! Mrs. Thomas teaches math at Arcadia High School. With her math songs and clear explanations she makes math fun. Both our daughters have taken math classes from Mrs. Thomas and have been inspired to go farther and take more dif Ű cult classes. Our youngest, who needed math tutoring for many years, will be taking Mrs. Thomas’ Calculus class next year. She knows she can do it because Mrs. Thomas will be with her all the way! Mrs. Thomas is a fabulous, inspiring teacher! Nominated by Linda Ribnik, MD