Aida Jones has spent most of her adult life straddling two worlds. She is an abstract painter whose work has been exhibited in shows and galleries but she’s also the vice president of a company that produces software used by millions of people in thousands of companies. “My focus, the work I’ve done, has always […]
SOUTH ORANGE — The arts helped Svetlana “Lana” Rogachevskaya assimilate. A native of Ukraine, Rogachevskaya moved to Brooklyn when she was 19 and art helped ease the transition. “The reason I dedicated myself to the arts is that feeling of community,” she said. “Through the arts, I found my way to assimilate.” The South Orange […]
By Charles Paikert Special to the News-Record Watching a movie in a dark theater surrounded by other people is, for Gerard Amsellem, a religious experience. “You’re absorbed in a world that’s not your own,” says Amsellem, who will debut a new film series, “Independent World Cinema at SOPAC,” on April 21. “You can’t stop […]
SOUTH ORANGE — The South Orange Performing Arts Center will celebrate its arts education programs during the month of April with music, art and dance from Columbia High School students. “Throughout the years, SOPAC has been diligently working behind the scenes to support the arts education programs offered to the students in our community,” explains […]
SOPAC is going all out on the Saturday before Halloween. A first-of-its-kind haunted walking tour inside and outdoors on the SOPAC campus is scheduled for 2, 3 and 4 p.m. on Oct. 28. Each tour is 60 minutes and will feature live performances from costumed characters right out of Jersey folklore and mythology. This event […]
What started out as a videotape comedy competition in New York to honor a comedian who helped many other women break into the stand-up world, has grown into a career builder for women in comedy. “The Ladies of Laughter,” which visits comedy clubs and venues including Madison Square Garden and Atlantic City, will be at […]
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — It is often said that art inspires more art. That is certainly true for Kelvin and Corrine Slade, father-and-daughter artists featured in “Slade: A Family Affair,” an exhibition at The Herb + Milly Iris Gallery at SOPAC, 1 SOPAC Way, on display from Jan. 26 through March 5. There will be […]
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — For the first time in two years, fourth-graders from the South Orange–Maplewood School District returned to the South Orange Performing Arts Center to attend a live performance of LUX Orchestra as part of an arts education partnership developed between SOPAC’s arts education and SOMSD’s fine arts departments. With a clash of […]
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Mark your calendar for Saturday, Nov. 19, at 8 p.m. That’s when Giants of Jazz, an annual jazz festival featuring nearly 30 performers, returns to the South Orange Performing Arts Center, 1 SOPAC Way, for the first time since 2019. Produced by Grammy-winning producer John Lee, this year’s 23rd event honors […]
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — South Orange Performing Arts Center will play host to a celebration of The Band’s landmark concert “The Last Waltz” on Saturday, Nov. 12, at 8 p.m., when The THE BAND Band, accompanied by a dozen guest performers, will bring to life one of the most historic concerts of the rock era. […]