By Jarice Hanson
For the Valley Advocate
If you ask any actor or person who works in the collaborative arts, they’ll tell you that one of the best parts about working in a creative field are the bonds that form with other actors, production personnel, and even theater management. People who do this type of work often develop “family ties” that continue long after the final bows.
Congratulations are due to Jay Sefton, a writer/performer who was honored in November with the Berkshire Theater Critics’ Awards for Outstanding Solo Performance, and Best New Play, for Unreconciled, authored by Sefton and Mark Basquill.
As 2024 concludes, we can celebrate a major triumph of one of our current family members, and also look back to recognize three individuals who recently left this mortal world, who contributed so much to making our region a cultural mecca for arts and entertainment.
Congratulations are due to Jay Sefton, a writer/performer who was honored in November with the Berkshire Theater Critics’ Awards for Outstanding Solo Performance, and Best New Play, for Unreconciled, authored by Sefton and Mark Basquill. The story deals with the very difficult topic of clergy sexual abuse, but its overarching message is deeply human and ultimately hopeful. Sefton opens his heart to the different characters in an unfolding story of love and deeply human frailty that does what great theater does — it makes us feel less alone, and more empathetic toward others. This is a show that is timeless and has the potential to capture one of the darkest wrinkles of our reality.
Unreconciled, and Jay, will have a three-week run in Pittsburgh, and a two-week run in Los Angeles in 2025. Congratulations Jay, and thank you for sharing something so deeply personal and giving audiences the opportunity to see the world through your eyes in this profound play.
For Auld Lang Syne
Sadly, as we move beyond 2024, we also mourn the loss of three individuals who contributed in their own ways toward building the theater community (and family) that so many of us cherish.
Lucinda Kidder
Lucinda Kidder
Many people were devastated to learn that Lucinda Kidder, a theater educator and driving force behind Silverthorne Theatre for over a decade, succumbed to an illness that she had battled for several years. When she passed on Nov. 2, we lost one of one, a visionary who believed in the power of theater but who reveled in the collaborative nature of what makes theater work.
The idea for the Silverthorne Theater Company was the brainchild of Lucinda and the late David Rowland, who started the company together in 2014. After Rowland’s passing, Lucinda doubled down to take Silverthorne to the next level. It’s a remarkable person who puts so much of herself into a project, but then knows when it’s time to pass the project on to other hands. While Silverthorne grew and its reputation thrived, Lucinda was always willing to share her opinion, and she trusted the board to keep the company vital and active.
Frank Aronson acted in a number of Silverthorne productions over the years and said of Lucinda; “She was always engaged in the process and the outcome of a performance. She trusted the people she worked with and created one of the best companies in the region.” Silverthorne will continue, but will always be indebted to what Lucinda contributed to creating a company that could stand on its own merits.
A celebration of life will be held in the spring at Hawks & Reed in Greenfield.
Roger Patnode
Roger Patnode
Roger Patnode, known to generations of community and professional theater goers, passed away on Oct. 29 at the age of 90. Popular with audiences who attended multiple theaters in Hamden and Hampshire Counties, Roger acted in shows for over 60 years, and was familiar to many through television commercials and voice-over work. Roger was a true “character,” in every sense of the word. His last performance at the Majestic Theater in West Springfield was as the emcee in “The Buddy Holly Story,” which relied on Roger’s rapport with the audience and his ability to spontaneously ad lib with audience members.
One of his most memorable performances was as Stanley Kowalski in “A Streetcar Named Desire” at the ANTA Theater in Springfield in the mid-1960s. It was this performance that brought him to the attention of Broadway producers, but in typical fashion, Roger made his own decisions and chose to stay in Springfield where he enjoyed being close to his family and friends.
Roger was a veteran who served in the Navy and saw action in Korea. His experiences shaped his values and outlook on life, but he was known for his kindness as well as his talent. I asked one of his closest friends, Jenny Wall, how she’ll remember Roger and she gave a sly smile and said: “I’ll always remember how Roger would say, ‘Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery.’”
A celebration of life was held Nov. 16 at the Storrowtown Tavern in West Springfield.
Leah Kunkle
Leah Kunkle
On Nov. 26, Leah Kunkle passed after a short illness. The loss of this amazing woman was so sudden that it took friends by surprise. I’ve heard from many who still can’t believe a life-force this powerful could be extinguished so quickly, but her legacy goes on. She was part of the arts community that made Northampton a mecca for the arts since the 1970s, and could often be seen in the audience intently watching and listening to plays that encompassed a wide range of topics and treatments.
Often referred to as “Mama Cass’ sister,” Leah was a singer and songwriter who, along with Marty Gwinn Townsend and Renee Armond, were known as the Coyote Sisters in the 1980s. Leah often sang back-up for some of the most well known singers of the past decades; James Taylor, Art Garfunkel (whom she considered a mentor), Carly Simon, and Jackson Browne, along with many others. Even in recent months, if Leah was in the audience, she would often be called to the stage by a performer to join in with her honey-voiced harmonies.
Leah graduated from Smith College and Western New England School of Law. Her love of the arts led her to practice entertainment law, but she also worked in adolescent law, and with the ACLU. She was a woman of enormous warmth and integrity, and she loved theater, often donating to and supporting many of the local companies she enjoyed.
Upon hearing of Leah’s passing, musician Robin Batteau, of the folk duo Buskin and Batteau, told me: “Leah never had a bad word to say about anybody when I was around, pretty amazing in show biz and legal biz, and [she] never sang a bad note that I ever heard. A truly caring soul, a truly good heart, a truly incisive mind.”
A memorial service is being planned for a future date.
So as we look at the year passing and the new one ahead, we can celebrate the accomplishments of our extended family, and mourn those who helped make our region the rich cultural community (and family) that we are.
As we go forward, we might well think of Lucinda making plans and organizing people, Roger cracking jokes, and Leah smiling, making sure the feelings are captured in song, and that it is sung in perfect harmony.
Rest in peace, dear ones. You gave so much to so many. You will be missed.
