Isaiah sheffer 19352012 was a writer, director, cultural entrepreneur, and impresario. Max steeles the cat and the coffee drinkers is only peripherally about a fighting tomcat. It was total serendipity that isaiah sheffer director and host of selected shorts asked both of us to read on that night, said dillon, who first. Bloomsday, as isaiah observed in this introduction, is the only commemoration of a fictional date from literature. Boyles lassie parody heart of a champion, two hilarious tales by ian frazier, dating your mom and lamentations of the father, and allan gurganus mystical it had wings.
Selected shorts late host and founder, isaiah sheffer is the reader. Selected shorts is an event at new yorks symphony space on the upper west side, in which. Selected shorts honors the memory of our creator and host of isaiah sheffer, who died on november 8, 2012. David sedaris joins us to discuss his new book, calypso. Npr differs from other nonprofit membership media organizations, such as ap, in that it was established by an act of congress and most of its member stations are owned by government entities often public universities. Clicking on a chapter will show you the text of that chapter of isaiah in the bible king james version. Sheffers new play, based on published stories, sketches, interviews. The cultural compass recently spoke with isaiah sheffer, creator of npr s selected shorts, who hosts tonights program edgar allan poe. Performing arts center, theater, film symphony space. Radio interview with nprs isaiah sheffer middle of show.
But i knew him when i began listening to the npr series selected shorts when celebrates would read aloud at symphony space and they would be recorded. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. He was the founder and artistic director of symphony space, the originator of bloomsday on broadway, and the comic genius behind the thalia follies. Isaiah sheffer was born on december 30, 1935 in bronx, new york city, new york, usa. A celebration of the short story, now in its twentieth season, and hosting the public radio series of the same name, heard on npr stations across the country. He was its artistic director, and would remain so for 32 years. James thurbers the night the ghost got in read by isaiah sheffer comic mayhem is. These are all of the chapters of the book of isaiah. The book of isaiah, as it now appears in our old testament, contains far more than can be attributed to the prophet. The library for the performing artss exhibition on political cabaret focuses on the three series associated with isaiah sheffer, whose papers are in the billy rose theatre division. In a seeming paradox, the book of isaiah also presents the messiah as one who will suffer. Some of us celebrate william shakespeares birthday, which also happens to be the day he died. Includes broadcasts by eli wallach, carl reiner, and isaiah sheffer.
National public radio npr, stylized as npr is a privately and publicly funded american nonprofit membership media organization based in washington, d. It begins with a section introducing the genre from its 1930s1940s roots in new york, with songs, sketch comedy, and dance artifacts, also based in lpas. But as you look at it and you see how isaiah talks about it, all of the sudden, you start to realize that no, no, no. If edgar allan poe had never written a poem, he would still have been one of americas greatest writers, thanks to his wonderful short. As a whole, the book is a rather large collection of writings that were produced by a number of different authors, some of whom were separated by relatively long periods of time. The series highlights the golden age of yiddishamerican broadcasting in the. Symphony space, founded by isaiah sheffer and allan miller, is a multidisciplinary performing arts organization at 2537 broadway on the upper west side of manhattan. When we started planning for bccls 25th celebration, we were looking for. The selected shorts series is a recorded version of the many live and radio presentations of great known and undiscovered short stories, read by people with really great story telling voices sometimes the authors themselves, but more often actors.
The nephew of yiddishradio and stage great zvee scooler, he began his career acting on various of stutchkoffs dramas and later became the englishlanguage announcer on wevd, where he worked with yiddish. Isaiah sheffers new play on isaac bashevis singer at. Performances take place in the 760seat peter jay sharp theatre also called peter norton symphony space or the 160seat leonard nimoy thalia. Radio personality isaiah sheffer died today in new york at age 76. After selected shorts wins a national press club award, isaiah vows to be more serious. James joyces novel ulysses chronicles the lives of leopold bloom, stephen dedalus, and molly bloom on a single day, june 16, 1904. Yiddish radio project produced by sapoznik and isay. Adventures in the city, and lamentations of the father, the collection from which this piece was taken. Each year he stages a season of selected shorts at.
Isaiah sheffers new play about isaac bashevis singer. Isaiah sheffer founded new yorks symphony space, a complex of two theaters with a cafe and offices. Yiddish radio project produced by sapoznik and isay original. In its heyday yiddish radio was heard from coast to coast, with a dozen stations in new york alone. Isaiah sheffer is a founder and artistic director of symphony space in new york city, where his duties include directing the hit literary series selected shorts. This threecd compilation features some of the best short stories from national public radios selected shorts, an awardwinning series of classic and contemporary short fiction read by distinguished stage and screen actors and recorded live at the peter norton symphony space in new york city. One of new yorks great renaissance men, isaiah sheffer left an indelible mark on music, theater, television, and culture across three decades in the big apple.
Join nprs neal conan and his guests to celebrate the centennial bloomsday. Yasha pashkovsky was a jewish russian immigrant and photographer who practiced his art anonymously during hollywoods golden age. Public radio host created space for music and art isaiah sheffer, host of public radio show selected shorts and the driving force behind symphony space in new york, has died. Join isaiah sheffer, mary brienza, and kathryn markey as they perform excerpts from mr. Radio interview on rte radio 1 ireland you can listen online with a realplayer. Isaiah sheffer, artistic director of symphony space, to. Radio interview with houston npr s the front row kuhafm 91. Terence winch is the author of eleven books and chapbooks, most recently the poetry collections the drift of things and the great indoors. Caro, tom brokaw, tom wolfe, tours and events, upper west side, uws. Listener favorites old and new by ron carlson, richard bausch, toni cade bambara, percival everett and jhumpa lahiri 2004, cd at the best online prices at ebay. Isaiah sheffer died in manhattan after suffering a stroke.
Isaiah bible book with full chapters king james version. Selected stories audiobook written by dorothy parker. As a devoted npr listener for many decades, i always looked forward to selected shorts on sunday afternoon. It is during the reign of the messiah that gods righteousness will be fully revealed to the world. The yiddish radio project is based on a series of stories featured on npr s all things considered in the spring of 2002. His published books include dating your mom, nobody better, better than nobody, coyote v. The series highlights the golden age of yiddishamerican broadcasting in the 1930s to 50s. An annotated list of plays including translations from other languages from the beginnings to 1931. The extraordinary thing about isaiah is that as you study it, you first begin to think that thats three different people. He was cofounder of symphony space in new york city, served as the organizations artistic director until 2010 and founding artistic director thereafter, and was widely known as the host of the radio series selected shorts. Smith study from the bible and be encouraged to grow your faith. The three worlds of isaac bashevis singer a new play by isaiah sheffer celebrated host of npr s selected shorts with isaiah sheffer, kathryn markey, and mary brienza april 22, 2010 at 8.
Symphony space is the home of a sheffer brainstorm called selected shorts, produced by wnyc for npr, in which actors read stories for. Selected shorts celebrates its late host and creator isaiah sheffer in this special program hosted by colum mccann. Writings on contemporary fiction isaiah sheffer artistic director of symphony space in new york host of. Dec 16, 2010 25th anniversary, architecture, historic district, isaiah sheffer, landmark, new york city, nyc, preservation, r. More than three hours of recordings in each collection capture the intimacy of live performance, with. Photos 25th anniversary celebration a magical success. Even if some parts of the book are true representations of the words of isaiah, certainly major parts of the book are not.
Pearl primus in strange fruit the new york public library. Isaiah sheffer reader of stutchkoffs thesaurus is the host of npr s selected shorts and the artistic director of symphony space. Isaiah sheffer narrates the tale with gusto and great timing, but some of his diction is off. Unable to keep up with the swift business pace of the west coast, pashkovsky photographed movie stars and stored the prints under his bed. Sheffer wrote the book and lyrics for the musicals yiddle with a fiddle and the rise of david levinsky. Charles keating has great fun with robertson daviess the cat that went to trinity, a clever spoof of frankenstein. Sheffer was cofounder and artistic director of the performing art center symphony space on the upper west side of manhattan, and. It was an indescribable sensation to stand among our friends tuesday evening, in the stanley h. Isaiah sheffer, who three decades ago looked at a grimy, derelict movie theater on manhattans upper west side and envisioned the palace of performing arts that became symphony space, a vibrant. Listen to yiddish radio project by henry sapoznik at. When he buys a beach house on the carolina coast, sedaris envisions long, relaxing vacations spent playing board games and lounging in the sun with those he loves.
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