LECTURES ON THE PERFORMING ARTS

Since 1999, we have been lecturing on the Performing Arts and have had the opportunity to speak to groups in senior communities, libraries, and other community groups the length and breadth of New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. Below is some information regarding our lectures. For more information or a brochure, please feel free to contact us. With nearly forty years of experience as radio hosts of WWFM's The Dress Circle, Ted Otten and Michael Kownacky bring the world of the performing arts to your group or organization through lectures utilizing animated discussions and recordings by many of the performers who made the material famous.
 

We are not simply "DJs" who play selections although we try to include as much music as possible in our discussions. Our subjects are carefully researched, and we do our best to explain the fascinating backgrounds and historical significance of each individual..
 

Our lectures include talks about some of the best known composing teams such as the Gershwins and Rodgers and Hammerstein as well as some of the writers who seem to have been forgotten such as Harold Arlen, Victor Herbert, and Sigmund Romberg. We also enjoy bringing the work of some of the personalities who have graced the world's stages to light. The careers and lives of "larger than life" performers such as Ethel Merman, Mary Martin, Carol Channing, and Al Jolson can also be explored.
 

We pride ourselves in offering talks on a wide range of subjects from the world of the Broadway musical, the opera stage, and the film composers who have made an impact on the entertainment world and our lives.
 

With enough advance notice, we will happily tailor any lecture to fill your needs regarding time and material. Our lectures can be adapted to run from approximately forty-five to ninety minutes in length. Please feel free to contact us to discuss how we may bring the entertainment world to your next gathering.

Our lectures include lively discussion and music from the period, and they have met with favorable responses such as this one from the Encore community in Plainsboro, NJ:

"I have gotten so many wonderful comments about your program. People loved it."

We currently have some 98 lecture topics in our catalogue.