M. Edgar Rosenblum¹s Legacy to be Honored in Brooklyn - A Benefit for Irondale Ensemble¹s Theater and Education Programs November 15, 2010

M. Edgar Rosenblum¹s Legacy to be Honored in Brooklyn
A Benefit for Irondale Ensemble¹s Theater and Education Programs
NOVEMBER 15, 7:00-10pm

The first M. Edgar Rosenblum Awards will be given at a ceremony on November 15, during a benefit for the Irondale Ensemble Project at the new Irondale Center, 85 South Oxford Street, in the BAM Cultural District of Fort Greene.

M. Edgar Rosenblum (1932-2010), enjoyed a remarkable career in arts management that shaped and gave power to regional theatre in the United States. His legacy will be honored with the first M. Edgar Rosenblum Awards to be given at a ceremony on November 15, at the new Irondale Center, 85 South Oxford Street, in the BAM Cultural District of Fort Greene. His long-time artistic partner at Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven CT., Arvin Brown, called him "one of the most influential executive directors in the country". Tickets to the benefit are $150-$200. For information call: 718 488-9233.

The Irondale Ensemble Project, established 27 years ago, is a permanent ensemble known for its innovative theatrical productions as well a ground-breaking education programs with teachers and students in public schools, incarcerated men and women, and adolescents at risk of AIDS/HIV. The founders of Irondale, Jim Niesen, Barbara Mackenzie-Wood and Terry Greiss first met when they were hired as young actors at Long Wharf in 1977. According to Artistic Director, Jim Niesen, "Working at Long Wharf in a tremendously supportive creative environment, gave us the model of how we wanted to keep working throughout our careers. It also brought the three of us together in what clearly became, for all of us, our most important professional and personal relationship". Terry Greiss, Irondale's Executive Director said, "Jim and I have been working as a team for 27 years. Although we didn't set out to model ourselves after Arvin (Brown) and Edgar, it was an important and successful example of partnership that we were exposed to early in our careers". Barbara Mackenzie-Wood, now Head of the Acting /Music Theatre Program at Carnegie Mellon University said, "Edgar was a mentor for us all. When we started Irondale, he was always willing to give us advice or talk to our board. I think he was proud of what we created and we were always quick to acknowledge our roots"

The Awardees:

The first recipients of the first M. Edgar Rosenblum Awards will be Barbara Hauben Ross, a New York City interior designer, and the first Chair of the Irondale Board of Trustees, and Phil Lilienthal, founder of Global Camps Africa, an organization that provides camping experiences and life-skills workshops to HIV/AIDS affected children in South Africa. According to Hollis Headrick the Chair of the Irondale Board of Trustees, “Both of our awardees were selected because of a proven dedication to serving their communities, their love for the theater and their belief that theater has the power to transform lives. Edgar, Barbara and Phil are three pillars that Irondale stands on”.

A Benefit Committee of theater-folk and prominent Brooklynites

The Honorary Benefit Committee for the event includes
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz; Letitia James, NYC Council Congressman Ed Towns, NYS Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries; Mr. Harvey Lichtenstein formerly of BAM, Laurie Cumbo, Executive Director of MOCADA, Actor Michael Cerveris (Sweeney Todd), Mr. Jack Rainey, VP TD Bank, Mr. John Doyle (Director, Sweeny Todd, Company), Karen Brooks Hopkins, President of BAM, and, Cornelia H. Rosenblum, Designer.

About Irondale
As a 27 year old Ensemble, Irondale has received national and international accolades for its theatrical performances which are often driven by themes that emerge from the social and political climate, as well as the ability to take unique approaches to well known tales. This season will be no exception. Now with its own space, the Irondale Center in Fort Greene it can also be instrumental in creating new work and supporting the work of other local companies.

The Irondale Center, The first performing arts space to open in the BAM cultural district is uniquely and entirely run and maintained by the Irondale Ensemble. A beautiful and historic space, the center is an old Sunday school building attached to the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian church. The church boasts an incredible history in its own right being a shelter for runaway slaves in the 1860’s and proving through history a commitment to positive social activism. Irondale’s mission is serendipitously complimentary.

Irondale’s Mission
Through the power of the ensemble process, Irondale creates and presents theater, performance and education programs that challenge traditional assumptions about art, and help us to better understand today’s complex world. The Irondale Center, our theater, laboratory and classroom, is a home for ensemble artists of all disciplines and cultures, and a resource for our community.