Happy 2024!

Happy 2024!  We kick off celebrations for 10 years of NextStage Productions in Santa Cruz!

What a journey. From our inception in 2013 as Stagebridge Santa Cruz under the mentoring of Oakland Stagebridge to the full 501c3 legal status in 2014. A decade of marvelous performances, classes, health and joy to our senior community.

What fun we’ve had over the years - being a bit dramatic and decadent, singing “Come to the Cabaret” in our musical theater classes. We’ve kicked up our heels, saluted our heroes, razzle-dazzled our audiences, played games, written sensitive letters, told our stories and so much more. We’ve created stories with our memory loss clients, banged drums and stretched our bodies reaching for better mobility and health.

And we’ve even learned to navigate Zoom and streaming.

NSP is built on the dedication of so many members and teachers, advisors and participants, especially Lynn Knudsen who’s drive and vision created the framework for where we are today.

As we launch into this year of celebration, reminisce and then renew your dedication to NextStage Productions and all that we do. Volunteer as a board member, a director, a teacher, a performer. WE WELCOME EVERYONE. The rewards are plentiful.

- Kathryn Adkins

How Music Affects The Brain

AARP has a really great online article called The Extraordinary World of Music and the Mind. It discusses how for more than 50 years, music therapy has harnessed music to treat diseases ranging from depression to chronic pain to movement disorders to autism to Alzheimer’s disease. 

Music’s power over us is not purely psychological but based in measurable physiological changes. Singing along with others to a beloved song causes the brain to secrete the chemical oxytocin, a naturally occurring hormone that creates the warm sensations of bonding, unity and security that make us feel all cuddly toward our children and others we love; infuses us with feelings of spiritual awe; and can alleviate chronic pain or the debilitating sensations of anxiety or the isolation of autism. One area of medicine where the power of music has been particularly remarkable is in the treatment of the dementias, including Alzheimer’s disease, whose stubborn and terrible symptoms have been resistant to most forms of treatment.

Research has shown that when rhythmically strong music was played to people with Parkinson’s disease and those recovering from stroke, they synchronized their walking gait with the music and moved more quickly and with better joint control. The therapy is called rhythmic auditory stimulation. “Stroke patients walk much more symmetrically and faster,” Thaut told me recently over Zoom. “Parkinson’s patients don’t have that shuffle and tendency to fall over.”

Other studies looked at the effects of “autobiographically salient” music that Alzheimer’s patients had loved and listened to for 25 years or more. The beloved, familiar music, when played to patients in the fMRI scanner, lights up a large network of the brain — including in the frontal lobes, where higher-order reasoning and memory are processed, a clear and objective sign of a musical “memory trigger” for people with dementia. They recognize it in terms of ‘that is music I know, I know what that is! That is the music I danced to when I met my wife.’ This activation spreads throughout the entire cortex — and the whole neural network comes alive. Alzheimer’s patients who listened to personal playlists of favorite music daily and talked about what they could remember with their spouse or caregiver for one hour a day for four weeks showed significant improvement on memory tests.

All of this backs up the importance of our NextStage Taiko Drumming programs, and the work of NextStage Performers sharing the songs we first fell in love with in our teens and early 20s — that period of life when most people form their musical tastes. 

A friend of mine was recently filling out her health care directives, and was surprised that the questions included a space to enter her 50 favorite songs. She's hoping passing these songs to her future caregivers can keep a tap in her toes and a spark in her mind as she ages.

Tis The Season

Presidents Message - December 2023

“Hark how the bells all seem to say, Throw cares away.” “Tis the season to be jolly!”

Let’s listen to those directions and celebrate a wonderful 2023 in this season of joy and giving. How blessed we’ve been to share our NSP talents with so many in our community through our performances: Reader’s Theater, Storytelling, Open Mic and Musical Revue as well as the exceptional Parkinson's programs: Taiko Drumming and Speech and Movement. Let’s bask in the warmth of the many friendships we have made and the appreciation of all of our audiences - each connection precious.

May you feel the joy and love that we at NextStage Productions send to each of you.

- Kathryn Adkins

Ho! Ho! Ho! Holiday Show

NextStage Players presented Holiday Party, a musical revue, to 8 senior residences over two weeks of December. That whirlwind performance schedule had the cast hopping from location to location. Nimble of foot, they sang and danced at “the party” while audiences were encouraged to join the fun. Christa Taylor, the party host, transitioned from the grump who had no spirit, singing Tom Lehrer’s satirical song about Christmas time being a time to “Buy”, to the hostess leading the cast and audience in the finale. Carol Hales, Carolyn Crocker, Ronna Schulkin and Bobbe Martin kept the spirits gay. (Was Carol really on Match.com?).

Mary Roitz enchanted the audience with “A Wink and a Smile”. What a joy to watch her work the crowd. Reggie McLain, Bob Mangels and Sandi Jo Stoltencamp warmed the hearts with their touching renditions of classic Christmas ballads.

Special thanks goes out to the three directors: Shari Gallegos, who also provided the set direction and sound tech, Cindy Gorski and Kathryn Adkins. These ladies proved that you can have multiple cooks in the kitchen and create a wonderfully joyous party.

Kudos to all.

Spotlight on Ronnie Schulkin

I’ve had the privilege of working with Ronna (call her Ronnie) in two shows, the fall Storytelling and now the Holiday show. What fun we are having. Ronnie brings a new vitality to our performances and a special gift- she likes to connect people to others. She reintroduced me to Corine Miller, the mother of the young prince cast in 1994 Cabrillo Stage production of The King and I with me.

Ronnie was kind enough to answer the following questions.

What drew you to NSP?

Thanks to NextStage for featuring me in the Spotlight. I am so happy I decided to join NextStage. I was looking for a way to perform in a group that gives back to our community. I love the opportunity to make new friends with other creative people who enjoy performance art.

What have you appreciated the most about the NSP activities?

NextStage has given me a place to sing which is one of my favorite things. It has also given me the chance to learn many new things about performance often taking me outside my comfort zone and, I love it!

What would you tell someone who is curious and/or thinking about joining NSP?

I would, and have, recommended NextStage to anyone who is looking to expand their community, meet wonderful new people, and try something new, creative and rewarding.

I know you will enjoy meeting Ronnie. She will brighten your day.

- Kathryn Adkins