Dr. Phillip A. Alexander, Director of the New York State Alliance for Arts Education will be the Guest of Honor at The Open Eye Theater’s third A Midsummer Night’s Dinner to be held at The Andes Hotel Monday July 8th beginning with a cocktail reception at 6:00 PM . These evenings, a theater production based in Elizabethan lore, are fun but with a serious twist. The reception where entertainment will start with a singing jester and interpretative dance will be followed by a dinner buffet with salad and dessert served. Then there will be more singing, music by Kent Brown, a short play, and an undisclosed special guest. Queen Elizabeth 1 (Wilma Mazo) will preside with William Cecil, Lord Burghley her Lord High Treasurer. His son Robert, fiancée Elizabeth Brooke and young noblewomen will greet guests and take the acting spots.
Dr. Alexander will speak on the Alliance’s local and national issues which The Open Eye considers to be critical. In making the announcement trustee Gerry Balcar, a former senior executive of an American multinational company with commercial and political experience in Europe and Asia said, "Looking at the possible reasons for the poor performance of American versus European high school age students one huge variable stands out. This is the vastly larger exposure that European students have to the dramatic and musical arts. This may well make them better at communicating, understanding complex concepts, critical thinking, selecting personal goals and personal performance.”
With a mission to advocate for arts education at the local, state and national levels the Alliance is effectively a group of 42 partner and member organizations with many individual members. Its primary aim is to influence government and institution decisions and policies. In so doing it facilitates these organizations to speak as much as possible with one strong voice on relevant matters.
Dr. Alexander assumed the post with the Alliance in January. Previously he served in senior positions at the Metropolitan Opera Guild and Empire State Partnerships. He has worked with curriculum development and advanced concepts of teaching arts. He has published important papers and appeared at key conferences. He is a graduate of Oberlin College with a major in English. His Masters Degree in Theater is from Hunter College. His PhD is in Theater from the City University of New York Graduate Center.
Admission to the annual dinner is by invitation. Those wishing one may call 845-586-1660.
