Mark Fleischer: Partnership Between Bender Leadership Academy/CLO

Welcome to Disability Matters with your host Joyce Bender. All comments, views, and opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the host, guest, and callers. Now the host of Disability Matters, here's Joyce Bender.

Hey everyone, welcome to the show. Everyone in the United States and around the world, thank you so much. All these countries listening to this show, uh, China to Australia Australia. And you hear me say this every week, but even if there's one person in Saudi Arabia, which there is, listening to the show, that person is making a difference. So what you have to do is spread the news to everyone else so we have quality of life internationally. Now, favorite part, I've got to say hello to all my friends from the State Department, starting with Richard Roberts right there in Brazil, who is a very very close friend of mine, and stay tuned. I know at some point we had a show with him from Japan. We'll be having one from Brazil, but I just love him so much. And Gang Young, who I got a note from in South Korea. Hello, Gang Young. You know how much I love you, especially that we were in South Korea twice. You are a great disability rights leader. Venyamin, Venyamin in Kazakhstan. How are you today? Cheryl Harris, who was in Tunisia, is now with the U.S. State Department. And then we did— I have been to Indonesia. I've done virtually Nigeria and, you know, and Libya. So anyone I've missed, I think you're also awesome in the State Department. So you all understand this. If a country somewhere in the world requests an expert on the employment of people with disabilities, The State Department frequently sends me, and I'll go there for a week, and I'll be with someone like Richard or Gangyung, and it's just such a wonderful thing. I was with Richard in South Korea and Japan. So, thank you, thank you for what you're doing. And a special shout-out to my friend Yoshiko, Yoshiko Dart. My hat's off to you, Yoshiko. You know, Yoshiko's husband, the late Justin Dart, was the General of the ADA, and I am gonna make sure, even though it's been 10 years, I'm gonna make sure you remember him, because we've gotta keep our history alive. Highmark. Oh my goodness, Highmark is such a great company. Highmark has been a supporter forever, and most important, right now. The executive producer of the Pittsburgh CLO, Mark Fleischer. Oh my God, we have him with us today. Mark, welcome to the show.

Oh, thank you, Joyce Bender. It's a pleasure to be here. Thanks for the invitation.

Well, we feel honored to have you. We have a superstar with us today from the theater, and aren't we lucky that right here in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, you are? And as you can see, Mark, We have listeners from around the United States, but also around the world. And I like people to know a little bit about my guest. So how about if we start by you telling our listeners— and this is what I refer to it as— your story, like where you grew up and went on, and now look where you are today. So let's hear your story.

My story. Well, let's see. I grew up in suburban Dallas in a town called Plano, Texas, where I spent most of my life. Until I was about 30, doing all sorts of things. And I found my way into the theater probably from a very young age. My parents tell stories of me dancing to the band on a trip to Disneyland. I used to put on shows in my garage with people standing on my dad's car as if it was Grease Lightning from Grease. Um, I was never a sports person. I always tell the story that my dad was an athlete. I wanted to play football, I thought. He took me in the backyard, pushed me down, and said, "See, you don't like that." I'm like, "No, you're right, I don't like So I stuck with the arts and found my family and my tribe really amazingly. Did shows through school, but really was in high school with, like so many people, a teacher, John Steele, Mr. Steele, who really showed me the possibilities of what the arts could be in theater and just was such an important mentor to me. But I actually fought being in the theater for a while. I thought I would be a doctor and went to pre-med. Came back around and tell the story that my mother said, you know, "The arts are too hard. Do you want to really do that?" And I've been lucky. I've been fully employed in the theater in some way or other since I left college, mostly because I was willing to say yes. I did set design. I did acting. I did lighting design. I did directing. And then luckily, at the age of 23 or 24, a neighbor came over and said, "I've just taken over the board of a small community theater in my hometown." would you like to help run it because I don't have time? And so I signed a 9-month contract with the Plano Repertory Theatre and stayed for about 10 years moving it and growing it. And that's really where I think sort of my heart came out in discovering that I really liked being part of an organization that's rooted in its community. I never had visions of going to New York and being an actor. I wanted to be in my community. I wanted to do theater that was responsive. I loved running into people in the grocery store. And, you know, this little bitty theater I ran in a 160-seat warehouse sort of was my graduate school for how to run a theater. And from there, I've went to real graduate school in Chicago at DePaul, the theater school at DePaul University, and then I ran a small theater company in upstate New York called the Adirondack Theater Festival, which is where I kind of fell in love with doing newer shows. And then my predecessors here at CLO recruited me to start a new musicals program in 2007. 2014, and that's when I moved to Pittsburgh and coming up the ladder, sort of went from associate artistic director to producing director until a year ago when the board of directors appointed me to succeed Van Kaplan as executive producer. So that's my Reader's Digest version for you, Joyce.

Well, we are so fortunate to have you. We are. Oh, thank you. Because you are doing so many great things, and including people with disabilities, I might add. Yep. You know, I want to know about the CLO. I know there are those that still know it as Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, but we do go now, so everyone knows we go by the CLO, and I, you know, the CLO premiered in 1946 at the Pitt Stadium, and I read this quote from the Sun-Telegraph who predicted the CLO will inaugurate a cycle in the city's musical history that will outlive us all. And it did. And it's so great what has happened. But I thought, tell our listeners, like, about the CLO, what it is, what's a season like, what could, you know, how do you subscribe, how do you make a donation?

Of course. Yeah, well, I mean, I think the point you made at the beginning, it was founded in '46 as an answer to sort of of post-World War II, how can we bring the community together as a group? And the city fathers at that time thought musical theater was the answer, and we've been doing that ever since, bringing the community together. We're now— just finished our 76th year, which is quite amazing, and one of the things that attracted me to this organization was its history and that it's been part of the fabric of the community. And we started out doing 6 shows in the summer. It's where Broadway stars would come to work in the summer under the stars at Pitt Pittsburgh Stadium, and then we've moved through the Civic Arena, a tent, Heinz Hall, and now we're at the Benedum Center, the beautiful crown jewel of the cultural district, the 2,800-seat Benedum Center where we do 6 Broadway-style musicals that we produce in Pittsburgh using a mix of Pittsburgh artists as well as Broadway performers that we recruit in. We're one of the last great summer stocks. It means we do our shows in 9 days. So they start on a Monday, and by the next Tuesday we're performing our shows. And it's really been something, you know, to see the community that's been coming for years. You know, I love what happens on stage, but what's been really interesting for me is to meet people like— I met a gentleman this summer who said he's been having father-daughter dates guaranteed by the CLO. And then the daughter came over who is an adult and told me she's been doing this since she was a child. So that idea of bringing the community together is really what we do. Musical theatre is the art form, but it's the medium for having people sit together have a shared experience. While we're mostly known for the summer season, we're actually a year-round operation. We have a CLO Academy Musical Theatre I know we talked about— we're going to talk about later, which does classes for all types of young people and even adults. We have in-school programs we do, whether that's a residency at a school called Creative Vision. We do a touring program of historic musicals called Gallery of Heroes. This coming year we'll be producing a new show in Gallery of Heroes based on the life and legacy of the civil rights leader and late Representative John Lewis. We do the Kelly Awards, which is the high school Tony Awards for all the high schools in Allegheny County. And then beyond, we also do a musical Christmas Carol every year at the Byham Theatre. It's been a 20, almost 31-year tradition. And then we have new musicals that we create. While we're very much dedicated to Pittsburgh, we also believe in launching careers and nurturing homegrown talent and creating shows that go around the country. We just finished doing a production of Sister Act based on the Whoopi Goldberg movie, and it was created in Pittsburgh, and we toured it to Kansas City for an extra week, giving actors additional employment and, of course, representing Pittsburgh in the Midwest at Kansas City. We've produced Broadway shows, and American in Paris is one of our shows. So I think one of the things to kind of get to the heart of this, Joyce, is that the reason I think we're still here 75 years later, as you can tell, is that we're very entrepreneurial, and we don't rest on our laurels. We find a way to be relevant and entertaining and moving the art forward and investing in our community well beyond just the ticket that someone might buy to a show.

And I'm so proud. I'm so proud to be on the board of the CLO because of all these wonderful things that, that we do for our community and nationally, as you said, with these shows that we produced. This show about John Lewis, when and where will that be?

So this is a show we've been working on. We started it pre-pandemic. Uh, Nambi E. Kelley and Joe Plummer, the writers, they've been working on it. Um, it's a part of a program called Gallery of Heroes that we tour into schools. Typically, pre-COVID, we were touring into 110 schools. It's a 50-minute, fully produced musical. Um, and then we'll also try to find some times in the community. We sometimes, we produce them at the Heinz History Center for the public to see them as well. But we work with the Heinz History Center as partners. They help us create, um, study guides for the students. It's really going to be a great show, really sort of hitting on some of the civil rights history for young people in a— the whole program has been designed to teach history and social studies in an interactive way that's well beyond a lecture or a book.

Oh, I think that is so awesome. I can't wait to see that. I think that is so awesome. And we have a cabaret.

Yes, we do. It's our small musical space. It's actually in the middle of being renovated by the Cultural Trust until next May, but it's where we've created sort of an entry point, as you were, for people who don't maybe not know musicals or the idea of going to the Benidorm seems a little intimidating. This is a 200-seat theater with food and beverage. We tend to do lighter fare and some new musicals there, and that's really been a great way for someone to come and have a a drink, eat a little food, watch a comedy. And from there we've been able to cross-market, to use the technical term, and they've come and experienced the summer season or Christmas Carol or enrolled their children or grandchildren in a class. We kind of see everything we do as interconnected because again, I'm trying to find a way to make sure there is an entry point for everyone so that CLO is a Pittsburgh CLO for all Pittsburgh.

I'll tell you, I love A Christmas Carol. You know, I went to Geneva College and I took a class in Dickens, and to this day he is my favorite author. So of course I love A Christmas Carol. But if you are anywhere in this area, region, wherever, you cannot believe how spectacular it is. And the scene with Marley appearing— I'm not going to give anything away, but it Unbelievable. The whole thing is fuzzy wig, the dancing, all parts of it. You would not be disappointed. It is one of my highlights of the year, A Christmas Carol, which is of course in December. Oh, it is so good. It is fantastic. And if you would want to go see that, uh, in December, Mark, what would they do?

So tickets are already on sale for A Christmas Carol. It runs December 9th through the 23rd. We have a variety of times and performances to fit everyone's holiday schedule. PittsburghCOO.org is our website. There's a quick link right on the home page. Say I want to know more about Christmas Carol. It's really, as you said, Joyce, it's a great show written by David Bell, filled with holiday carols and music, but also this incredible story of redemption. And that it isn't too late to make a turn, to make a change and be a positive force in our world. And I think that's what people really respond to when they come to the show.

Yes, it is. It is. It's awesome. So remember, clo.org, clo.org. Well, Mark, I must say, one of the things I'm so proud of is that the CLO survived the pandemic because that was beyond a scary time, you know, to not— to be not able to open. And then even when we did, it would have been everyone spread out so far. Really, there are sadly organizations, not-for-profits, and other groups nationally that that sadly did not survive, but we did. And I must say, the board and your leadership and Van and everyone did absolutely— and Helen Hannah Casey did an unbelievable job. But how did that happen? How did that happen? And also, what did you do on a virtual basis?

Well, I think the thing that was most happened, as you referenced all those groups of people, is that we pulled together. I've never seen communication and commitment at a time when we couldn't even be in the same room. I mean, theaters were the first to shut down and we were the last to reopen. You know, our art form happens in a communal space with, you know, sort of breathing the same air, as it were, and at that time that was not safe and we needed to do what was right for our people. So, you know, my staff and the board were incredibly creative creative and incredibly nimble. And the story that I like to talk about the most is we've referenced the CLO Academy where we have our classes. We knew that those students were really relying on that time together, what it meant to them. We have 40 different school— 40 different school districts represented in students that come down to the CLO Academy in downtown Pittsburgh. So the first thing we did was charge our education committee with figuring out how to get classes online. and, you know, everyone was suddenly learning how to use Zoom. 5 days after the shutdown, we had classes back up, all virtually. And watching students on the Zoom screen, you know, see each other and be able to talk, and we found ways to sing, we found ways to do shows. And then really getting the students back was our first priority, so that they had an outlet and they had a community in the midst of these challenges. And what must have been— I mean, it was scary for us. I can only imagine what it was like for a young person. To find themselves in the midst of the pandemic. After that, we then turned to how can we get our artists? They had all lost money. When I canceled the 2020 summer season, it was one of the saddest days I've ever had calling actors because I knew they weren't just losing the CLO job, they were losing 5 or 6 jobs at all sorts of different theaters. So we created some fun things to do. We created videograms where you could hire a CLO artist and they sung songs and recorded it, and then you bought it and sent it out as a birthday card and that got some money for a handful of artists. We commissioned some new songs in a thing we called Songs for a New Year where songwriters, we paid to write a song how they felt about the coming new year and the passing old year. And then we made those into music videos, and then we released them. It was like we were MTV for a while. And then I think the one, since you talked about how much you love Christmas Carol, again partnerships. WQED, our public television station here in Pittsburgh, and CLO partnered. We took, an archival tape of a musical Christmas Carol never intended for broadcast. But working with QED and some of our other artists, we re-edited it and we broadcast it on public television for free for 4 different broadcasts so that Christmas Carol would be part of Pittsburgh's holiday season. And it was finding those sort of unique and new ideas. I launched a talk show with interviewing CLO artists. We did an online store so people could buy CLO merchandise. It just was really amazing to find the creativity that found ways to reach our audience in a new way. I'm probably leaving out half the things we figured out, but I would say again, the things I'm most proud of would be the way the school got back up online in 5 days, as well as Christmas Carol with QED.

Well, you are, you know, when you said about the school getting back up, which Keisha, who works for the CLO, is phenomenal. But when we got this, uh, going, it is from the pandemic that we may end up having, you know, a national program that includes high school students with disabilities, the Bender Leadership Academy, jointly with the CLO. We all know that if you can add the arts to any type of education, no matter what it is, not only is it important and great, but it does something for the self-esteem of people. And to these high school students with disabilities, you know, not only them, but their whole family is going to be seeing, and the school and everyone, But it is a result of that, and you did keep it going and have done a phenomenal job with it. And I want to thank you on behalf of people with disabilities, Mark, that you have been supportive. I really can't thank you enough.

Well, thank you, Joyce Bender. You're right, it was so many people— Keisha Bender, Mike Jim, board members— who all just have such a commitment that we're about supporting the full community and finding those tools that we can utilize and share. And, you know, yes, as I keep saying, musical theatre is the vehicle, but what it actually offers is teamwork and self-confidence and meeting a deadline and joy and, you know, just sharing an experience with your fellow citizens. That's the real result of what we do. Not just the show on stage.

And you know what? I'm so honored to be on the board. I too, of course, as my listeners know, live with epilepsy and a hearing loss, and this is how it got going that I now have this national company and speak around the world, but I want to tell you that music makes such a difference. And do you know, every time I go to the CLO I feel happy. I do. I always feel happy. And so listening to the show right now, I cannot begin to emphasize to you enough how wonderful the musicals and theater is at the CLO. CLO.org. You can either become a subscriber or make a donation. And I just want to remind you, this is a fantastic gift for anyone. Like that, A Christmas Carol, perfect example. It's, uh, if you're one of those people like so many of us, oh my goodness, what could I do? What could I give? This is a great gift, A Christmas Carol. But also, I want to mention, as you all know, this show is on demand. It's live now, but it's on demand where you can hear the show on Spotify or Apple or of course voiceamerica.com or benderconsult.com. If you're listening, you're thinking, oh, I wish so-and-so could hear about it. Remember, you can send this podcast. We have a huge on-demand listening audience. So remember, you can share this with someone else so they can hear about these great things at the CLO also. And something I must tell you, something I'm upset about, every year when I get ready to go to the Gene Kelly Awards, something happens with my schedule. So I've already told Carol, my executive assistant, I don't care who it is, what it is, next May you must set these days aside. Uh, and Mark, would you mind telling everyone about the Gene Kelly Awards? You know, how it started, what the program is?

Sure.

Well, of course, Gene Kelly is a Pittsburgh native. We're very proud of that here in Pittsburgh. And about 31 years ago, a group of volunteers that we have at our organization called the Ambassadors wanted to come up with an idea that they could honor the youth of Pittsburgh. And so they and my predecessor before Van, Charlie Gray, said, "Why don't we do an award show?"— for all these high school musicals. I mean, any of you who've been involved or went to high school or have kids in high school know that every spring usually there's a musical being done. I know it was true when I was in high school and it's true here. So Pittsburgh CLO invites local Allegheny County high schools to submit, as it were, their musical. We send judges and adjudicators, which are theater professionals and people who love the arts, and we create nominees in all those categories from lighting design and set design and ensemble and best actor and best actress and supporting, and we throw a giant celebration at the Benham Center. Shows come and just like any awards show, there are musical numbers and there's an opening number, and we give recognition. And what's so great about it is the noise in the theatre is so loud because students are cheering on their peers. You know, much like— you know, the theatre kids don't often get that. The sports kids get it, but in In this environment, they call out someone's name and they've been nominated or they're getting a scholarship and the place just erupts with so much support. I'm usually backstage and I watch these kids who are technically competing with each other, but they're really supporting each other. So the Kelly Awards was the first of its kind in the country. After that, Keisha, who you've referenced, and others went around the country like Johnny Appleseed teaching other communities how to do these programs. Now there are 46 musical theatre high school award programs across the country. And then once that had been established, the Pittsburgh Steelers created the Jimmy Awards with the Nederlander's and the Broadway League in New York City. And the best actor and best actress from each of these 46, 47 competitions come to New York for a week where they train with NYU professors and Broadway professionals and they put on a show, at the Minskoff where The Lion King is. They make their Broadway debut. And then there's other scholarships. Um, it's really quite something, um, to watch these stars of the future come. Um, many people who've come through the Jimmys now and through the Kellys have gone on to be professionals, uh, in the industry and win awards. But also for us in the Kelly Awards, what makes it so exciting is they have people that that go on to be lawyers and doctors and nurses and teachers, but they remember that role in musical theatre. We even have a scholarship we give away for a kid at the Kelly Awards who is not going into musical theatre because we do believe that this experience is for everyone, not just the person who says, "I want to be on Broadway." And that's why we give away over $35,000 in college scholarships at this event, and we just want to make— that, you know, this group that has worked so hard at their school, especially in the last couple years to make sure musicals happen, get this recognition. It is truly a magical event, and the idea that it started in Pittsburgh and has now been spread across the country through our goodwill— we didn't charge anybody to learn how to do the Kelli Awards. We just sent them the book and answered their questions. But it's meant that we touched the lives of so many young people, and they get the recognition they deserve for the work they've done.

And you know what, that is so great. Isn't that like the end of May, the Gene Kelly Awards? Is it around there?

Yeah, it's always Memorial Day weekend, the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. So I think that means May 29th this coming year, I believe.

Uh-oh, I already know it. I got it. You know, um, we do have some famous people right here from Pittsburgh, like Billy Porter. So we had— and boy, you missed it if the year before, or whenever that was, Kinky Boots, when he was the star. Oh my goodness, that was amazing. That was truly amazing. Uh, yeah, we got a lot of famous people from here, but right now We're going to go on the half hour to our news break. You know, we have a news break on national news every show, uh, with our anchor person, Perry Jude Radesik. Uh, Perry, welcome to the show.

Joyce Bender, thanks. Uh, pleasure to be here.

So Perry, what's going on? What news do you have for us today?

Yeah, I want to let your listeners know that a new report and this was published by The Arc of Pennsylvania, a new report came out on the COVID-19 healthcare crisis. Now, we know it's been difficult. The impact of the pandemic has absolutely been staggering on us, on individuals with disabilities and our families, especially people living in rural areas and the BIPOC communities. So, The Arc of Pennsylvania put together a statewide health disparities Disability Rights Coalition of Pennsylvania's leadership task force to look at COVID-19. And it's really important that we document both the good and bad that happened during COVID-19 and impact on people with disabilities. So just last week The Arc published this new report about the effect of the pandemic and calling for greater diversity inclusive planning and emergency response. In Pennsylvania and across the country— it really seems like yesterday— we knew emergency response planning was not considering all of our unique needs in the disability community early in the pandemic. And emergency planning wasn't accounting for all of the challenges people with disabilities were facing when we were trying to access appropriate information or care. So, The Arc of Pennsylvania in coalition with disability healthcare and other advocates, concluded this year-long research project. And that included interviews with stakeholders, surveys, regional meetings, and the report is called COVID-19 Health Barriers Among People with Disabilities. So, some of the biggest issues that Pennsylvanians with disabilities reported during COVID-19 was, as we could imagine, barriers to accessible information, reduced access to testing, vaccinations, and accommodations, and increased risk of severe illness or death due to COVID-19. So advocacy matters. If you want to get a copy of this report, maybe talk about it in your state, and learn more about the work of the COVID-19 Health Disparity Statewide Leadership Task Forces Pennsylvania, go to our website. It's disabilityrightspa.org. That's disabilityrightspa.org. And then you can get a link to the report and more information from the Arc's task force.

Wow, that is so important. You know what, Perry? I'm going to send that to Sherelle Barber, the director of the Ubuntu Center, social epidemiologist. And Sherelle's father is the Reverend Dr. William Barber. But Cheryl from Harvard is working on that healthcare disparity. That is really— all we have to do is go to disabilityrightsPA.org and we can get that report. And Perry, as usual, thank you so much for that timely news. Hey, thanks, Joyce. Have a good day. All right. I think we have some callers on the line here, according to my great engineer Rachel. Um, do we have on the line first Scott? Scott, are you on? Scott Hammerstrom?

I'm right here, Joyce. Can you hear me?

Yes, I can.

How are you, Scott? Hi, Mark. I am doing wonderful today, thank you. Hi, Mark.

So, Scott is the leader that runs the show at the Bender Leadership Academy.

Yes, and thank you so much for having me on, Joyce, and Mark. It's very nice to talk to you, and I know Bender Leadership Academy, we work with youth with disabilities, and we are getting them ready for the world of work, and we are very excited about partnering up with the Pittsburgh Joyce Bender, CLO, and incorporate some of the arts into our curriculum, what we have with our students and getting them ready for the world of work. I think it's going to be a wonderful partnership and we're looking forward to that getting moving hopefully sometime in November. We're very, very excited and we do a lot of different things with Bender Leadership Academy and for us to incorporate the arts is very, very important. I know one of the programs, Joyce, that we're starting to plan for in October is Disability Mentoring Day, and where we have— last year we had over 500 students with disabilities who participated, and we may have more this year. And they get to go to a local business to learn a little bit about the business and get their thoughts on what they could do after high school. And so we're very excited about that program coming up too.

And you know what, Mark, we have a high school student, his first name is Hiro, with a mental health disability, and he is a classical pianist, and he is going to play that night at the event. So we have some future people lined up to work with you at the CLO, and he is, he's He's a very talented young man. Oh, we welcome that.

I can't wait to hear it.

Yeah, he's in— yeah, that is great.

Yeah. And I see we also have a superstar on the line, someone that I just adore and think so highly of, and that would be Chris Kobus. Are you with us? Hello, Joyce.

How are you today?

I'm great now that I hear your voice, Chris. Joyce Bender. Yes, yes, I said I'm great now that I hear your voice.

It's always nice to talk to you, and it's nice to hear everyone else too. You know, I called in because I've been hearing you talk all about the Pittsburgh CLO. I've been listening to the show, and, you know, our education programs and our outreach programs are really sort of a hidden gem of the Pittsburgh CLO, and I know that Mark feels the same way. Joyce Bender. One of the programs that you've been— you've kind of alluded to us working with the Leadership Academy, Bender Leadership Academy, but really I would imagine that the listeners are saying, why does the CLO have anything to do with disabilities? And we really haven't talked about a program that we've had for many years called New Horizons. The New Horizons program was started by Charlie Gray. I think Mark mentioned Charlie was two executive directors ago at the CLO, and he started a program in education for kids and adults with disabilities to sing and dance and act, to learn that. And it isn't therapeutic at all. It was just, it was just an activity that they can be involved in with the with the Pittsburgh CLO under the leadership of the Academy people there. And we've been doing that for, Mark, I'm going to say 25 years, do you think?

Let's see, yeah, founded in '95, so it's been quite a while. Yeah.

And so we have teachers who are very skilled at working with people, working with people who have disabilities.— and some pretty severe disabilities as well. But I think we understand some of the limitations and don't allow them to be limitations that people with disabilities have because there doesn't have to be if you understand the best way to go about learning, processing information, and becoming a part of this. And so we're really excited to be a part of the Bender Leadership Academy and to take these skills that we've learned to a much wider audience. And because the leadership, these kids can be a part of it virtually and perhaps in person. We are kind of in the planning stages of that. But I think that will be a really great program to be able to expand. And if we do it well enough, we can expand it to farther than Western Pennsylvania. What do you think about that, Mark?

I think it's great and I think that's been our whole goal is how to partner and find strength in those partnerships and expand the reach. You know, we've served about 500 students through New Horizons over the years and to find more and to utilize our skills to benefit the goals of the Bender Leadership Academy, it seems like a win-win.

Well, we know it's possible with Ali in Oklahoma winning a Tony Award. I mean, here's someone in a wheelchair that wins the Tony Award. So we know it's possible, but I'm going to tell you, I just think it's going to help these students build their confidence and grow even more.

Chris, don't you agree with that? Well, you know, that's, that's the whole point. I think we, we have had this academy for a long time, and whether you're able-bodied or disabled, it really doesn't matter. When you're when you have the opportunity to be a part of the arts, all the things that Mark has said about growing in self-esteem, your ability to present yourself well, your confidence levels, your ability to work with others as a team—all of those wonderful things you learn by being a participant in the arts. I think that for those kids who have disabilities, I know we know that self-confidence is definitely an issue, and as it would be for some kids who just have, who are shy, you know, or any of those kinds of things. And we know that the academy helps bring that out. And most of the kids who come to the academy now are never going to be professionals. That is, that is not what they are there for. But they are there to learn lots of other things, lots of other life skills. I think that— and so we're hoping to give those, some of those life skills to the kids that come through the Bender Leadership Academy.

And just so all of our listeners understand, there's the CLO Academy, and this is the academy for people without disabilities that, although I'm sure some of them do, it's just they don't talk about it, to teach them the arts, dancing, acting, singing, that's absolutely fantastic. But the New Horizons, as Chris and Mark said, has been here. It's just people don't know about it. It's like this hidden secret that's a great, great thing that everyone should know about, where they're teaching people with disabilities to do the same thing. And if I'm right, Chris, wasn't there— was it at A Christmas Carol? What was it at? There was something where before Is that where it was? Before the musical started? Go ahead.

For a couple of years, we've— for a couple of years, we've— at Musical Christmas Carol, we have had the participants in the New Horizons program on stage before the Christmas Carol and with some of our able-bodied students as well, and they do a combined medley of Christmas songs. For the audience to see. And if you want to see people who are excited, not only are the students excited, but the families who have come to see their, their kids. And in fact, some, some of the adults in our program too who are on the stage. The families are so excited, and their friends get to come and see them on stage. And it's an opportunity that we really love giving to our Academy students and to the students in the the New Horizons program. It's really a fun time, and it gets everybody in the Christmas spirit as well. It does.

It is a wonderful thing. So, Chris Kobus is a great community leader, and she is on the board and has been for a long time and heads this education committee and is the person that recruited me to be on the board of the CLO. And she's just so fantastic. And Scott Ammerstrom is the leader, runs the show at the Bender Leadership Academy, and he has such a passion for these students. And by the way, that's benderleadership.org, and then the CLO, clo.org. So thank you so much, Chris and Scott, for calling in.

Joyce Bender: If I could mention one other thing. If there are people with disabilities listening who would want to be a part of the New Horizons program, you don't have to be part of vendor leadership to be in New Horizons. So if you can go to— it's actually the website is PittsburghCLO.org, and you can go on there and under the education tab find New Horizons, and you can see the programs that are available and contact us directly. Even if you're not going to be part of Bender Leadership Academy. So that program is open and available to people with disabilities, and we have semesters of programs. And as I say, it's not therapeutic. It is definitely for fun and enjoyment and learning. And I think it— so that's another opportunity for your listeners or for for the children of your listeners to be a part of the Pittsburgh CLO. We'd love to have them.

And I'm so glad you said that, Chris. That is right. Anyone listening to the show with a disability that's interested, PittsburghCLO.org, New Horizons tab. You're all— everyone's welcome. Everyone's welcome with a disability. Uh, thank you for saying Chris, and that includes— I think you figured it out now— but that includes adults, not just students. So, correct. Yeah, everyone get involved. Pittsburghclo.org, go to the Horizons program, and we will look forward to seeing you there. Chris and Scott, thank you so much for calling in. Thanks, Joyce. It was good to talk to you. Okay, bye-bye. She is so awesome. Oh, she loves me. Yes, she is. Yeah, she loves the CLO. Well, what do you think about this, Mark? How important do you think this will be for these high school students with disabilities or anyone with a disability? What do you think about it?

Well, I think the partnership is great because I think the idea of bringing new people in, but the idea of utilizing the arts, as you've said,, as a tool for preparing for business careers, whether that's the ability to act and role-play in a customer service role or just how to be around other people and be in the team. That's what I said, we like musicals because it's the vehicle. It's light. It's fun. But at the end of the day, it's giving you an opportunity to shine as your own star in your own musical, as it were. You know, we wanted to create this program to— so people could feel joy and fulfillment of what it means to perform. And I think the idea of combining the Bender Leadership Academy curriculum with the New Horizons curriculum, I think it's only going to make it an even better program.

I do too. And you know, we know that students with disabilities are bullied more than any other group. Yep. And this helps build confidence. It does. It helps build confidence. And, you know, I am, I'm so excited about it. I believe someday, Marc, they'll be talking about this at the White House. So that's how spectacular I think it's going to be. And by the way, you know, if you tuned in, I've been talking to Marc Fleischer, executive producer of the Pittsburgh CLO, and it's pittsburghclo.org if you want to find out more about the CLO, and I hope you will do that. I do, and also I think it's important for people with disabilities right now who want to attend the musicals, and I know you and Keisha have been working to try to make it more accessible for everyone.

No, yes, that's been a very key goal to us. When we did, you know, your favorite show, Christmas Carol, last year, we decided that we would have sign interpreters at every performance, not just the one that's in the middle, and what if it doesn't— what What if that deaf patron can't attend that night? So we decided to invest in having a sign interpreter at every performance. We're working on having more audio description. We're working with Christmas Carol to have a sensory-friendly performance because, you know, we want people to come. And I would encourage your listeners, if they have ideas on how CLO could make its performances more inviting, more accessible, we would love I would love to hear from them. You can find email addresses on the website. It's not me saying what I think should happen. I want to hear from the disability community on how we can be there to help them, and their ideas matter more to me than anything I can come up with. So I'm hoping your listeners, if they love musicals and want to be able to attend, I'd love to know what the barriers are and what we may have inadvertently set up. We have a lot of work to do. If I'm going to live up to my promise that I'll be a Pittsburgh CLO for all Pittsburgh, I need all people to help us figure out that path, you know. So we're thrilled with the steps we're taking, but we know that we're behind and we know it's not enough. We want to make sure musicals are there for everyone who wants to enjoy them.

Marc, you know what? I just love you. You know that? You are so right on. Now, why I'm saying this is there's a mantra in the disability community, "Nothing about us without us." And there you are already getting it, saying, "I want to hear from you. I want to hear from you." And if you're listening to the show, whether you're employment, not-for-profit, company, whatever you are, "Nothing about us without us" is what he just said. I want to hear from you. You, you, you. That is— thank you so much for realizing that, Mark. Thank you so much. Okay, here's the hardest question of the day. Yeah, hardest question coming up. What is your favorite musical?

Oh, I don't know if I can say my favorite, but I will say what to me is my most important musical, and that would be A Chorus Line. Which we just produced this past summer. I was able to bring in Baiyork Lee, who was in the original Broadway production, to be a part of that. And actually, in another show, we had some original cast members this year. But I will say it's important because, as we referenced earlier, I grew up in Texas. It's a major sports place. I didn't fit in. I was awkward. I grew I grew up with a slight heart condition that limited what my ability was to do things. I never fit in. I was taken by my parents at the age of 12 to see A Chorus Line at the Fair Park Music Hall. I had no idea what I was going to see. They just put me in the car. But from that original 5, 6, 7, 8 and the stories that were shared by— if anyone doesn't know the show, it's an audition and the director asked people to sort of talk about these characters, why they're in this business, what was their childhood like. And I suddenly realized that there was going to be a place for me. And not just meaning I would be in the theater, although that's what happened, but to hear— I referenced it— another actor talks about making— one of the characters talks about making up shows in their living room with their friends. And I'm like, I do that. And another person talks about the challenges of being in school where people picked on him. Like, I was picked on, and I was so mesmerized by the show and what it meant that, you know, I guess there's another movement out there, It Gets Better, and I think that's what I realized watching A Chorus Line. And now as an adult, we just produced the show, and I was talking to the cast on the first day of rehearsal. I said, there's going to be another 12-year-old me in the audience in Pittsburgh There's got to be someone who's going to experience it. I think sometimes we as performers and theatre people forget that magic of what that experience can be. And I said we did Chorus Line this summer. I must have watched it so many times. I usually watch the run-through at the end of rehearsal. I watched 3 run-throughs in the rehearsal hall. The show just means so much to me because it gave me such hope as an awkward 12-year-old that there was going to be a community, there was going to be life, And then, of course, I latched on to it in a way that no one would have thought as I sit here now as executive producer at Pittsburgh CLO, coming full circle. So while I don't know if it's my favorite, there's many I love out there. I'm a big Sondheim fan. I love the classics. I would just say Chorus Line is probably the most important musical because I wouldn't be sitting here and I don't think I would have had the hope in my life if I hadn't seen that at the age of 12. And I give my parents a lot of credit because it is not and it is a mature show in its subject matter, so I don't even know if they knew what they were taking me to see. But yeah, that's my roundabout answer. It's A Chorus Line. It has to be.

You know what? That is such a great story. So just to tell you something that happened, I gave tickets to some of my employees, and instead of calling, which they always do, "I loved it. It was great. The dancing was great." 'One of the people I sent that works for us is transgender.' And when he called me, he said, 'Wow, that really resonated.' So you're right. No one ever knows how that can be impacting someone in some way. That is a great story that you told. So, Mark, before we go, how do you subscribe to the CLA?

Well, we just announced our summer season for 2023, which is 3 classic American musicals, which is "Sound of Music," "Anything Goes," and "Guys and Dolls," as well as 3 contemporary award-winning Broadway musicals, which is "Into the Woods" by Stephen Sondheim, "Once on This Island" by Pittsburgh's Stephen Flaherty, and "Natascha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812," a groundbreaking musical from 2016. Subscriptions aren't on sale yet, but you can get more information at PittsburghCLO.org. And you can find out about all our programs. Again, what I find fascinating is we're so diverse in all the different things we do. We've had a couple consultants over the years apparently come in and be like, "Maybe you guys should tighten up and stay a little more in this lane." And then when they learn what we do, they're like, "Well, that's what you do. Do all those things." So again, whether it's someone who wants to take a class, see a show, maybe donate to a scholarship or donate to making sure a community program happens. There's a place for everyone at CLO, and it's not just us. Again, I want to be a part of this community. I say this to my staff all the time. Pittsburgh CLO stands for Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera. You have to travel through the words Pittsburgh and civic before you ever get to our art form. So those first two matter more. And we need to make sure that we're doing that. So I hope people will support the CLO whether you're in attendance, as a donor, a student, a parent who brings their kid who, you know, I was that kid that was awkward and my parents said, "You know what? Put him in drama class." And the rest is history. So there's a place for everyone. I want you to come experience us first. Visit the website. Find our email if you want to ask me a question. I'm happy to talk to anyone about the CLO. As you can tell, I don't have a problem talking about the Cielo.

Well, I love the Cielo also. And Mark, thank you so much for being with us.

Well, thank you for having me.

We end every show with a quote, and today that quote is, "Music can change the world because it can change people," said Bono. This is Joyce Bender, America's Voice. Where Disability Matters at voiceamerica.com. Talk to you next week, and in the words of Mary Brooker, choose joy.

Voice America would like to thank you for tuning in. Please join us next Tuesday at 11 AM Pacific time and 2 PM Eastern time for another installment of Disability Matters. Matters right here on the Voice America Variety Channel. We are the leader in live internet talk radio. VoiceAmerica.com.