Paul Anka Program 2025

GRAYSTONE PROMOTIONS PRESENTS

THEATRE STAFF

Executive Director ..................... Jason Goedken

Artistic Director ....................... Whitney Morse

Associate Artistic Director ............ Angel Creeks

Director of Operations .................... Jon Cronin

Director of Business .................... Sean Graham

Director of People, Projects & Culture

Leslie Becker

Development Director Yasmeen Stogden

Marketing Director Monica Berdecio, MA

Booking Manager Sierra Weiss

Production Manager Mike Giovinco

Assistant Production Manager Madi Carr

Audiovisual Supervisor Luke Bezio

Audiovisual Technician Roel Cavazos

Desk & Facility Director ........... Tony Fairchild

Lighting Supervisor ................... Ally Southgate

Associate Lighting Supervisor ..... Dio Raquel Jr.

Production Swing ..................... Nichole Pollack

House Manager ............................... Alec Speers

Assistant House Manager .............. Tina Carroll

Assistant House Manager ..... Savannah Wagner

Lead Housekeeper ....................... Victoria Doss

Housekeeper ................................ Amber Sacks

Analyst, Sales & Customer Support Kristin Fortuna

Marketing & Media Coordinator Jessica Nix

Marketing Account Manager Erika Nelson

Graphic Designer Krissi Kugler

Web Designer David Sponseller

Ad Sales ... marketing@significantproductions.org

SIGNIFICANT PRODUCTIONS BOARD

President

Vice President

Elliot Sussman, MD, MBA

Marcus Bridgewater Treasurer

Donna Taylor Secretary

Board

Elizabeth Constant

Jason Goedken

The Sharon®L. Morse

PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Dear Patron of the Arts,

Welcome to The Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center!

Much like the building’s namesake, my grandmother, Sharon L. Morse, we love all varieties of the performing arts here. It is in her memory that I, along with my amazing team of artists and arts administrators, strive to bring many different types of the highest quality entertainment here to The Sharon.

Since opening in 2015, we have strived to establish your trust, that a show at The Sharon is a show worth seeing. Perhaps you find yourself here today to see a concert of one of your favorite musicians, or to take in the national tour of a Broadway show. Either way, we encourage you to consider trying out a new show that perhaps you haven’t heard of before, knowing that it has been intentionally curated by our team.

We welcome you to The Sharon: a place for you to see an old favorite, but also a place to discover your new favorite. I sincerely hope you enjoy the show today, and I look forward to seeing you here again soon!

See You at The Sharon, Whitney Morse

Artistic Director

ART.

ARTISTS.

AUDIENCE.

SIGNIFICANT PRODUCTIONS (SIGPRO) is a Non-Profit arts organization that operates The Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center (The Sharon) & The Studio Theatre Tierra del Sol (The Studio).

OUR MISSION; SigPro cultivates a diverse collaborative community with a focus on artists' well-being that strives to provoke thought and spark conversation through high quality performing arts.

OUR TEAM MEMBERS

We believe that fostering an inclusive and supportive workplace is essential for the creation of exceptional art. Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion extends to our employees. This ensures every individual who contributes to our productions feels valued and empowered. We actively promote a workplace culture that embraces differences and encourages collaboration among our diverse team of artists, technicians, administrators, and volunteers.

Thank You

FOR SUPPORTING SIGNIFICANT PRODUCTIONS

MULTI-DONORS

Mary Homko

Giuseppina (Jo) Jones

Russell Jones

Donna Taylor

Jennifer Velez

Jim Ward

INDIVIDUAL DONORS

Stan Ackerman

Marge Alder

David Burns

Marie Connolly

Jon Cronin

Sharon Curry

Fidelity Charitable

Carol Floros/Koszola

Nancy Garrison

Lynn & Kathy Glassock

Brian Grode

Roger & Karen Kass

Bob Kendi

Honey & David Kirk

Ron Kravet

Edward & Gale Labuda

Chuck & Bev Levy

Sarah Lindmeier

April & David Linscott

John McAuley

Xiomara Guevara Mendoza

Jan & Tom Miller

Marianne Niesen

Rosemary Pacenta

Patricia Schlemmer

Diann Sherwin

Donna Silver

Jan & Dave Thomas

Muriel Trulson

John Van Dyke

Liza Diana Walters

Melissa Warner

Peter Webb

Attendees at The Sharon 9th Birthday Lunch

DONATIONS IN HONOR OF Ursula Becker

Peg Fiore

Alice Stogden

Thank you to our anonymous donors.

BIOGRAPHY

Born July 30, 1941, in Ottawa Canada, into a tight-knit family, Paul Anka didn’t waste much time getting his life in music started.

He sang in the choir at St. Elijah Syrian Orthodox Church and briefly studied piano. He honed his writing skills with journalism courses, even working for a spell at the Ottawa Citizen. By 13, he had his own vocal group, the Bobbysoxers. He performed at every amateur night he could get to in his mother’s car, unbeknownst to his her of course. Soon after, he won a trip to New York by winning a Campbell’s soup contest that required him to spend three months collecting soup can labels. It was there his dream was solidified, he was going to make it as a singer composer; there was not a doubt in his young tenacious mind. In 1956, he convinced his parents to let him travel to Los Angeles, where he called every record company in the phone book looking for an audition. A meeting with Modern Records led to the release of Anka’s first single, “Blau-Wile Deverest Fontaine.” It was not a hit, but Anka kept plugging away, going so far to sneak into Fats Domino’s dressing room to meet the man and his manager in Ottawa. When Anka returned New York in 1957, he scored a meeting with Don Costa, the A&R man for ABC-Paramount Records. He played him a batch of songs that included “Diana” – Costa was duly enthusiastic about the potential of the young singer and songwriter. The rapid and enormous success of “Diana”- his first number one hit - made him a star.

“They are all very autobiographical,” says Anka of his early hits. “I was alone, traveling, girls screaming, and I never got near them. I’m a teenager and feeling isolated and all that. That becomes ‘Lonely Boy.’ At record hops, I’m up on stage and all these kids are holding each other with heads on each other’s shoulders. Then I have to go have dinner in my room because there are thousands of kids outside the hotel -- ‘Put Your Head on My Shoulder’ was totally that experience.

Soon Paul found himself traveling by bus with the ‘Cavalcade of Stars’ with the top names of the day in the era of segregation, performing at the Copa Cabana, the youngest entertainer ever to do so, and honing his craft surrounded by the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Frankie Lyman, and Chuck Berry.

By the time the Beatles arrived in the sixties, Anka had another tool in his survival kit. “After a few hits,” he says, “I knew I was a writer, and with writers, the power was always in the pen. When I started writing for Buddy Holly and Connie Francis, I felt that it made me different for people -- they’d say, ‘Hey, you can write, you can fall back on something.” Among his proudest accomplishments was writing the Academy Award-nominated theme for The Longest Day, the 1962 film in which he also starred.

Songwriting and performing “are what gave me the confidence to keep going,” he says. Becoming a junior associate of Sinatra and the Rat Pack also had its privileges. By the ‘70s, the success of “My Way” and a string of hits like “(You’re) Having My Baby” confirmed his status as an icon of popular music. His later achievements as a recording artist included “Hold Me ‘Til the Morning Comes,” a hit duet with Peter Cetera in 1983, the Spanish-language album Amigos in 1996, and Body of Work, a 1998 duets album that featured Frank Sinatra, Celine Dion, Patti LaBelle, Tom Jones and daughter Anthea Anka. If this wasn’t enough, it was revealed upon its release in 2009, that Anka co-wrote Michael Jackson’s posthumous #1 worldwide hit, “This Is It,” which has further cemented his place upon the most prolific and versatile songwriters of any generation.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Anka’s two most recent albums – Rock Swings and now Classic Songs, My Way – ingeniously featured songs originally created by some of the biggest rock performers of the day – as well as other established artists across several genres. The twist: Paul Anka did the songs ‘his way.’ His goal: “taking great songs and rework them so they’re natural for me.” With the help of his five daughters, Anka spent months researching music from the ‘80s and ‘90s, trying to find the songs that would work in the radical new context he proposed. The songs that made the cut included Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life,” Lionel Richie’s “Hello” and Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven.” Even more dramatic were his transformations of “Wonderwall” by Oasis, “Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

Rock Swings went Top 10 in the UK, and was certified gold in the UK, France, and Canada, hit No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Jazz Albums chart and went on to sell half a million units worldwide.

PRIVATE BOX experience

ENJOY YOUR NEXT SHOW AT THE SHARON LIKE A VIP!

• Exclusive experience for up to 15 guests.

• Private lounge for the evening, including home-like furnishings, restroom, and direct access to the auditorium box for comfortable viewing of your show.

• Upgrades available such as a private bartender or personalized celebratory furnishings.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO CREATING AN EXPERIENCE TO REMEMBER!

To explore accommodations and availability, please contact Yasmeen@SignificantProductions.org

Celebrating a Decade on Stage

This spring, we will host our inaugural fundraising gala, an evening that promises dazzling entertainment, fine dining, and a celebration of 10 years of artistry, community, and impact. It’s a moment to reflect on our journey, honor our supporters, and look ahead to the future of arts in our community.

Inaugural Fundraising Gala 04.26.25 • 5:30pm $150

For more information, tickets and sponsorship opportunities, visit our website or contact us at Info@SignificantProductions.org

Powered by Significant Productions, a non-profit organization dedicated to keeping the arts alive in our community, The Sharon is committed to providing quality entertainment for our valued patrons. We are reaching out to gather your thoughts on what interests you most about our offerings and what encourages you to return for more. Your support means the world to us.

TAKE OUR SURVEY HERE

Have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes of your favorite shows at The Sharon? Want to share footprints with some of the world’s biggest stars? Back by overwhelming demand... The Sharon: Behind the Curtain Tour! Visit SignificantProductions.org/Tour for more information. Private tours are available at request. Email: Info@SignificantProductions.org

ADVERTISE

Increase your visibility by marketing your message to The Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center’s local, engaged audience, as well as advertise in The Studio Theatre Tierra del Sol’s Programs and our monthly Digital Newsletter, The Scoop!

For information on prices, ad sizes, and availability, please email us at marketing@significantproductions.org.