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►OPERA HONORS THREE: Glimmerglass Festival names three lifetime trustees
The Glimmerglass Festival’s Board of Trustees this week named Nellie Gipson, Robert Schlather, and Senator James Seward Honorary Life Trustees, recognizing the trio’s exceptional involvement with the world-renowned program.
“Honorary Trusteeships were established by the governing board to recognize and acknowledge individuals from our ranks for their extraordinary service and exceptional contributions,” said Board Chairman Robert Nelson. “Nellie, Bob, and Jim have provided and continue to provide invaluable guidance as regular trustees, and this additional distinction is a special way we are able to express our deepest appreciation.”
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Mr. Nelson said the Honorary Life Trustee honor is not an annual event but is reserved only for those times when the Board believes they should recognize high achievement.
“It’s the highest honor a trustee for the Festival can ever reach,” Mr. Nelson said. “Their total contributions over the years are amazing.”
Nellie Gipson served on the Glimmerglass Festival Board of Trustees since 2018; she and her husband, Robert, are major supporters of many of the area’s historical, educational, and cultural institutions.
Cooperstown attorney Bob Schlather has contributed thousands of hours to the Festival, helping the organization evolve from its years in the Cooperstown High School and finding and securing the Company’s 37,000sq. ft. warehouse and rehearsal hall in the Town of Warren – a move the Board calls “a necessity and game-changer as the Festival grew in scope and reputation.”
During his three decades as a New York State Senator, Jim Seward was vital to the Company after its move from the high school to the Opera House. He made possible nearly $4 million in special state funding for projects ranging from flood damage repairs to the expansion of restrooms, the building of the rehearsal hall, and major improvements to the Festival’s campus.
“We’re so thrilled to honor all three,” Mr. Nelson said. “Our Board is so diverse and all are from the Cooperstown area. That means so much to us as a Board that all have been a huge part of the community as well as a huge part of us.”
News briefs
Catch Eve Ensler’s play “The Vagina Monologues” at the upstairs theater at Foothills Production Center in Oneonta for one weekend only, beginning Saturday, February 12.
Directed by Mary-Jo Merk, tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. Bigger Dreams Productions will donate one-half of the profits from the show to Family Planning of South Central New York, and audience members are encouraged to donate items to the Bigger Dreams feminine hygiene product drive.
The show — which contains adult content -- begins at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Monday, February 12 and 14, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, February 13.
Masks and proof of vaccination will be required for entry to all performances. Visit biggerdreamsproductions.org for ticket information.
Sunday’s Speaker unpacks school lunch and ‘shared stories’ County, area markets offer free N-95 masks
Otsego County’s Office for the Aging plan drivethrough distribution of free N95 masks and at-home COVID test kits for area seniors on February 17 from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Oneonta Boys and Girls Club, February 18 from 11 - 1 at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, and March 2 from 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. at the Richfield Springs Community Center.
Local Price Chopper /Market 32 stores begin distributing free N95 masks this week, with up to three masks per customer available at manned tables set up either in the center or the pharmacy of all stores in the regional supermarket chain.
Cooperstown Emmy winner a ‘costume design’ judge
Tara Barnwell
“I had 27 movies to watch,” Van Ramsey, an Emmy-winning costume designer with 45 years of stage and screen credits, said from his Cooperstown home a few weeks ago. “I’m part of the Costume Designers Guild, and I have to watch each movie with attention to costume design.”
He and some 700 colleagues from around the world are voting for the annual Costume Designers Guild Award, a prestigious honor announced one week before the Academy Awards (March 27, 2022). They pick a winner for ‘best period piece,’ ‘best contemporary piece,’ and ‘best fantasy piece.’
“Unlike other awards, this Guild award is only voted on by costume designers,” Mr. Ramsey said. “Not actors, producers and directors. It means a lot to receive this award.”
Mr. Ramsey began his fashion career in an unusual way. “When I was 28, I was an architect, and I also have a degree in botany and chemistry. I couldn’t imagine spending my days doing research in a lab or going to medical school. So, I moved to New York City and connected with the right people. I designed a couple of plays, then went on to design more and more. I was hooked.”
As Mr. Ramsey looked at the mound of DVDs he had to watch, he explained how he attacks the pile. “First, I watch the movie with no sound. That makes me concentrate on the costumes. I’m not concerned with the actors or the storyline, just the costumes,” Mr. Ramsey said. “It’s not about the stars. It’s about the costumes: Do they fit the period the piece was written for? Are the correct undergarments utilized? How was the costume created; does it make it seem real?”
Prior to receiving the movies, each film studio promotes their costumes in brochures.
“I get bombarded with brochures from all of the studios that want each of us to vote for their costumes,” he said. “They spend a ton of money mailing these out, hoping
Van Ramsey prepares to dig in to his stack of movies for costume review. they are going to influence our decisions.” Mr. Ramsey’s first film as a costume designer was “1918” with Matthew Broderick. “Ironically it was about the flu epidemic in the early 1900’s, much like our pandemic now. Matthew was a dream to work with; we ended up being good friends. That was my first film and my favorite.” “I also did the “Lonesome Dove” miniseries,” he said. “Mini -series are never easy, and this was no exception. We worked 1920 hours every day without a day off. But the hard work paid off, I won my very first Emmy for this series. After that, I was in high demand to design for epic mini-series. My phone rang off the hook.” “For 45 years I worked 18-20 hours a day, seven days a week,” he said. His last two films were “A Night in Old Mexico” with Robert Duvall and “All is Lost” with Robert Redford, and, with retirement eight years ago, he and his partner split their time between Texas and Cooperstown. “I wasn’t sure how I was going to fill my days but this area is so rich in culture,” he said. “I have worked all over the world, but I never had time to do anything but work. There is so much to do outside of the world of film making.”
AllOTSEGO.homes
Friends of the Village Library welcomes Cooperstown Central School alumna and author Lucy Schaeffer via Zoom to share her stories about her new book, “School Lunch: Unpacking our Shared Stories,” on Sunday, February 13, from 3 - 4 p.m.
Her talk comes as part of the Friends’ Sunday Speaker series and follows Ms. Schaeffer’s January presentation to CCS fifth- and sixth-graders about her experiences as a photographer and author.
Ms. Schaeffer grew up in Fly Creek and attended Yale University, taught primary school in Italy, then moved to New York City to pursue a career in magazines. Since 2007, she has photographed more than fifty cookbooks, with a client list that includes Martha Stewart Living Magazine, The Food Network, Starbucks, Chipotle, Campbell’s, and The Oprah Magazine.
“School Lunch: Unpacking our Shared Stories” started as a personal project and grew into a book, the first where she is both photographer and author. Ms. Schaeffer now lives in Croton-on-Hudson with her husband and two girls.
The monthly Sunday Speaker programs are free and open to the public. Visit fovl.eventbrite.com for more information and to register.
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