Batavia Rotary Club

Theater has long been thought of as a place where one can transform into someone else and lose touch with reality completely. This is particularly true for Eric Zweld, who has the "flamboyant" role of Roger DeBris in this weekend's Batavia Rotary Club production of "The Producers."

"When I go to a show I forget about the real world," says the construction project manager as he applies fake eyelashes and shimmering makeup. According to Zweld, there are "zero similarities" between himself and his character, who he describes as "very secure in his gayness." "I only wear these every other day," he jokes of the eyelashes. "I don't want the guys finding out."

Steve Valvano of Gates feels similarly toward his character of Max Bialystock, a "down-and-out" Broadway producer who "will take advantage of anyone and anything" to get what he wants: money. After Bialystock discovers that he can make more from a flop than he can from a successful show, he and accountant Leo Bloom set out to make the worst show ever, resulting in hilarity and a distinct lack of political correctness.

"It's an amazing challenge, and I like challenges," Valvano says. "The comedy is very physical. The whole show is very physical. I have to work at it just to keep up."

Cal Young, who plays Leo Bloom, is different from his castmates in that he seems to be the only one who truly identifies with his role.

"He's a scaredy little accountant nerd," he explains. "We're definitely very similar. He's very nerdy and just generally unversed in the ways of the world."

Young, like many of his fellow cast members, cites the show as a longtime favorite. But be warned: "The Producers," with its mature content and off-color jokes, is not for everybody.

"I felt it was an interesting change from the past two shows," says director Lynda Hodgins. "They were very family-friendly, very children-oriented."

Zweld and Valvano agree, describing the show as "an equal opportunity offender" and something that "a mature audience will have a ball with."

Hodgins describes the show as "PG-13."

"[The audience] will be fine if they get the fact that it's (written by) Mel Brooks," she explains. "You have to get his humor. There's nothing hidden, no subliminal messages. It's all out there, and when things are right in your face it becomes extremely comical. It's not a conservative show. It puts every stereotype out there. This is for people who like to laugh."

Showtimes: Nov. 3, 4, and 5 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 6 at 2 p.m.

Where: Batavia High School Auditorium, 260 State St., Batavia

Ticket prices: $12 for Thursday, $15 for Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Where to purchase tickets: At the door or online at www.bataviarotary.com or www.encoretheatrearts.com or in person at Lawley Insurance, Jefferson Square, Batavia or The Insurance Center, 50 Main St., Batavia, during regular business hours.

The search is on for Oliver! The 2010 Batavia Rotary Club Production of "Oliver!" is calling all actors and actresses between age 6 and 14 to audition for the title role and 35 other roles, which portray orphans and/or pickpockets.

Throughout August, Laurie Mastin, show chair, and Director Patrick Burk, are scouting Western New York for 36 young thespians for the 62nd Rotary Show Musical Production.

"Oliver!" will be performed Nov. 4 – 7, with rehearsals starting Sept. 13.

Auditions will take place at Batavia High School, 260 State St., at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 31.

All young people will learn a song, sing in small groups, work on choreography and present a monologue from the show. No experience is necessary.

Batavia Rotary is looking for a great cross section of young actors and actresses to be a part of the largest Rotary Show in recent memory. Joining in the selection process will be past cast members of "Oliver!" and a long list of guest judges in the areas of dance, music and acting.

At the conclusion of the Oliver Search 2010 evening, the top 36 -- who will be cast in the show -- will be announced, along with several runners-up.

The announcement of who will play the title role will happen after the adult and ensemble auditions. These will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 7 and 8 at Batavia High School. All 36 youngsters will be asked to attend those evenings as well.

Parents of young actors and actresses interested in Oliver Search 2010 are asked to call and register their Oliver hopefuls with Burk at his office (585) 343 9721.

All pre-registered actors and actresses will be given audition numbers and be asked to show up at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 31.

Walk-in auditions that have not pre-registered are also welcome. They will be added to the audition process on a first-come-first-serve basis and will receive audition numbers upon arrival.

For more information, please call Patrick Burk at (585) 343-9721 or Mastin at (585) 344-5880.

The Batavia Rotary Club has pledged $25,000 to the Genesee Community College Foundation over the next five years. The club's gift will be matched by the federal government.

The Endowment Challenge Fund of the U.S. Department of Education recently awarded the college a matching grant for its endowment fund -- up to $80,000 per year for the next five years. The money helps support, retain and aid deserving student facing financial hardships.

"As a long-time Rotarian and college employee, I was delighted the Rotary recognized the benefit of doubling the scholarship fund under the Endowment Challenge grant," said Ray Chaya, a long-term member of the Batavia Rotary and a former president.

Chaya has also been a member of the college's staff for more than 30 years.

"Year in and year out, we see how scholarships change students' lives – empowering them to become productive members of our community," Chaya said. "It is a win-win for everyone."

The Genesee Community College Foundation was formed in the mid-eighties as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing service to and support of the college. Its 34-member board of directors is comprised of business and civic leaders. Last year, the foundation's philanthropic support provided 536 scholarships to Genesee students totaling $284,184.

Additional contributions to support for the foundation may be sent to the Genesee Community College Foundation, One College Road, Batavia, NY, 14020. For more information contact the foundation at 345-6809 or <http://foundation@genesee.edu>.

The Batavia Rotary Club has partnered with World Vision’s Get a Kick Out of Sharing, a nation-wide effort to acquire 250,000 new and gently used soccer balls for children in need world-wide.

The Batavia Rotary Club announced today that it has pledged $100,000 to United Memorial Medical Center (UMMC), to be fulfilled over a five-year period.

“The Batavia Rotary Club has a rich history of generous donations to critical community partners such as UMMC,” said President Ted Hawley. “Our members spend countless hours on fundraising activities and events; the Father’s Day Fly-In Breakfast is the most recent example..."

Today's pledge comes a year after the club made its final payment on another multi-year pledge to UMMC, which totaled $250,000.

The momentum for the latest donation plan stems from UMMC's announcement in October about the surgical expansion project in front of the hospital at 127 North St., Batavia. The project includes a one-story addition to the front of the main hospital building. A total of five operating rooms will double in size from 300 to 600 square feet, plus there will be one treatment room and 19 private recovery beds.

In addition to annual scholarships, the Batavia Rotary Club contributes money to many youth and human service organizations in Genesee County, as well as to international projects. For example, each year, Rotary selects three high school seniors -- one from Batavia High School, BOCES and Notre Dame -- to receive a $1,500 annual scholarship for each of the four years the recipient is in college.

On Friday, 19 February 2010, DAPP Children’s Town in Malambanyama, Zambia, Africa formally dedicated its new kitchen and dining area. Over eight hundred students, staff, families, and dignitaries attended the dedication. 

This effort began in early fall of 2007, when Ed Leising, a long-time member of the Batavia Rotary Club, was traveling from Buffalo to Baltimore, MD. While waiting for his flight, he met Pia Jorgensen in the lounge. She had a briefcase with a large Planet Aid Canada logo. He learned that she recently emigrated from Denmark and she was the Canadian representative for Planet Aid Canada; an organization that funds projects world-wide. The majority of the money comes from collecting then selling usable clothing. The profit from the sale of the clothing is used to fund their projects.

One of their projects; DAPP Children’s Town, located in Zambia, was in need of funding to purchase commercial kitchen equipment and update the dining area. Children’s Town is a school with about 300 students and about 30 staff from the surrounding area. Most students are local and live at home, however some are orphans, and live at the school. Before the installation of the new kitchen, the school prepared daily meals by cooking the food on two stone and concrete wood-fired pits. The plan was; utilize an existing building for the new kitchen equipment and eating area. The school had all of the electrical service and plumbing infrastructure needed for the kitchen and dining hall.

As a dedicated Rotarian, Ed was confident the Batavia Rotary Club and other Clubs in District 7090 would embrace this project. In a unique service project, the Rotary Club of Batavia, the Rotary Club of St. Catherines, Ontario, the Rotary Club of Lusaka Central, Zambia, Rotary District 7090 and the Rotary International Foundation pledged money totalling over $13,000.

All equipment has been purchased, received, and installed. Much of the work to improve the existing space has been done by the students, and staff of DAPP Children’s Town. They performed the construction and utility work that was required to convert the existing space into the new kitchen. The students and staff used the skills learned in Carpentry Training class to build all of the tables and chairs. All of the furniture was constructed of rosewood; which is indigenous to the area. One of the goals of DAPP Children’s Town is to give the students a solid background in the types of skills that can be used after graduation. Most will learn some construction related skills.

Rotary Clubs world-wide and Rotary International fund both local and international projects such as the DAPP Children’s Town project every year.   All service clubs such as Lions, Kiwanis and Rotary give generously to assist those in need all over the world. The value of service clubs cannot be under estimated. A good example is Rotary’s 25 year effort to help eradicate polio by initiating a project called Polio Plus in 1985. By 2012 Rotary will have raised more than 1.2 billion dollars to help eradicate polio.   At the beginning of Rotary’s Polio Plus project there were an estimated 350,000 cases of polio identified each year. As a result of the efforts of Rotary, the World Health Organization, the U.S. Center for Disease Control, UNISEF, the United Kingdom and Germany, now there are about 1,100 cases of polio identified each year. Polio is endemic in just four countries. Recently, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s grant of 355 million dollars and an additional 200 million from Rotary it is expected that polio will be totally eradicated some time after 2012.