October - Networking Magazine

JAY LENO
Returns to the Long Island University’s Tilles Center
The former Tonight Show star headlines the Center’s 2014 Gala
STORY BY MAUREEN TRAXLER • PHOTOS COURTESY MITCHELL HAASETH-NBC
enefactors and VIPs will come in black tie attire. Friends and neighbors
from around Long Island will be chatting in the aisles. After an opening
musical act (kept secret until show time), the lights will go down, and
the evening’s headliner and guest host for the Tilles Center’s 2014-15 season will
step onto the stage.
B
It's the incomparable, incorrigible, incredible Jay Leno!
No stranger to New York, the native of New Rochelle, now California resident,
performed at Tilles Center in 1988 — before becoming the star of The Tonight Show
with Jay Leno in 1992. The following year, Tilles featured Bill Cosby, another
comedian. But according to Elliott Sroka, Tilles Center's executive director, who
also serves as artistic director, Tilles has not led the season with a comedy act since
that 1989 show.
The November 8, 34th annual Gala Fundraiser at LIU’s Tilles Center for the
Performing Arts is expected to be a lavish affair, beginning with a cocktail party
and then sit-down dinner for
major supporters and
benefactors. "It's the biggest
event of its kind on Long
Island," notes Sroka. "The
VIPs are joined at 8:30 by a
theater full of people” for an
evening of wonderful
entertainment, followed by a
private after-party.
"It's a very special night,"
continues Sroka. "The Gala
generates a significant
amount of revenue, which
then supports everything we
do at Tilles for other
performances. With a theater
that seats 2,200, more than
200,000 people pass through
our doors annually for
concerts and community
events. It's all top drawer
stuff. Tilles is the home of the
New York Philharmonic,
Alvin Ailey and many of the
city dance companies. We
present opera, symphony, jazz
and Broadway shows."
While the Gala raises
_ Elliott Sroka,
money, it also raises
Tilles Center Executive Director
awareness about the
extensive programming
scheduled at Tilles Center this year—from performers like Leno, William Shatner,
Lang Lang, Natalie Cole and Audra McDonald, to performances specifically for
families and children, such as Sid the Science Kid and Guy Code + Girl Code.
Pleased to have Leno returning, Sroka says, “Jay Leno is somebody who’s been
in your house over and over again; for many of us, night after night for years and
years,” notes Sroka. “He’s someone you feel you really know and feel connected to.
There’s his enormous stature and national recognition, not just in entertainment,
but also in our culture and society.”
This year’s Gala Honoree, Michael Keenan, Senior Vice President/Regional Vice
President of Wells Fargo & Company’s Regional Commercial Banking Office, is no
stranger, too, to the arts on Long Island. A banker in the New York metropolitan
area for more than 28 years, Keenan serves on the board of the Long Island
Association and Old Westbury Gardens. Before joining the Tilles Center Council of
Overseers, its governing board, last year, he was a board member of Friends of the
Arts at the Planting Fields Arboretum.
Love of Entertaining
When Leno was nine years old, his dad, who worked for Prudential Insurance,
was transferred and moved the family to Andover, MA. As a grade-schooler, he
says he was “dyslexic, a wound up kid who could sometimes be obnoxious.
“I was a show-offy kid,” Leno tells Networking® magazine. “Once a month, my
dad would put on a little bit of a show, something to inspire the salesmen. At the
meeting, he’d put on a skit or sing a funny song, play Frank Sinatra’s ‘High
Hopes’, or do a slide show. I thought, maybe I want to go into the insurance
business, because once a month I’d get to do a show somewhere.”
Leno attended Waltham’s Bentley University for accounting and finance, but he
8 NETWORKING® October 2014
"The Gala generates a
significant amount of
revenue, which then
supports everything we
do at Tilles for other
performances. With a
theater that seats 2,200,
more than 200,000
people pass through
our doors annually
for concerts and
community events.”
says, “That lasted one semester.” Recognizing that he had a desire to get into show
business and be a comedian, he transferred to Emerson College at Boston, the
nation's only four-year college devoted exclusively to the study of communication
and performing arts.
“Back in the early ‘70s, there weren’t comedy clubs around,” Leno remarks.
“The times were serious; the focus was on stopping the war machine and writing
anti-war poems.” On the other hand, he continues, “You had a lot of students with
no money who were willing to be entertained by people with no talent. On
Saturday nights, the cafeteria would become a café, and the students would
put on shows. I didn’t organize them, but I always tried to MC them or be
involved in some way.” Interestingly, Leno met his wife of 34 years, Mavis, in a
comedy club. While he graduated with a B.A. in speech therapy, Leno continued
to pursue his goal.
“I always liked comedians who looked like normal people but were funny, as
opposed to comedians who wore funny hats or costumes,” says Leno. “I was
drawn to comedians like Johnny Carson, Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Robert Klein,
George Carlin, Jack Benny and Bob Newhart. These guys are all comedians who
look like anybody you’d see on the street until they open their mouths.”
Grease Monkey to Funny Man
In his younger days, Leno says he worked in car dealerships. He didn’t think
about collecting cars at the time, but thought of it as “stuff I’d like to have.”
According to a Los Angeles Times article in July 2014, Leno owns a collection of 130
cars and 93 motorcycles, plus engines, spare parts and memorabilia. He enjoys
tinkering with and fixing classic and unusual cars, taping his “Jay Leno’s Garage”
television shows and keeping up his web presence. He philosophizes:
“When you work with your hands it gives you an appreciation for how easy it is
to make money in show business. It puts things in perspective. Show business is
like champagne, if you drink it every day you just wind up an alcoholic, but if you
enjoy it occasionally, well then it’s a nice treat. For me I go to my garage and
work, then I go wash up, get on a plane, go to Vegas and do a show, and I
appreciate that show a little bit more.”
A Wide-ranging Career
Comedian, film, television and voice actor, writer, producer and TV host, Jay
Leno performed his first comedy routine on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny
Carson in March 1977. Starting in 1987, he became a regular substitute host for
Johnny Carson, and in 1992, replaced Carson after his retirement. He calls the
“best” part of his shows: “the monologue.” Why? “Because I’m a comic,” he
explains. With so many outlets today where people can sit and talk about their
favorite projects and careers, the monologue section of the late night shows has
grown from 5-6 to 12-13 minutes. Even though TV comedians have a bevy of
writers, other contributors, and the comedians’ contributions, Leno says ultimately,
“It’s up to the comedian to put his or her own spin on it.” He adds, “It’s up to you
to find the point of view and the frame of mind. You have to decide if the joke is
appropriate. You have to get the thing to flow in your own style.
“Most comedy is reacting to what you see around you,” he continues, “The trick
is not to know more than people, but to know exactly what other people know.
You pick up the papers and they all have the same headline—okay, you know
what you’re going to talk about tonight. When times are terrible, you tell silly
jokes. When times are silly, you can tell some serious jokes.”
In 1995, Leno won an Emmy in the Outstanding Variety Music or Comedy
Series category for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. After his last Tonight Show
episode in February 2014, he was
inducted into the Television Hall of
Fame, and on October 19, the Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts will
award him the 17th annual Mark Twain
Prize for American Humor.
Charitable Giving
Leno participates in the Love Ride, a
motorcycle charity event that has raised
money to benefit muscular dystrophy
research, autism, and in 2001, the
September 11 recovery effort. In 2013, he
served as Grand Marshall for the 30th
annual Love Ride. He supports the
Feminist Majority’s campaign to
educate the public regarding the plight
of women in Afghanistan. His wife
Mavis serves on the organization’s
board of directors, which garnered for
her a Nobel Peace Prize nomination. In
New York, one of Leno’s favorite
_ Jay Leno
nonprofits is Bailey’s Café in Brooklyn,
“Show business is
like champagne,
if you drink it every
day you just wind
up an alcoholic,
but if you enjoy it
occasionally,
well then
it’s a nice treat.”
Jay Leno to headline
Tilles Center’s 2014-15 Season
presenting in these traditional disciplines, as well as children’s theater and
Broadway. There are more Broadway shows occurring across the year across the
country on college campuses, than there are in New York City. The road is bigger
than Broadway and a lot of the road is colleges.”
In fall 1981, the Concert Theater, a department of C.W. Post, Long Island
University, opened, offering events and hosting local arts groups. In 1985, the Tilles
family, which had been engaged in Long Island real estate for many years,
approached then University President David Steinberg saying they’d like to get
involved, make a major gift to name the theater and see it expanded. The theater
continued next page
NETWORKING® October 2014 9
which helps inner city kids by focusing on community-building through service
and the arts.
Leno supports organizations benefiting wounded veterans, and in late
September 2014, he and Mavis visited and entertained U.S. troops in the Middle
East. Currently, Leno’s schedule includes a couple hundred performances a year,
from West Point, Nashville, Atlanta and St. Louis, to Jerusalem, London and Italy.
Tilles, Long Island’s Leading Showplace
“Across the country, universities have been the cornerstone of presenting the noncommercial fare, music and dance and jazz for 50-60-70 years,” Sroka explains. “In
many communities, this is where it’s happening. Colleges have preserved
continued from previous page
was re-named for Gilbert and Rose Tilles. Quickly, the number of concerts
doubled, the budget more than tripled, and the theater brought in performers
like George Carlin, Chuck Mangione and more conventional celebrities,
classical music, Broadway shows, jazz and children’s programs. Today the
Center has a full-time staff of 15, employs about 135 students from the
university as ushers, ticket takers and parking attendants. Sroka, who was
named Executive Director in 1986, notes, “It’s a great way for students to get
experience, learn about the theater and help pay for their education.”
Leno looks forward to his return to LIU’s Tilles Center and to the Long
Island audience. On Long Island, he says, the audience knows exactly what’s
going on locally and worldwide. He remarks, “New York is the hub of the
world; everything emanates from there.” ■
10 NETWORKING® October 2014
Tilles Center for the Performing
Arts at LIU Post 2014 Highlights:
GALA 2014 JAY LENO
November 8, Saturday, 8:30 pm
BROADWAY:
October 24, Friday, 8:00 pm
Evil Dead: The Musical
CABARET AT “CLUB T”:
Under the direction of executive Producer Jack Globenfelt. all
performances take place in Hillwood recital hall at 7:30 and 9:30 pm
October 18, Saturday
Betty Buckley: The Vixens of Broadway
October 31, Friday
Django Festival Allstars with special guests The Manhattan Transfer’s
Janis Siegel and jazz harpist Edmar Castaneda
December 6, Saturday
Cheyenne Jackson: Music of the Mad Men Era
CHAMBER MUSIC AT HILLWOOD:
Under the leadership of artistic director, pianist, and host Caroline
Stoessinger. All performances take place at 3 p.m. in Hillwood Recital
Hall.
October 19, Sunday
Brooklyn Rider
December 14, Sunday
Amphion String Quartet
CLASSIC MUSIC:
October 25, Sunday 8:00 pm
Lang Lang, Piano
November 9, Sunday 7:00 pm
Russian State Symphony Orchestra
CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL MUSIC:
November 1, Saturday 8:00 pm
International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE)
DANCE:
October 17, Friday 8:00 pm
Pilobolus
November 23, Sunday 7:00 pm
Dancing Pros: Live
December 5, Friday 8:00
State Ballet Theatre of Russia in Swan Lake
FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT:
October 26, Sunday 4:00 pm
Lang Lang: 101 Pianists
November 22, Saturday 4:00 pm
The Intergalactic Nemesis: Target Earth Live-Action Graphic Novel
December 13, Saturday 2:00 pm
Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smell
HOLIDAY:
December 7, Sunday 3:00 pm
Christmas in Vienna: The Hollywood Concert Orchestra and Soloists
JAZZ:
October 11 , Saturday 8:00 pm
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
OPERA:
November 21 , Friday 8;00 pm
Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème
POPULAR MUSIC:
November 15 , Saturday 8;00 pm
Natalie Cole
TICKETS: are available online at tillescenter.org or TicketMaster.com,
in person at Tilles Center’s box office, or by telephone at (516) 299-3100 or
(800) 745-3000. The box office, located at 720 Northern Boulevard (Route
25A) in Brookville, New York, is open Monday through Saturday from
1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Ticket prices include a $3 per ticket facility fee. There are
no refunds. Press photos are available at tillescenter.org/press.
Programs at Tilles Center are supported in part by the New York State
Council on the Arts. Long Island University’s Tilles Center for the
Performing Arts is located at LIU Post, Route 25A in Brookville. ■