NSAL Meeting and 75th Anniversary Celebration hosted by NSAL-DC
The National Society of Arts and Letters (NSAL) held its National Meeting and Drama Competition 29 May through 2 June 2019 at the Georgetown Marriott Hotel. What was extra special about this Meeting was that NSAL celebrated its 75th anniversary in Washington, DC. where NSAL began!
The festivities started off with a cocktail and dinner reception. This was a wonderful opportunity for members to meet up with old NSAL friends, but the highlight of the evening was the entertainment. Former NSAL winners performed with Frank Conlon (piano) treating everyone to the full score of “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin; John Clay (Musical Theater) just fresh off Broadway singing, and Ed Gero (Drama) performing a scene from “The Originalist” where he played Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
The Presidents' Luncheon honored Julia Gould as 1st place for the Naomi Rabb Winston Art Scholarship, Rebecca Gonzalez-Maldonado for the Shirley Rabb Winston Voice Scholarship and Alexandra Razskazoff who tied for 2nd in the Dorothy Lincoln-Smith Voice Competition.
Evening events included Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens, home of former NSAL member Marjorie Merriweather Post with a tour of the mansion and gardens followed by a dinner reception and entertainment by actor Thomas Keegan who also provided sound advice on the realities of being an actor, and a second evening with Julie Kent (former NSAL Ballet winner and head of The Washington Ballet) at the National Museum of Woman in the Arts.
Days were filled with meetings, and most importantly, the Drama Competition representing 18 Chapters. The Judges Michael Bofshever (actor), Molly Smith (Artistic Director of Arena Stage), Michael Kahn (Artistic Director of DC's Shakespeare Theatre Company) and Geoffrey Soffer (Entertainer) selected Gena Yvonne Sims as the winner. Fabulous Master Classes followed with Robert Pullen, formerly of the Kennedy Center, and Molly Smith.
The culmination of this busy week was an Awards Dinner held at the Cosmos Club. The most beautiful ballroom in Washington was filled with exquisitely set tables, tall flowing centerpieces of gorgeous flowers, a sumptuous dinner and performances by the top three awardees. Entertainment for the evening was provided by Rayshun LaMarr, a DC contestant from the TV show The Voice who had everyone out of their seats and dancing. The evening ended with Michael Kahn being awarded the 2019 Recipient of The Gold Medal.
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