HOBOKEN BRIEFS

‘Les Miserables: Student Edition’ casting is April 17

HCT (Hoboken Children’s Theater) SummerStage Pro is casting “Les Miserables Student Edition.” Lisa Capp (Fantine, Cosette, and Eponine in “Les Miserables” on Broadway) and Don Brewer (Enjolras in “Les Miserables” on Broadway) will be directing.
The production is seeking experienced teen actors for all male roles. Must have vocal training.
Auditions will be held by appt. only April 17, 3:30-8 p.m. at Hoboken Children’s Theater, 720 Monroe St., 3rd fl., Hoboken, NJ. For audition requirements and more info, visit www.hobokenchildrenstheater.com. To schedule an audition appt., email admin@hobokenchildrenstheater.com or call (646) 339-8485. No cost to be in production. No pay, but incredible professional level experience.
Rehearsals begin May 22, and performances start July 17-21 at Monroe Theatrespace, 720 Monroe St., 2nd fl., Hoboken.

NY No. 7 train not going to Secaucus “in our lifetime”

Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Joseph Lhota said Tuesday that a proposal to link the No. 7 train to Secaucus is “not going to happen in anybody’s lifetime” according to news reports.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been a proponent of extending the No. 7 train to New Jersey and said that he hopes it happens “in somebody’s lifetime.”
In 2010, Bloomberg’s administration estimated it would cost $5.3 billion to extend the No. 7 train to NJ. The No. 7 subway line – which currently goes from Flushing Queens to Times Square – is already undergoing a major extension to 34th Street and 11th Avenue in Manhattan.
Lhota said his agency supports efforts to approve a new trans-Hudson tunnel for Amtrak trains. The U.S. Senate approved $15 million in design and engineering funds for a new Amtrak tunnel last November that would reduce commuter congestion with two new rail lines from Secaucus to New York. The $13.5 billion project would take close to 10 years to complete. The plan received bipartisan support from Gov. Christopher Christie and from U.S. Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez.
Christie cancelled a different project to ease commuter congestion in October 2010, the ARC tunnel project, which was supposed to run through Hudson County into New York City, because he projected overruns up to $5.3 billion above the initial cost. The federal government and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey had committed just under the $6 billion to that project.

HOPES and ASAT co-host autism awareness concert April 28

HOPES CAP, Inc. and the Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT) will co-host the 2nd Annual Rock’n 4 Autism Awareness Concert on Saturday, April 28. The indoor/outdoor event will be held at the Rue School Gym here in Hoboken and will include a variety of entertainment and family-friendly activities. (In case of inclement weather, all activities will be held indoors). The Fuzzy Lemons, a local band, will play two sets. NY Jets player Mike DeVito will make a guest appearance to sign autographs and pose for pictures. The event will include child-centered activities including face painting, games, and a bouncy house.
Recent studies estimate that there are 673,000 children affected by autism in the United States.
For more details about Rock’n 4 Autism Awareness please visit www.facebook.com/R4AAHoboken . For more information about HOPES CAP Inc., please visit www.hopes.org . For more information about ASAT, please visit www.asatonline.org and www.facebook.com/asatonline.
Tickets for this fun filled event can be purchased at www.tinurl.com/R4AAtickets . Donations can be made on this website as well. If you are a business and would like to sponsor this event or if you would like to volunteer, please contact asatevents@aol.com.

Former Saint Mary Hospital president honored

Sister Grace Frances Strauber, president of Hoboken’s former Saint Mary Hospital (now Hoboken University Medical Center) will be honored at An Evening of Gratitude cocktail reception on April 28 at The Residents’ Club, 1125 Maxwell Lane. Having been assigned to the hospital by her religious community, The Franciscan Sisters of the Poor, who founded St. Mary’s in 1863, Sister Grace immediately began working to reverse the hospital’s severe budget deficit. Holding a master’s degree in health and hospital administration, Sister Grace effectively restored financial stability and assured that all in Hoboken, especially the poor, were provided access to quality health care.
Chaired by former mayor David Roberts, An Evening of Gratitude is sponsored by Ss Peter and Paul Church, 404 Hudson Street. A portion of proceeds will benefit the Hoboken Volunteer Ambulance Corps. Tickets are $125 per person. Ads and congratulatory messages are being accepted for the event’s journal. For tickets and information, please contact Louis Scarpa at 201-659-2276 x306 or lscarpa@spphoboken.com.

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