Educator / SpeakerBobbie has a long history of public speaking, having successfully communicated to others from a stage since she was a child. She won her Brooklyn Jr. High School's prestigious Declamation Contest, succeeding Paul Sorvino and she was elected to the Presidency of New Utrecht High School through public speaking. Through her life she spoke at each of the many events and fundraisers she produced, including:
Bobbie Horowitz developed her love for theater, music, and literature as a student at Bensonhurst Jr. High School, New Utrecht High School and at the late afternoon Hebrew School she attended. Each of the schools she attended presented shows featuring the students. As you've read on the Performer page of this site, Bobbie wrote songs with Sharon Spector while in Jr. High and High School. Bobbie realized how important her early education and her education as young woman was to her successes in the fields she cherished. Her son David Slone attended Hunter Junior High, a wonderful school that fortunately was their neighborhood Junior High. He chose to audition to be accepted in Hunter High School, which was a special public high school. Both were public. He was accepted. Bobbie then became acquainted with Linda Masson-Kingsley, who became chair of the Drama Department at LaGuardia High School Performing Arts. Bobbie gave talks about producing to students at the High School. Bobbie and her son David Slone, a graduate of the Cornell College of Arts and Sciences and then Cornell Law School founded a not for profit Arts-In-Education company called The Times Square Group. They gave after school workshops in New York City public high schools and to youth groups in the late 1980s and closed the organization in 2006.
The Frank Sinatra School Won a MAJOR AWARD! They had studied with The Timed Square Group Students sang with Broadway stars under the direction of Tony Walton and got to meet Sheldon Harnick, who was being honored, and Hal Prince, who presented Mr. Harnick with his award. Producer Stewart F. Lane spoke of his experience with the students when he came to speak during one of TSG's programs at the school. Picture of Bobbie and Bonnie Comely Lane at the Awards Ceremony, April 8, 2011 featured in www.SocietyAllure.com. Bobbie was the Executive Director of The Times Group and co-produced shows written by the students at the high schools at which TSG tutored. Her co-producers were the students themselves. David F. Slone was the Artistic Director. Off Broadway theaters and Cabarets were donated and reviewers of major publications reviewed the students. The students also entertained at fundraisers and a monthly award was given by North Fork Bank (later by Capital One) to a student, who showed excellence in the dramatic arts. The Soho Playhouse and the Players Theatre each donated their space for the students to perform the shows they'd written and mounted.
TSG taught "hands on" after school classes at arts schools like Frank Sinatra and LaGuardia, at regular academic public high schools like New Utrecht (Bobbies alma mater) and Grace Dodge. TSG also taught classes at schools for troubled children (I-75 schools in NYC) like Cascades. Among the press people who spoke to the students about becoming reviewer or theater reporters included; Adam Feldman from Time Out, David Sheward from Backstage and Barbara Siegel of TheatreMania.com. Union officials spoke to the students about the unions' job included representatives from Actor's Equity, Musician's Union Local 802 and IATSE (Stagehands). And the list goes on.
Chuck Cooper coached some of the TSG classes and spoke at a private session we held at a theater. When he was interviewed at The Tony Awards show he spoke of his connection to TSG:
Bobbie also gave many talks to neighborhood groups about the importance of theater and music when she was producer of The Drama Desk Awards in 1999, 2000 etc.
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