‘Once I had the bug in me, I knew I was bound for Broadway.’

Eric Strauss, Great Neck

“I started performing in the sixth grade in Great Neck, both in school and in an after-school program at my community center called Levels. My mentor, Barry, would coach us in lighting, directing, costumes, props — it was entirely student run. That’s where I developed my love for theater. I would visit the city on weekends because I was a ‘Renthead’ — standing in line for the Broadway lotteries.

“Once I had the bug in me, I knew I was bound for Broadway. I went to Marymount Manhattan College for stage management, but realized it was not right for me. I shelved my Broadway dream for the moment and worked in fashion retail and then as a hotel concierge for nearly a decade.

“My dream was still to get to Broadway. My love for Halloween led me to creating intricate costumes for drag and burlesque performers and thus began my focus in wardrobe. In 2018, I started working for Off-Broadway shows. I’d work 9 to 5 in my concierge job and then do a show from 6 to 10. On weekdays, I’d use my company printer to print resumes. On weekends I would pass out resumes to every stage door.

“After a few weeks, I finally made my Broadway debut. I was supposed to work the matinee at an Off-Broadway show. At 9 a.m., I got a call from the wardrobe supervisor, Melissa — aka my ‘fairy gawdmother’ — at ‘Come From Away,’ asking if I was available to come in. I’d never seen the show or worked on Broadway. I thought, I have nothing to lose! I booked my second show as a swing dresser at ‘Carousel,’ followed by ‘SpongeBob.’ I’d swing at all three shows until I booked my first full-time track at ‘Anastasia.’

“When it closed, I returned to swing dressing for shows like ‘Hadestown,’ ‘Aladdin,’ and ‘The Lion King.’ My next full-time show was ‘The Tina Turner Musical.’ Then it was back to the swing life, dressing at ‘Jersey Boys,’ finally booking my current full-time show, ‘& Juliet,’ where I dress the principal men. I love the live aspect of Broadway. I thrive off the energy from the audience and the feeling you get from walking in a dark theater. I love the constant motion and running around. Live theater is a beautiful sport. It’s different every night, and anything can happen at a moment’s notice.”

I thought, I like to dress up and I like to have fun. How can I make a career out of this?

“With my love for Halloween, dressing up just once a year was not enough. In 2015, I started doing drag and going out to themed parties, where I connected with other creative people like myself. I thought, I like to dress up and I like to have fun. How can I make a career out of this? I don’t know where I got the crazy idea, but I went online to get ordained and began to officiate weddings. It was just something I did for fun. I even surprised my family and popped up as the officiant at my brother’s wedding. I officiate ceremonies in drag as Prince Powderpouffe — my drag alter ego — but also officiate weddings as myself. I created my own business, Your Royal Wedding Officiant.

“When I’m not working on Broadway or officiating weddings, I love building costumes for myself, for burlesque performers and for drag queens. Designing in this way really got me invested in the costume world when I was trying to get a job as a dresser on Broadway. Every New Yorker needs at least two or three side hustles. Between my time on Broadway, my drag persona and my wedding business, it checks all the boxes of interests for my multi-faceted life.

“Anyone who wants to work on Broadway should be persistent — don’t give up. It’s a hard industry to break into and get a foot in a door. Getting the first day is the absolute hardest and the most discouraging at times. Once you have your first day, the next one will just come rolling in. I love what I do and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Interviewed by Iris Wiener

‘I found a lot of solace being out on the water, offering a sense of freedom and a connection with nature.’

Steven Faber, Great Neck

“Soon after starting my career in the garment industry working in Manhattan and getting married, we looked for a house on Long Island. After looking at several houses in Great Neck, our broker suggested taking at look at Steppingstone Park. There’s a beautiful waterfront park with views of Stepping Stones Lighthouse, the Throgs Neck Bridge and NYC skyline views with sunsets that are just amazing.

“Shortly after moving, I discovered my love for being out on the water, learning to sail, owning a kayak and a motorboat. I found a lot of solace being out on the water, offering a sense of freedom and a connection with nature. I found myself trying to get on the water as often as possible. It is a fantastic way to unwind, de-stress and recharge. I would often feel like I was coming back from vacation after being on the water. One the biggest challenges was finding people to go out with me every day.

I am always meeting new and diverse people.

“Fast-forward 30 years, the business that I loved became thankless and very stressful. It was time to change my life, I got my captain’s license and started Captain Steve’s Sailing Experience. It brought me great joy to be working on sharing my love for being on the water. I am always meeting new and diverse people. I get to share birthdays, bachelorette parties, retirement celebrations and get-togethers. Wedding proposals are the most special! I get goose bumps every time someone comes on my boat to propose.

“I find it very fulfilling to watch people experience the beauty and thrill of sailing. There is nothing like the feeling when the sails are unfurled, the engine is turned off and the wind powers the boat across the water. Many people have a fear of sailing and sea sickness, but there is little to worry about. We sail a protected body of water with land always in sight.

“I sail Manhasset Bay, Gatsby’s East Egg and West Egg, then we sail the western Long Island Sound bordered by the Bronx and Westchester on one side and Long Island and Queens on the other. Guests are greeted by an amazing view of the NYC skyline and Throgs Neck Bridge.

“Now instead of hearing about production and delivery issues, I hear, ‘That was amazing, best day ever.’ To be paid to do what you love, isn’t that the dream?”

Interviewed by Liza Burby

‘One of the things that is very much on my mind is Alzheimer’s and dementia, so I’m trying very hard to use my mind and have a purpose in life.’

Herb Munshine, Great Neck

“It’s like sunshine with an ‘M,’ I always used to tell my students. I taught high school English for 58 years, the first two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sierra Leone, West Africa, then 30 years in the Bronx, seven years in Queens, the last 19 years at Great Neck South High School. I retired 22 months ago; that’s when I started getting serious about writing.

“One of the things that is very much on my mind is Alzheimer’s and dementia, so I’m trying very hard to use my mind and have a purpose in life. That explains why I write poetry and essays. I have been published in magazines and Newsday, as well as a site that specializes in poetry about baseball. At this point they have published 79 of my poems, and they’re considering two more. About two weeks ago, the editors voted me into their hall of fame. There are about 250 poets on this site, and I’m the fifth person put into their hall of fame.

I have a lot of poems about seeing life from the point of view of someone who’s 82, lessons I’ve learned, opinions I have.

“I’m not looking to make any money; I’m looking for my views to get recognized. I write on a variety of topics. One of my favorites is baseball, since that’s one of the things I’m most successful at. I have another section where I write poems about my two years in Sierra Leone. That always brings back fond memories. I have a lot of poems about seeing life from the point of view of someone who’s 82, lessons I’ve learned, opinions I have.

“Originally this website began as something I was writing for my grandchildren, so after I’m gone — and I don’t plan on being gone soon — they would have something to look at that would tell them more about me. Grandchildren don’t think about their grandparents as kids, so they don’t know about a lot, like how I tried out for the New York Yankees as an ambidextrous pitcher — I didn’t make it. But they’re not going to know that unless I write about it. It’s anything I think they can learn about me. I want to be engaged. I want to be thinking about things. I want to involve myself in as many things as possible.”

Interviewed by Barbara Schuler

‘In the grand scheme of this terrible and wonderful universe, things have been messy for my family for hundreds of years.’

Tommi Grace Melito, Great Neck

“I’ve always loved research. Honestly, with the right attitude, anything can be a puzzle or a thrilling mystery. All through my career and graduate education, I’ve prioritized finding evidence to understand and unlock trends across history and present day.

“When my daughter was first born, I found myself on maternity leave, nursing, recovering from a C-section and crippling sciatica. For the first time in a lifetime, I was primarily stationed on my couch without a calendar full of meetings, just my sweet baby and my laptop.

“One day, my sister texted me asking if I could help her find information on a family member named Rocky, who had died mysteriously in the 1940s. That’s really how it all started.

“I found that first death certificate in the New York City municipal archives. In Rocky’s case, we thought his death was potentially newsworthy, so I also researched local newspaper databases.

“I learned Rocky suffocated in a coal yard accident in one of the coldest months of the year.

“After finding out the truth, I was drawn to find more death certificates, marriage licenses, baptismal transcripts, census records and military files of family members.

“With burgeoning empathy, horror, sorrow and wonder, I felt as though I was sitting in a bleacher watching the tragedies of triumphs of my ancestors play out before my eyes. I felt their presence reading about their suicides, the deaths of their infants, their poverty, and their attempts to begin again and create better lives for their children. Sometimes they succeeded; often they did not.

“In the grand scheme of this terrible and wonderful universe, things have been messy for my family for hundreds of years. All I can do is the best I can do, you know? Love my daughter unconditionally and make sure she knows where she came from. The only way to break the cycle is to acknowledge it. I found myself saying, ‘All is forgiven, all is forgiven.’”

Interviewed by Maggie Melito

‘Making a career in the arts took a few detours.’

Great Neck

“Deep down, I had always wanted to be involved with the arts – particularly arts education – because my education in the arts was so integral in shaping me into the person I am today.

“As a child, I performed in hundreds of shows each year in New York City, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and once even on TV for the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. Making a career in the arts took a few detours.

I was lucky enough to find the Gold Coast Arts Center.

“First, I worked in a large corporate law firm and then moved in-house to a publishing company. The reason I made this move was because the schedule was much more predictable and would allow me to pursue what I really wanted, becoming a cabaret singer!

“I stayed in publishing — and kept singing — for many years, had my first child, moved to Long Island, had my second child, and eventually got tired of the commute and wanted to be closer to home.

“While my goal wasn’t necessarily to get into film — my true loves are theater and music — I did know that I wanted to be involved in the arts, and ideally non-profit arts, where I could work to help provide arts opportunities like the ones I had as a child to children of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.

“I was lucky enough to find the Gold Coast Arts Center, which did just that through its school for the arts, outreach programs, and lots of other great programs for children and adults.

“Working in an organization with a small staff ensures that you get exposed to a lot of things, one of which was Gold Coast’s year-round film screening and discussion series.

“Being associated with these series made me realize the importance of film as an art form – and how much more accessible and less intimidating it could be to people than other art forms. I teamed up with our executive director to start the Gold Coast International Film Festival, which launched in 2011.

“While I am the associate director of the arts center as a whole, and work on almost everything we do, I have also been director of the film festival for the past several years, where we’ve welcomed hundreds of special guests. Among the most memorable: actor Hugh Grant, with whom I shared pizza and movie theater hotdogs! I’m glad I made the move to the arts!”

‘In my family, they call me the American dream. I’m the first-generation American Trinidadian in my family. I was the first person to graduate college too.’

Great Neck

“I noticed at a young age that I was a visual learner. I was really bad at school, wasn’t gifted in that way, but I would turn projects into video projects and slideshows and skits and all these alternatives so that I could pass a class instead of learning the conventional way. My film teacher really did believe in me and she helped me understand myself and that I’m creative, but I’m creative in a visual aspect, in a way that I see images in my brain. And if it doesn’t work in my brain, then I can’t produce it, because I can’t think through the whole process. So that used to hinder me as a kid, but when I got older, that became a strength that wasn’t a learning disability for me. It was an advantage.

I was probably just a dreamer in my parents’ eyes for a while, but I stuck to it because I was really good at it.

“In my family, they call me the American dream. I’m the first-generation American Trinidadian in my family. I was the first person to graduate college too. And I definitely didn’t go to school for something conventional. I was probably just a dreamer in my parents’ eyes for a while, but I stuck to it because I was really good at it. And my family always pushed me, even if they didn’t necessarily have the experience or the knowledge, they still advised me to work hard, no matter what.

“So now I’m a video producer, but I really would like to get back into film and documentaries. That’s really where my niche is. My passion is documentary editing. I shot my own documentary in Trinidad for my thesis. It was supposed to be on air pollution and oil contamination, but it ended up being on flooding and littering because when I got there it rained, and it never stopped raining. And I had to do my whole film in the flood and 360 my film in the editing room.

“Ultimately, my dream is to have a blockbuster movie in every freaking movie theater internationally. It doesn’t have to be a doc, but I want in the credits for it to be edited by me. I could literally die in that seat that second—my life would be completed!”