34 / matters magazine / spring 2018 He cut his teeth on a dizzying smorgasbord of call letters – radio, television, and newsroom jobs. He jokes that when working for WOBM in Toms River, he tried to convince the people running the station “that WOBM should stand for the ‘World of Budd Mishkin.’ Shockingly, they did not go for it.” Mishkin uses his interviewing acumen to benefit the local commu- nity. He’s hosted Project Runway’s Tim Gunn as well as Ira Glass and the staff of This American Life on two separate nights at Columbia High School to benefit the Outdoor Learning Cen- ter at Seth Boyden Demonstration School. And he has interviewed locally at SOPAC, Words Bookstore, as well as the Maplewood-South Orange Book Festival. “I’m a curious person in general, so I love talking to people, and I’m comfortable in that setting, whether it’s on TV or at the 92nd Street Y in New York, or other venues in New York, or venues here in my hometown. I’ve done several at SOPAC and I love SOPAC,” he says. Mishkin’s interviews there include the Klezmatics, Zach Braff, AJ Calloway, among others. “I’m a proud board member for Midtown Direct Rep,” he adds. “My father was the greatest story- teller ever,” recalls Mishkin. “I learned from him. He was a master.” Mishkin will surely continue to coax great stories out of luminar- ies. His next chapter has only begun. Donny Levit is a journal- ist, writer, and author of Rock n' Roll Lies, 10 Stories. He is the editor of newpulpcity.com, an arts and culture website. Follow him on @donnyreports. “I’M A CURIOUS PERSON IN GENERAL, SO I LOVE TALKING TO PEOPLE, AND I’M COMFORTABLE IN THAT SETTING, WHETHER IT’S ON TV OR AT THE 92ND STREET Y IN NEW YORK, OR OTHER VENUES IN NEW YORK, OR VENUES HERE IN MY HOME TOWN." he’s able to be self-deprecating, an absolutely admirable quality.” He has also interviewed Jimmy Breslin and David Halberstam. Mishkin wasn’t always sitting opposite the Gloria Steinems and the Harry Belafontes of the world. He recalls a gig he had in the 1980s an- nouncing ski reports on live ra- dio – except he wasn’t call- ing in from the snow-covered slopes. “The phone rang at 5:30. I picked it up, I got my tray table with all my notes, my pencil and proceeded to walk into the bathroom.…I did pretty well in school – a fine institu- tion – and five years later I’m doing ski reports in my bathroom. It was not an optimistic time.” Budd Mishkin interviews actor David Duchovny at the 92nd Street Y. (Courtesy of 92nd Street Y) Mishkin has interviewed journalist and former news anchor Dan Rather on stage twice. and to register contact rtlives1@gmail. com or visit artlives.net. South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) offers something for everyone this season: Oleta Adams May 11 at 8 p.m.; An Evening with Fran Lebowitz May 18 at 8 p.m.; on May 19, The Gruffalo at 2 p.m. and Savion Glover & OUT’KNIGHTz at 8 p.m.; and Small Town Story – A New Musical from May 31 - June 10. For details and tickets call 973-313- 2787 or visit sopacnow.org. The Strollers Community The- ater will close its 86th season with William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, performing over two weekends at the Burgdorff Center in Maplewood; at 8 p.m. on May 11, 12, 18 and 19 and on May 13 at 2 p.m. A Midsummer Night’s Dream can be described as the story of love and the madcap consequences that ensue when it’s injected with a bit of magic. For details and tickets call 973-761- 8453 or visit thestrollers.org. The South Orange-Maplewood Adult School American artist Alice Neel: Portraits, Politics and Power from 7-8:30 p.m. May 17 at Columbia High School’s Black Box Theatre. For de- tails call 973-378-7620 or visit somad- ultschool.org. Middle and high school students The Strollers will present A Midsummer Night’s Dream on the weekends of May 11 and 19 at the Burgdorff Center in Maplewood. The South Orange-Maplewood Adult School presents Alice Neel: Portraits, Politics and Power May 17 at Colum- bia High School's Black Box Theater. Singer Oleta Adams will take the SOPAC stage May 11. Local Matters continued from p. 10