From Personal Trainer To Playwright Nancy Schuler's 2nd Act Earns Bravos

Nancy Schuler, playwright and actor will present Everyone Has a Story a talk and performance on Saturday November 10, 12:00 - 2:00pm as part of the Palace Theater's new monthly 2ND ACT series.

Schuler's propensity to instill physical discipline to her Personal Fitness clientele of thirty years served her well as she transitioned into an entirely new career at age 65, that requires not only personal discipline but stamina and a thick skin!

After keeping others in shape for thirty years, she decided to turn her considerable creative energies toward a talent that had been incubating since childhood, writing. She began writing and performing one person plays to accolades that won her an invitation to take her show on the road to perform at the New York Public Library. From that she went on to perform her one woman pieces at other venues. Schuker then began to take acting classes to develop her craft and is now getting work as an actor. You can hear her story and see her perform two of her pieces in the intimacy of the Palace Theater's Poli Club while enjoying a light luncheon.

Tickets are $25 and include the meal. To purchase tickets call 203.346.2000, visit the Box office at 100 East Man ST or on-line at www.palacetheaterct.org. A Choice package for any five of the seven remaining monthly 2ND ACT presentations is also available for $100 and includes the meals.

2ND ACT is a new monthly series at the Palace Poli Club that features life stories presented by ordinary people doing some extraordinary things after mid-life whether by design, providence or misfortune. The series is meant to offer inspiration and aspiration to those seeking an answer to their own what's next?.

The other monthly 2ND ACT presenters include:

Brooke Packard - Sleep Coach

Tuesday December 4, 6:00 - 8:00pm

The First Best Habit to Nurture

When sleep coach Brooke Packard became an empty nester, she became a rester! We are in the middle of a global sleep deprivation crisis. The solution is simple, free, and - unlike most habits that reap positive outcomes - pleasurable. In this talk, Brook will go over why you need to upgrade your bedtime routine, sharing simple, actionable steps to take for a better night's sleep.

Eric Lanzeri - author/family tree discoverer

Saturday Feb 23, 12:00 - 2:00pm

Miraculous Coincidence - How a Story for Louise a loving tribute to a beloved grandmother and finding one's roots, took both

A journey of self-discovery in finding your roots both near and far.

In 2016, at the age of 53, Eric Lanzieri wrote a book for the first time in his life. A Story for Louise describes the details of his paternal grandparents' emigration from Italy to Waterbury in the early 1900's, and his grandmother's return to her home town in 1946. The book explains the various circumstances which brought Eric there, and culminated in a miraculous coincidence which allowed him to find his relatives.

Garrison Leykam - Certified Professional Career Coach

Tuesday March 26, 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Audacious at Any Age

Certified Professional Career Coach Garrison Leykam doesn't just believe that everyone is capable of creating their own second act careers. This AARP card-carrying motorcyclist and "real deal reinventor" has proved it himself many times over. Leykam has been a record producer for industry giant London Records, performed as a singer-songwriter at Nashville's iconic Bluebird Café and CBGBs (the Bowery's birthplace of punk), held leadership positions at companies such as MCI Telecommunications and Grand Circle Travel, been a published author, news-talk radio show host on WSTC/WNLK, stand-up comic whose appearance at NYC's legendary Gotham Comedy Club was the premise for the television documentary "Comic on a Half Shell," and producer and host for Connecticut Public Television (CPTV). Just shy of his 70th birthday, Leykam will share how to be audacious at any age.

James Mapes - entertainer/hypnotist/motivational speaker

Tuesday April 23, 6:00pm - 8:00pm

IMAGINE THAT! Igniting Your Brain for Creativity and Peak Performance

Aging, physical challenges and fear do not have to limit you in our own second act of life. James Mapes will inspire you with stories, interactive exercises, fun and solid take-a-ways as to how to apply your imagination to enhance your life, mentally, spiritually, emotionally and socially.

Jeff Savage - actor

Tuesday May 7, 6:00 - 8:00pm

From Wall Street to Chappaquidick

A former Wall Street law firm attorney discusses his winding path from attorney to actor.

Jeff Savage has been a Wall Street lawyer, corporate counsel, CEO, investment banker and an antiques and art dealer on the way to his current career as a working actor. In his early 50's, he was confronted with some difficult challenges and found himself on a downward slope. A along the way he embraced the wisdom of the adage "to find oneself you must first lose yourself". Now, at the age of 77, he is, happily, working on stage and screen, in TV commercials, movies (including the recent film Chappaquiddick, and in voice overs.

Aingeal McLaughlin Murray - Integrative Health Coach

Tuesday June 25, 6:00 - 8:00pm

Fit & Fabulous into your 50's and Beyond

Aingeal was approaching a notorious time...life after MOM. As a part-time Fitness Trainer and passionate wellness advocate she set to out to turn her passion into a career. Now a Certified Integrative Health Coach, she is sharing her strategies for balancing the F words in our lives. Food, Fitness, Friends, Family, Faith & Fun.

Initial funding for the program has been provided by the Connecticut Community Foundation www.conncf.org and is also sponsored by PEAK Physical Therapy in Waterbury.

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