Alumna to give 2012 Commencement address
Notre Dame alumna Haley Scott DeMaria, who made an inspirational comeback from critical injuries sustained in a 1992 bus accident involving the Irish swimming team, will deliver the 2012 Commencement address, University spokesman Dennis Brown told The Observer. DeMaria will also receive an honorary degree at the May 20 ceremony, to take place in Notre Dame Stadium. In a release, University President Fr. John Jenkins said he believes DeMaria’s address will provide an appropriate message for those graduating. “The courage, perseverance and faith Haley has demonstrated over the past 20 years have been remarkable and are a shining example for us all,” he said. “She has spoken to scores of groups across the country of the many challenges she faced in recovering from injuries suffered in the accident, always with a focus on God’s grace and the love and support she received from her family, friends and Notre Dame.” “I’m sure that her words will be as inspirational to our graduates as they have been to so many others.” Former United States Secretary of Defense and director of the Central Intelligence Agency Robert Gates delivered last year’s commencement address. DeMaria suffered a broken back and was paralyzed after a team bus returning from a meet against Northwestern slid off the Indiana Toll Road during a snowstorm Jan. 24, 1992. Freshmen Meghan Beeler and Colleen Hipp died in the accident. Most of the other passengers on board suffered injuries, with DeMaria the most seriously hurt. Doctors told DeMaria she likely would spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. A week after the accident, she regained feeling in her legs. DeMaria was standing and walking within a month. DeMaria returned to take classes in the spring of 1992, and began swimming in the fall. On Oct. 29, 1993, she completed her comeback, swimming the 50-yard freestyle – and winning her heat. DeMaria has said she is honored to share the story of her incredible comeback. “It is moving, gratifying and inspiring to speak to people about my recovery,” she has said. “It is a gift to pass along hope.” DeMaria has received several notable honors for her amazing comeback, including the Spirit of Notre Dame Award, Honda Award for Inspiration and Gene Autry Courage in Sport Award. She was named Woman of the Year by the National Women’s Leadership Conference in 1994 and a fellow of the Institute for International Sport. DeMaria is also the first vice president for the Notre Dame Monogram Club and will begin her two-year service as president starting in 2013. DeMaria graduated in 1995, and now lives in Annapolis, Md., with her husband, 1995 alum Jamie DeMaria, and two sons. She has shared her story in a book and has plans for a movie. Contact Sam Stryker at [email protected]
Thomas Herder, general counsel of the energy division of Siemens AG, kicked off the Saint Mary’s Department of Global Studies series called “On Developing Global Mindset” with a lecture Thursday in Spes Unica. Herder said part of developing a global mindset is knowing companies cannot only rely on the United States, Germany and Japan. He said because many other countries are growing rapidly, there must be a shift away from a Eurocentric approach to business. “Siemens looks at the global market, breaks it down into regions and then focuses in on certain countries,” Herder said. “We then strategize from that mindset. We are a German company with a strong global footprint.” Herder said cultural sensitivity is essential for success in international business. “It is important to do your homework so you know up front what you are going to be dealing with and how you as a foreigner will be treated in that specific setting,” he said. “It is essential to understand and appreciate different cultures, but it is also important to be aware of your own perspective and what is driving you. That way you won’t let others take advantage of you in the business setting.” Herder said taking a few basic business classes helps prepare students for the global marketplace. He also emphasized the importance of having language and writing skills. “Liberal arts education teaches people how to think,” Herder said. “I can teach people how to negotiate contracts, but I cannot teach them how to think.” Herder urged students to take advantage of the opportunities presented to them. “The only constant is change,” he said. “Embrace it, get used to it and look for opportunities for value-added change. Those who resist [change] are going to be left behind.” Herder expressed the importance of compliance in a world where corruption is a problem. Compliance is important to Herder, he said, because Siemens had to pay $1.9 billion in fines to the European Commission and Justice Department in 2009 for corrupt business practices. Although Herder was not implicated in the allegations, he said he saw the scandal’s negative affects on the company. “If people in our company had done the right thing, we wouldn’t have had to pay $1.9 billion in fines and a lot of families would not have suffered,” he said. “From a global perspective, we see the darker side of corruption and the horrific effects it has on developing nations. I believe we are obliged to point out things that are wrong.” Herder reminded students of the importance of common sense when traveling to unfamiliar places. He said women should be especially careful. “Do not let this stop you from traveling or taking advantage of job opportunities,” he said. “Just be aware of your surroundings.” Workplace diversity is an important component of developing a global mindset, Herder said. “Companies are trying to get additional representation from minorities,” he said. “More representation adds to the richness of the company. Each individual comes with such different perspectives. This new major [of Global Studies] allows you to explore these different perspectives and develop a global mindset.”
Notre Dame geologists have discovered an important piece of the puzzle that is the chemical composition of the earth’s mantle – the layer of semi-liquid rock directly below the earth’s crust. Antonio Simonetti, associate professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering and Earth Sciences and Ph.D. candidate Wei Chen recently published their findings on carbonatites and the composition of the mantle in the scientific journal “Nature Communications”, which is the third-ranked journal in the field. Carbonatites are igneous rocks the composition of which is at least 50 percent magmatic carbonate minerals, Simonetti said. These rocks are often expelled from volcanoes and are formed in melts, which are the collections of magma from the mantle that form magma chambers within the earth’s crust, such as those within volcanoes, he said. Simonetti said studying carbonatites leads to a better understanding of the composition of the mantle from which the melts and subsequently the carbonatites themselves are formed. “I’ve always tried to look at carbonatites as messengers of the chemical composition of the earth’s mantle,” Simonetti said. Simonetti said the discovery helps answer a question that has “plagued” researchers for decades, which is “What is the primary composition of carbonate rich melts?” Essentially, Simonetti and Chen have shown that carbonate rich melts contain large amounts of the alkalis potassium and sodium in addition to the large amounts of carbon dioxide and calcium already known to be in such melts. “Geologists thought carbonatites were coming from calcium or carbon dioxide rich regions, but in reality these areas are also sodium and potassium rich,” he said. This better understanding of the composition of melts also helps explain the discrepancy between old carbonatites, which contain little potassium or sodium, and the new carbonatites being produced by the world’s only active carbonatite volcano Ol Doinyo Lengai in Tanzania, which contain a significant amount of potassium and sodium, Simonetti said. “It was very surprising. We didn’t know what to expect, but it was the least likely outcome,” he said. “For me it’s a huge impact. This work is going to have a big impact on the igneous petrology community.” The discovery came as a result of studying melt inclusions in 120 million year old carbonatites from the Oka complex in Canada, specifically southwestern Quebec, Simonetti said. Melt inclusions are micron-sized – a micron is one millionth of a meter – pockets of melt material trapped within the crystals of carbonatites as they form in the cooling melt, Simonetti said. Melt inclusions contain everything present in the surrounding melt at the time they were formed, as opposed to carbonatites, which contain only select minerals that precipitate from the surrounding melt. Thus, melt inclusions reveal the initial composition of a carbonatite rich melt, he said. The chemical signatures of the melt inclusions from the Oka carbonatites were analyzed and significant amounts of sodium and potassium were present in the trapped melt, even though the surrounding carbonatite was only calcium and carbon rich, Simonetti said. This was the first evidence of alkali rich carbonatite melts found outside of East Africa, he said. “The fact that the mantle source regions that gave rise to these melts were also alkali rich means Ol Doinyo Lengai is no longer an oddball,” Simonetti said. Simonetti said the next step is to look for this same phenomenon in carbonatites elsewhere in the world, since the evidence of potassium and sodium is no longer unique to Africa. After that, he said geologists will seek to answer the question of how carbonatites lose alkalis after forming, which will explain why older carbonatites lack these minerals that the new carbonatites at Ol Doinyo Lengai still have. Simonetti said he has been studying carbonatites since he was a Ph.D. candidate in the early 1990s. He said one reason neither he nor any other geologist made this discovery before now is that his discovery depended on recent technological developments, such as the ability to study melt inclusions with Raman spectroscopy. Contact Christian Myers at 
The Campus Life Council (CLC) met Monday afternoon at their final weekly meeting of the fall semester. Luis Llanos, chair of the Diversity Council, updated the CLC about group’s resolution passed about a month and a half ago and passed on to administrators last Thursday. “I have been in contact with the administration [about the resolution],” Llanos said. “They’re going to meet up next week and then we will discuss all the points in depth. They have all been positive about it.” The focus of the meeting turned to student government’s campaign against sexual assault on campus. Student Body President Alex Coccia said plans are underway for a spring semester project. “When we come back in the spring semester, student government is facilitating a student engagement campaign,” Coccia said. “The campaign title is ‘One is Too Many.’” Student government is getting four or five people will to run and facilitate a pledge against sexual assault in each residence hall, he said. Student government will train the dorm representatives in the spring semester. “We want to make sure the people who are doing the conversations feel comfortable talking about it,” he said. “We want them to feel knowledgeable about reporting and logistics of the dialogue. From there, we’re really going to try and adapt and evolve the campaign.” Coccia said the campaign is open to as many people who want to be involved, with plans to weave the initiative into freshman orientation and dorm mass homilies in the future. “Student government is facilitating [the campaign],” Coccia said. “But we want anyone that wants to be involved to be involved.” Llanos asked what is being doing for off-campus students since sexual assault may happen there also. Coccia said logistically, that aspect is more difficult, but still possible. “We will focus on [University] Edge and [Irish] Row, but we’re also looking at social media pledges and getting off-campus people involved,” he said. Annie Selak, Walsh Hall rector, said there is the potential of communication breaking down since the campaign is on a representative basis in different dorms. Pasquerilla East Hall rector Cindy Broderick said it will be important to make sure proper support structures are in place to maintain the campaign and also support students who have been affected by sexual assault. Contact Kyle Witzigman at 
Zachary Llorens | The Observer Last Friday, the women’s rowing team utilized their indoor rowing machines, known colloquially as an ergometer or an erg, to host their fifth annual Erg-A-Thon.Co-chairs of this year’s event, Alexis Olson and Katherine Lumetta said the team raised money and awareness for pancreatic cancer.“We have a bunch of ergs set up on Fieldhouse Mall. There are going some ergs that will be open so people can come up and race their friends or race a member of the rowing team,” Lumetta said. “There also are going to be members of the rowing team erging for the entire six hours.”The Erg-A-Thon also doubled as an intra-dorm competition, where students could represent their dorms in erging races, Olson said.“There will be a competition between the dorms, so if you go and row a certain time, that will count for your dorms time, so we can see which dorm can get the fastest time on the erg,” Olson said.Lumetta said a three-dollar donation was required for students to participate in a 250-meter erg race. Additionally, the team also sold t-shirts and bracelets to raise money for the cause Lumetta said.According to Olson, 75 percent of the proceeds went directly to undergraduate research at the Harper Cancer Research Institute and the college of science matched the team’s donation to the institute. The remaining 25 percent of money raised will go to Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, Lumetta said.According to Olson, the team also held a raffle during the event. Prizes included two field passes for the Notre Dame-Navy game, an autographed football signed by head football coach Brian Kelly, tickets to the men’s basketball game against Boston College, tickets to the women’s basketball game against Virginia, tickets to the men’s hockey game against Minnesota-Duluth, a basketball signed by women’s basketball head coach Muffet McGraw, a basketball signed by men’s basketball head coach Mike Brey and the naming rights to one of the rowing team’s boats for the upcoming season.“[The Erg-A-Thon] started in 2011 because one of our teammate’s mother had just passed away from pancreatic cancer, and our past academic advisor had also lost her mother to pancreatic cancer,” Olson said. “It is a way for the rowing team to pay it forward. It was also a way for our team to help out get and more involved in service work and do it in a way that was close to our team because two people close to us were affected by it.”According to Lumetta, the team has raised over $25,000 for pancreatic cancer research since the event began. Lumetta said the team hopes to have raised over $10,000 during this year’s Erg-A-Thon.Olson said as an IrishOn3 event, an initiative that encourages and rewards student-athletes for supporting each other, across all sports, through the attendance of various sporting event, the Erg-A-Thon was a great way for students, both athletes and non-athletes, to support the rowing team, as well as to support a good cause.“It’s also an IrishOn3 event. It really counts for double-points, because not only are we raising money, but this is the only women’s rowing event that happens on campus — or anywhere near campus — during the year,” Lunetta said. “Since our rivers here aren’t good for rowing, this is really the only way students can get directly involved with the team throughout the year.”Tags: Ergathon, women’s rowing
A sexual assault was reported to the University’s deputy Title IX coordinator, according to an email sent to students Thursday night from Notre Dame Security Police (NDSP).The alleged assault occurred in a West Quad men’s dorm early Sunday morning.Information about sexual assault prevention and resources for survivors of sexual assault are available online from NDSP and from the Committee for Sexual Assault Prevention (CSAP).Tags: du lac, sexual assault
The men of Dillon Hall said they are prepared to put Major League Baseball player Bryce Harper to shame Friday at the annual Opening Day celebration. The nine sections of Dillon will compete in a wiffle ball tournament and home run derby from 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the grass between Dillon and South Dining Hall.Sophomore and incoming hall president Curt Gouldin said he expects a large turnout for this year’s event.“Last year, close to 200 people came out,” Gouldin said. “There’s always a great turnout from within Dillon, but last year we had a bunch of people from all over campus come. We’re always trying to get more people to join in and have fun.”Gouldin also said food and activities will be available for students who are not competing in the tournament but still want to come celebrate the day’s festivities.“We have a band, a mechanical bull, a ton of food, high strikers, pop shot, Jenga, corn hole, Spikeball and can jam,” Gouldin said. “We’ll have burgers, hotdogs and chips, too. All of this stuff is for all of campus to enjoy.”Opening Day commissioners and sophomores Mark Adamo and Ryan Vazza organized the various activities and worked to promote awareness for the event across campus.“We made a public Facebook invitation this year to try to be more inclusive,” Adamo said. “We’ve had around 200 respond that they’re coming, and 200 more put down that they’re interested in coming, so we expect a good turnout.”Vazza said they have also included an exciting new addition to this year’s event: live music.“We got the chance to add a great band this year, the Basement Boxers,” Vazza said. “Our goal is to make this event bigger and bigger each year and eventually use it to raise money for a charity we support. But, as of right now, we’re just giving out free food with music and activities hoping everybody will come.”The residents of Dillon Hall encourage everyone on campus to join the Opening Day celebration, freshman and incoming hall vice president Shane O’Brien said.“It’s a great time with great people enjoying America’s favorite past-time,” O’Brien said. “Good weather, good food, good-looking guys — there’s really no reason not to come.”Tags: Bryce Harper, Dillon Hall, Opening Day
Commencement for the Notre Dame class of 2020 will not take place as scheduled in May, but will be held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic, University President Fr. John Jenkins wrote in an email to graduating seniors Monday morning. “Although there remains a good deal of uncertainty about the trajectory and duration of the pandemic, it is becoming clear that it would not be prudent to host on May 16-17 the Notre Dame Commencement on our campus—a large gathering bringing together families from across the country and around the world, many with older and at-risk members,” Jenkins said in the email. Graduating students will receive their grades in an online commencement ceremony on May 17 for “employment and further studies.” Seniors will receive their degrees from Jenkins over livestream, and speakers — including the commencement speaker, Patriarch Bartholemew — will record their speeches in advance to be viewed on the day of commencement. The University will then mail students their diplomas in June. Though their graduation will be held virtually, seniors will be invited back to campus Memorial Day weekend 2021 to celebrate their graduation, albeit belatedly, according to Jenkins’ email. The specifics of the weekend will be determined by discussions of a student committee which will convene soon, but will include a mass, a convocation in Notre Dame Stadium with the traditional cap and gown, college and departmental ceremonies, a last visit to the Grotto and a commencement ball, Jenkins said in a follow-up email Tuesday.Jenkins compared the class of 2020 to the University’s class of 1879, when students had to leave campus in late April due to a fire that destroyed most of Notre Dame’s campus. “The Class of 2020 will always have a special place in the hearts of all who are part of Notre Dame,” Jenkins said. “I look forward to the celebrations to come. Through our patroness, Mary, I ask for God’s blessing on each of you and on your loved ones in this trying time.”This report was updated at 8:51 p.m.Tags: Class of 2020, Commencement, Fr. John Jenkins, Patriarch Bartholomew
This report was updated July 28 at 3:35 p.m.The College of Arts and Letters Office for Undergraduate Studies first announced in a Monday email a new policy for the fall semester — COVID-Related Leave Of Absence (CRLOA) — that would allow students in the college to request a delay in their studies for a semester. Other colleges have since followed up with similar announcements, as the policy is University wide.“Some students have inquired about options for a “gap semester” in fall 2020 due to concerns and uncertainties resulting from the current COVID pandemic,” the email said.The policy, approved by the University on July 22, allows students to delay returning to campus until spring 2021. Students who choose to take a CRLOA will be guaranteed reentry into the University but must make certain arrangements for spring registration.“Due to course sequencing within certain majors, we recommend that you discuss the implications of taking a CRLOA with your departmental advisors and AL advising dean,” the email said.The email said transfer credit from other institutions for the semester period would be accepted if the courses are necessary to maintain “academic continuity,” such as language proficiency, mathematics or another course in a sequential discipline.According to the email, on-campus housing will not be guaranteed to students who undergo a leave of absence.Students wanting to explore the CRLOA option should contact their advising dean.Tags: Arts and Letters, College of Arts and Letters, coronavirus, COVID-19, leave of abence
Photo: CDCALBANY — Coronavirus case numbers swelled in New York on Monday, with a New York City airport agency official and an emergency medical services worker among those infected. School closings, college class cancellations and other fallout from the virus continued to grow. Some key developments around the state:New CasesNew York state’s coronavirus caseload rose Monday to 142 and now includes a key figure in managing busy New York City-area airports: Rick Cotton, the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.He tested positive but has no symptoms and is working from home quarantine, the port authority said in a statement Monday. The agency runs Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark airports, among other facilities and transit services.Gov. Andrew Cuomo noted that Cotton had been at the airports while travelers were returning from countries that have become hotspots for the virus. Most coronavirus cases in the state are linked to a cluster in suburban Westchester County, north of New York City. But patients are spread from Long Island to the Capital Region, with at least 19 in New York City. A city Fire Department EMS worker in Brooklyn is among them, the worker’s union president said. Other local health care workers also have gotten the virus: A staffer at a Brooklyn nursing home was diagnosed last week in New Jersey, where he lives part-time.For most people, the new virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and can be fatal.The vast majority of people recover. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.Some 6% of the New York patients are hospitalized, Cuomo said, adding that most of them have underlying medical problems. Some have needed intensive care.Meanwhile, the governor unveiled the state’s own line of hand sanitizer, to be provided to government agencies. Sanitizer has been running short in commercial markets; New York’s version is being made by prison inmates.School ClosuresConfirmed and suspected cases of coronavirus have led to a growing number of colleges and schools shutting their doors — and Cuomo said more closures will come.He announced Monday that any school where a student tests positive will be closed for at least 24 hours for assessment, and schools in the Westchester County hotspot of New Rochelle will likely remain closed for weeks.New York University said it would move to online-only classes starting Wednesday and continue them through at least March 27 after students return from a scheduled spring break next week.Columbia University cancelled classes for Monday and Tuesday, then also planned to go to online instruction. Fordham University said it also planned to begin teaching online Wednesday. Hofstra University cancelled classes for the rest of the week.Pharmacy Customers ContactedCVS Pharmacy officials said they were helping state and local health officials contact patients who received prescription medication March 2 and March 4 from a northern New York pharmacist who has tested positive for the virus.The Queensbury pharmacist was not displaying symptoms.A hospital in nearby Glens Falls on Sunday canceled a planned public forum on the virus, saying it would instead post a video presentation.Court OrderPeople showing up to federal court in Manhattan and some northern suburbs were greeted Monday with notices bearing a judge’s order: Don’t come in if you have had contact with anyone who has tested positive for the virus, or certain other criteria for possible exposure.State courts aren’t considering similar measures for now, Cuomo said.NYC St. Pat’s Parade Still OnAlthough Ireland canceled all St. Patrick’s Day parades nationwide, New York City doesn’t plan — at this point — to call off the massive March 17 parade on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday. But he said officials would watch the virus’ spread, with “all options on the table. … it’ll be a day-to-day thing.” Share:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
Share:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) Photo: Governor Tom Wolf / CC BY 2.0LITTLE VALLEY – The Cattaraugus County Health Department now has six confirmed cases of COVID-19, the novel Coronavirus.Officials say a female resident who lives in the northwest part of the county with a travel history to Buffalo was tested for COVID-19 last week after being in contact with a positive case at her place of employment.“Her test result came back negative for COVID-19. However, shortly afterwards, she developed a fever, cough and whole-body aches and was re-tested for COVID-19 on March 29,” said officials. “Her test results from the re-test today, revealed that she is indeed positive for COVID-19.”The patient is resting at home and is now under quarantine with her family. Officials say she will be assessed and monitored closely. “The department will conduct a thorough contact tracing investigation, for those individuals that she has been in contact with and the places that she visited,” explained officials. “We continue to ask our residents to bunker down, and avoid any non-essential travel, especially to areas where there is community wide spread of COVID-19 otherwise, you place your family and other Cattaraugus County residents at risk.”
MGN ImageMAYVILLE – The Chautauqua County Health Department reported no new cases of COVID-19 on Monday.Chautauqua County statistics so far:27 confirmed cases;2 active cases – continue to recover under orders of the Local Health Official per NYS Public Health Law;22 recovered cases;3 deaths;36 cases under quarantine/isolation orders by the Public Health Director and being monitored. Not all of those being monitored are confirmed to have COVID-19 but have either shown symptoms, are awaiting results, or have risk factors; and577 negative test results to date.Related: Cattaraugus County Healthcare Worker Contracts COVID-19 Share:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
Callow is best known for his roles in films like Four Weddings and a Funeral, Shakespeare in Love, A Room With a View and The Phantom of the Opera. His London stage credits include The Mystery of Charles Dickens, which he also performed on Broadway, as well as Dr. Marigold & Mr. Chops, Twelfth Night and Waiting for Godot. View Comments British star Simon Callow is set to return to the West End with his successful solo show Being Shakespeare. The production will run at the Harold Pinter Theatre from February 26 through March 15. It previously had two West End runs at the Trafalgar Studios and Callow also took the production across the pond to BAM and Chicago in 2012. In Being Shakespeare, Callow brings to life Shakespeare’s unforgettable characters as well as the real man behind the legend. The play is written by Jonathan Bate and directed by Tom Cairns.
Lighting design will be by Bruno Poet and music and sound design by Ben and Max Ringham.
James Franco View Comments Star Files Here’s a quick roundup of stories you may have missed today.Sutton Foster’s Pilot Younger Picked Up for Series OrderTwo-time Tony winner Sutton Foster’s pilot, Younger, has been picked up by TV Land for a 12-episodes. According to Deadline, the show, from Sex and the City creator Darren Star will premiere this fall and also star Hilary Duff, Debi Mazar and Miriam Shor. The comedy features the Violet headliner as a New Jersey divorced single mother in her early 40s who kickstarts her career by passing herself off as a 20-something, landing a hot job at a New York City publishing company. Younger is based on the novel of the same name by Pamela Redmond Satran.Helen Mirren Eyeing Role Alongside All The Way’s Bryan CranstonOscar winner Helen Mirren may be teaming up with All the Way’s Bryan Cranston in the biopic Trumbo. According to Variety, Jay Roach is on board to helm the movie, which follows the life of blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Tumbo.James Franco Lines Up First Post Broadway GigLooks like James Franco has his first job lined up after he’s finished his run in Of Mice and Men on Broadway. Deadline reports that the Oscar nominee will start filming the titular role in the movie Michael this summer, directed by Justin Kelly.
Sutton Foster Bryan Cranston
O’Connell made his Broadway debut in the 2011 revival of Seminar; his screen credits include Stand By Me, Jerry Maguire and NBC’s Crossing Jordan. Graynor returns to Second Stage after appearing in Spanish Girl, Trust and The Little Dog Laughed. Her additional credits include Relatively Speaking and The Performers on Broadway, as well as the upcoming CBS comedy Bad Teacher. Heidami has appeared on New York stages in Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo on Broadway and the Public Theater’s Titus Andronicus. Wilhelmi has appeared off-Broadway in The Great God Pan and Core Values, as well as in the films The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Disconnect and The English Teacher. As previously reported, Second stage’s Uptown Series will also include Mala Hierba, penned by Tanya Saracho and directed by Jerry Ruiz. Star Files The cast is now set for Second Stage Theatre’s American Hero, the first play of the company’s twelfth annual Uptown Series. Broadway vets Jerry O’Connell, Ari Graynor and Daoud Heidami, in addition to Erin Wilhelmi, will appear in the dark comedy by Bess Wohl. Under the direction of Leigh Silverman, American Hero will run May 12 through June 8, with an official opening set for May 22 at the McGinn/Cazale Theatre. View Comments Ari Graynor American Hero is a supersized dark comedy about life, liberty and the pursuit of sandwiches. At a toasted subs franchise in the local mall, three up and coming “sandwich artists”—a teenager, a single mom, and a downsized refugee from corporate banking—are perfecting the mustard to cheese ratio according to the company manual. But when their shot at the American dream is interrupted by a series of strange events, they become unlikely allies in a post-recession world. Jerry O’Connell
Star Files Hedwig and the Angry Inch Neil Patrick Harris Show Closed This production ended its run on Sept. 13, 2015 Hedwig and the Angry Inch headliner Neil Patrick Harris stopped by The Late Show to chat with David Letterman April 24, and discussed the freedom that comes with playing the rock goddess on Broadway. After spending about 90 minutes getting into “the whole shebang” in his dressing room, the Emmy winner storms the Belasco Theatre as Hedwig, and boy, is she angry. “If people are late…I wouldn’t recommend that,” Harris warned. “I made out with someone the other night, I motor boated a heavyset dude.” Take a look at the interview below and then catch Hedwig herself at the Belasco Theatre! Related Shows View Comments