Executive Director Eva Bornstein talks to the Norwood News about the Bedford Park performing arts center’s 31st season.

Q: Approaching the 31st season at the Lehman Center, how does the schedule of artists compare to past seasons, particularly to last year’s anniversary season?
A: I always feel every season is the greatest. The 31st is as important as the 30th because we want to continue indefinitely, and I tried to put as much variety as possible into this year’s schedule. Smokey Robinson has been here before — he’s a legend and we are proud to have him back. Mary Mary is opening the season on Oct. 9, and I’m definitely looking forward to it. They cross over from gospel to R&B and they’re very hot and coming up.

Q: The schedule pulls from all different genres and parts of the globe. What would you say is the most unusual act of this season?
A: The theater of Vox Lumiere is going to be presenting a multimedia show based on the film Metropolis. It was a 1920’s silent film piece, and they will have musicians, dancers and singers performing (based on the movie), with it playing in the background. It’ll be an unusual presentation.

Q: What acts are you personally looking forward to?
A: Putting together a season is never easy because you want to offer variety, you want to make it financially feasible, and so it takes a lot of juggling. The problem with programming is that I have to believe in every single show that I book because if I don’t believe in it, why should the audience believe in it? So I would say I’m looking forward to every single performance.

The Chinese Acrobats (National Acrobats of the People’s Republic of China) have been here before, and they’re so much fun to watch for the whole family. The Kings of Salsa show from Cuba is also amazing; to see Cuban culture come here is something new and refreshing.

Q: Is the ‘Create Your Own Series’ deal popular among your patrons?
A: Definitely. We don’t want to force people into selecting what they like. So you can pick any three events, and receive a discount, and the more events you pick, the more discount you receive. Our tickets are fairly reasonable already, and because we’re located in the Bronx, we try to keep the ticket sales reasonable for our audiences. We have received a small grant from Con-Ed, so we are offering ten dollar tickets for children under twelve. We also give $5 discounts for all CUNY staff and professors, and if we have tickets left over, Lehman College students  can get rush tickets on the day of certain performances for $5. That’s less than a movie!

Q: Is there a theme to the 31st season?
A: Diversity, diversity, diversity. That has been our theme from the beginning. We are trying to really feature international companies, so people get exposed to different cultures, and to also showcase the diversity of New York City. Our audiences come from all over the place. A majority comes from the Bronx, but we obviously get people from Manhattan, Westchester, Connecticut, and New Jersey. Last year for Johnny Mathis, we had ladies that travelled from São Paulo, Brazil, all the way to the Bronx. That was an amazing concert.

Q: How does the Lehman Center environment affect performers?
A: Our audiences have been very warm to our performers, and the performers really sense that. They are enthusiastic and supportive, and artists live for that. If the audience likes somebody, they get up, they dance in the aisles, they give standing ovations. When José Feliciano came, he didn’t want to get off the stage. Our Latino audience feels really at home here, and I love coming to the concerts here because of the audience. They’re not shy, and everybody feels at home.

Ed. Note: For scheduling and ticket information, visit www.lehmancenter.org or call (718) 960-8833.
—Interview by Emily Piccone