Inspiring U | Sep 24, 2025
What's New With U? September 2025
Dear Friends,
Just a few days after the end of our season, I found myself wondering if the past eight weeks had even happened — and I do not think I was alone in this feeling. Our unique and magical little world came into being and then just as quickly dissipated.
During this moment of great societal, technological, and environmental change, I felt happy seeing the impact of Usdan's immersive natural and artistic environment on our students' spirits.
Therefore, five weeks after our last day, I want to offer the final verse of our summer theme: LOVE IS APPRECIATION.
To our families — thank you for visiting campus with enthusiasm, joining in via live stream, packing lunches and backpacks daily, and sharing your children with us. To our faculty and staff — thank you for your passion, skill, flexibility, and vision. And to our donors and volunteers — thank you for your generosity and engagement. I appreciate you!
To our families — thank you for visiting campus with enthusiasm, joining in via live stream, packing lunches and backpacks daily, and sharing your children with us. To our faculty and staff — thank you for your passion, skill, flexibility, and vision. And to our donors and volunteers — thank you for your generosity and engagement. I appreciate you!
In Memoriam
Recently we lost five legendary community members and supporters: Agnes Gund, Angela Maestri Jaggar, Mark Nearenberg, Carol Saline, and Annaliese Soros.
These five members of Usdan's community supported the arts and arts education throughout their lives — illustrating the cumulative impact of a single life. Reflecting on these losses, I find myself motivated to give more of myself to what I care about, and I hope Aggie, Angela, Mark, my aunt Carol, and Annaliese's stories inspire you as well.
Sending so much LOVE and APPRECIATION to you all,
Lauren Brandt Schloss
P.S. Because the arts always help me process change, I have been listening to some of Annaliese's favorite music and wanted to share some with you. You can find the playlist here.
P.P.S. For those of you who have seen me hosting Festival the last couple of years, you know my aunt Carol's red blazer very well, a symbol of the fire and confidence she inspired in me.
New Classes for Summer 2026
Seed to Snack: Edible Gardening
Major/Minor: Grades 4 – 12 | Session: 4-Week A & B
See firsthand the creative potential of nature, growing seeds into food and working as a team to revive the Usdan garden for everyone’s enjoyment after the long winter. Students will learn the science and art of edible gardening, as well as composting, plant management, and basic foraging principles in this major and minor class, formerly known as Organic Gardening & Simple Food. Each student receives their own dedicated bed which they nurture over the course of the 4-week class.
Students then enjoy the fruits of their labor by preparing and eating what they have grown — yum!
LEGO Construction
Minor/Rec: Grades 2 – 12 | Session: 4-Week A & B
Calling all LEGO enthusiasts to the front! Join LEGO Construction for an opportunity to spend the summer designing and building original LEGO worlds with friends. Students will receive constructive feedback from a professional artist and educator while also having the freedom to bring their most imaginative ideas to life. At the end of the class, LEGO worlds come to life as students present their creations. Let’s LEGO!
Festival Showrunners: Usher, Host & Capture!
Minor: Grades 2 – 12 | Session: 4-Week A & B
Do you aspire to produce your own shows? Do you like to work behind the scenes? Join Festival Showrunners and be a critical part of putting on Festival — daily performances that take place mid-day in Usdan’s 900-seat Amphitheater.
In this Minor, students work side-by-side with professional art educators and artists who mentor them on how to connect audiences, live and virtually. Students train as hosts, ushers, and/or storytellers, and then put into practice what they learn.
Composition: Found Sound
Minor: Grades 4 – 12 | Session: 4-Week A
Listen carefully and you will hear the ants marching. The trees talking. And your friend across campus singing.
From the wind and birds to mechanical systems and the echos of voices, capture the sounds of Usdan’s 140-acre campus to create your own sonic composition in this Minor class where Composition meets Nature!
In this creative and adventurous Minor, students are given the unique opportunity to learn from and collaborate closely with Usdan Artist in Residence and environmental composer Lisa Schonberg for a full four weeks. Students walk away knowing how to use various recording devices and the key components of sound editing. Intimate and flexible, the class is tailored to each students’ interests, ideas, and level, making it challenging and exciting for students new to sonic composition and those returning.
The class culminates in a sound installation of the students’ work. All students also receive a recording of their work for their personal portfolio.
Pre-requisites: No prior experience necessary. Classes are grouped according to age division and grade.
Composition: Intro to DJ Basics & the History of Hip-Hop
Minor: Grades 7 – 12 | Session: 4-Week A & B
Don’t Blame the World, It’s the DJ’s Fault! Be in the mix of the history of Hip-Hop and learn what it takes to be a DJ from the creators of Hip-Hop themselves.
In this highly interactive, hands-on class, students from beginner to advanced hone their skills in the art of mixing, crate digging, and selecting music under the guidance and mentorship of Usdan Artists in Residence and legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee DJ Kool Herc and The First Lady of Hip-Hop Cindy Campbell, as well as a professional educator and special guest DJs. Over the course of four weeks, students build their active listening skills and improvisation to create an original DJ set using professional DJ controllers and software that gets the crowd jumping. In this unique class, professional artists work alongside students, learning and collaborating with one another!
Students graduate from class with not only a DJ set that represents a multitude of their identities but also a rich appreciation for all the elements of this historic cultural and musical movement.
At the end of this class, students are invited to perform at Festival, the annual Hip-Hop Pool Party, and other special events.
Pre-requisites: No prior experience required. We encourage all passionate music lovers to apply. Students will be asked shortly after enrollment to submit an application form for entry into the class. Please note, students that are comfortable with loud music and noise, as well as collaborative and independent work, will thrive best in this class.
These new classes will be available starting on Sunday, September 28. For families already enrolled, you can request to change into one of these classes using the class change request form here.
General Enrollment opens Sunday
Give your child the summer of a lifetime!
All children deserve the space to find themselves, connect with nature, and feel the support of creative community. Save the date for early bird enrollment — open this Sunday, September 28 through the beginning of December.
Hear how parents describe Usdan!
Alum Spotlight: Lexie Martin
'Usdan made me feel empowered to take initiative'
After two days of auditions, followed by a final reading with Ryan O'Connor as Edna Turnblad for the California-based production company 5-Star Theatricals upcoming production of “Hairspray,” Marissa Jaret Winokur grabbed Usdan alum Lexie Martin’s hand and said, “You’re going to be our Tracy.”
“I started crying,” Lexie shared with excitement. “And of all people to tell me this!”
For those who don’t know, Marissa Jaret Winokur is known for her Tony-winning performance of Tracy Turnblad in the original Broadway production of “Hairspray.” Now, Winokur is directing the musical opening Friday, October 10 at the Bank of America Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles.
In the thick of rehearsal, Lexie is having the time of her life. To embody her best Tracy, Lexie reflects, she must find herself in the role, an acting lesson she learned in 2009 as a student at Usdan.
Courtesy of Lexie Martin
“As a child, you have a funny concept about what acting and storytelling really is, thinking it means pretending to be somebody else,” Lexie shared. “Then I realized, you must bring a part of yourself to the role. That’s how you do authentic storytelling, by finding yourself in the character. I learned that at Usdan, and it has stayed with me forever.”
In “Hairspray,” Lexie finds Tracy in herself through their shared love for dance and her love for friends and community.
“Tracy also has a very strong sense of what’s right and what’s wrong. [She] stands up for what she believes in and for the people she cares about. I feel very connected to that. I feel at home playing Tracy.”
Lexie grew up on Long Island and started attended Usdan in 2007 when she was 13 years old. She remembers her first show was “Honk,” a musical adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s beloved children’s story “The Ugly Duckling.” Lexie played the role of the gossipy hen Maureen and performed a song alongside the ugly duckling’s mother, Ida. A couple years later, Lexie joined Theater Rep, now known as Usdan Troupe, and continued to grow her confidence as an actress and a singer.
Most fondly, Lexie remembers Last Day Cabaret as a huge moment of growth for her — she felt free to experiment as a performer and was received with love from her community.
“That was the first time I ever took charge of having a number and trying to put choreography into performance. We choreographed a tap number, came up with costumes, and performed,” Lexie reminisced. “Usdan made me feel very empowered to take initiative and make something that would make people happy.”
While singing always came naturally to Lexie (at seven she begged her parents for singing lessons and always gravitated to the stage), dancing was another skill she developed at Usdan, which has proven useful in her role as Tracy. She minored in Tap and remembers with fondness moments from her class led by Christopher Scott.
“What a beautiful explosion of joy it is to move and dance,” Lexie said.
Courtesy of Lexie Martin
Following Usdan, she studied musical theater at American University, then moved to LA in 2017 to pursue a career in music. She dropped her first EP in 2019. The eponymously named album includes five original tracks and is currently available on most streaming platforms along with several music videos. For Lexie, there has always been a strong through line between her work as a pop-song writer and performer. With lyrics, though, she finds there is opportunity to give people something that can become their “inner mantra,” words people can say to themselves on their best days and their worst days to remind them to be themselves.
“Pop music is a great way to encourage people to live their best life, or make them feel less alone, or more understood.”
A couple years after moving to LA, Lexie started to miss the energy of musical theater and so began auditioning for shows. She landed a role in a production that closed right before the world shut down for the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was not until her “Hairspray” audition that she leaped back into the genre again. Now, after a five-year hiatus, she has landed her dream role.
Whether at Last Day Cabaret, as a pop singer inspiring people to be themselves, or in her current role as the big-hearted, strong-willed Tracy, what drives Lexie is a desire to spread joy and share herself with the world.
“What I really love about performing is sharing, making people feel good, and making people think. Performance is the medium I’ve always wanted to do that in.”
For information on Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts’ Musical Theater Department and 2026 class offerings, including information on how to enroll for next summer, visit usdan.org.
Celebrate Spooky Season at RISE of the Jack O'Lanterns
October 3 – November 1, 2025
You have seen Usdan by day. Now see it by night during RISE of the Jack O'Lanterns, Long Island's original and most visited fall event! Don't miss this top-rated Halloween event for the entire family with food, drinks, and a dazzling light display!
Usdanites Out & About
The final Festival of Summer 2025 ended with a balloon drop — a celebration of the true joy found in being together. Until next year!
(L - R) Executive Director Lauren Brandt Schloss; Suffolk County Regional Representative for Gov. Kathy Hochul, Thalia Olaya; Director of Development Jessica Liss Feuer; and Senior Development Coordinator Kyra Leeds at the Long Island Association Poolside Reception. In July, Thalia visited Usdan to drop off a letter from Gov. Hochul's office in support of Usdan's July Community Day.
The letter read: "By matching campers with visiting professionals and educators in a variety of disciplines, including dance, music, and literature, while encouraging creative exploration and personal development, the Usdan Summer Camp teaches aspiring artists to boldly pursue their dreams."
(L-R) Executive Director Lauren Brandt Schloss with board member Renee Lista at an NYC Climate Week event on Wednesday, September 24.
(L-R) Usdan Artist in Residence Lisa Schonberg with Executive Director Lauren Brandt Schloss at the Human Impact Institute's Creative Climate Forum on Thursday, September 25 for NYC Climate Week.
In Memory of Mark Nearenberg
Usdan alum parent & passionate supporter of Usdan
Rabbi Irwin Huberman: "We mourn the recent passing of long-time member Mark Nearenberg (ע״ה), and we hold his family in our hearts. Mark’s presence was a gift to this community—his kindness, his spirit, his dedication. May his memory be not only a blessing but a gentle reminder of the preciousness of life and the importance of cherishing one another. For myself, I find that every time I step into CTI—whether to pray, join a meeting, or wrestle with synagogue business—I’m reminded of how fortunate I am to have this community. Mark was part of that heartbeat, and he will be missed."
Calendar
Sunday, September 28
Campus Tours
1:00 p.m. | 2:00 p.m. | 3:00 p.m.
Can't make this tour? Email hwizenberg@usdan.org to schedule an unofficial tour of campus.
Re-U-nion Show
3:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. | McKinley Amphitheater
RSVP is required to attend.
October 1 – November 3
The RISE of the Jack O'Lanterns
Usdan Campus
