6 | FRONTDOORS MAGAZINE ORGANIZATIONS FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE + Arizona Jewish Historical Society + Chandler Center for the Arts + Mesa Arts Center + The Nash + Phoenix Youth Symphony Orchestras + School of Ballet Arizona + Scottsdale Arts + Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing + Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West + West Valley Arts Council 42 8 EDITOR’S NOTE Invest in the Community — and Yourself 10 10 QUESTIONS Audra McDonald, actor and singer 13 CREATING CULTURE Driver of Change 19 CHEERS TO THE CHAIRS Upcoming philanthropic events 29 STYLE UNLOCKED Accessories Are the Moment 37 KEY TO THE GOOD LIFE First Impressions 42 COVER STORY House of Words 49 NEXT DOORS Not the Same Old Song & Dance 53 OFFICE DOORS Jonathan Robles, board chair of the West Valley Arts Council 57 A 2ND ACT Artists Known 61 CHARITY SPOTLIGHT The Nash 65 FROM THE ROAD Central Coast Circuit 71 KITCHEN DOORS Let’s Eat! 79 BOOKMARKED Lawrence Bell, Ph.D., executive director of the Arizona Jewish Historical Society 80 LAST LOOK Window to the West THE ARTS & CULTURE ISSUE, VOLUME 17, ISSUE 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS

JOURNEY THROUGH MOMENTS OF MEANING BOOK NOW! JOIN US! It’s time for The Phoenix Theatre Company’s 2023/24 SEASON PHOENIXTHEATRE.COM | 602-254-2151 Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill September 6 – November 26, 2023 Tiananmen: A New Musical October 4 – October 29, 2023 Elf The Musical November 22 – December 30, 2023 Sister’s Christmas Catechism: the mystery of the magi’s gold December 1 – December 30, 2023 Festival of New American Theatre January 5 – January 21, 2024 The Lehman Trilogy January 24 – February 11, 2024 The Truth About Winnie Ruth Judd February 7 – March 17, 2024 Beautiful: The Carole King Musical March 6 – April 28, 2024 What the Constitution Means to Me April 10 – June 16, 2024 Fiddler on the Roof May 22 – July 7, 2024 Fully Committed July 10 – August 11, 2024 Cabaret July 31 – September 1, 2024