Verbiculture Magazine

verbiculture
November 2020 | Issue 2
P A N D E M I C
C O N D U C T I N G
BlueWater Chamber
Orchestra teams up with
Verb Ballets
B A C K O N
S T A G E
Nostalgic Nutcracker magic
amped up with Neil Zaza's,
holiday show One Silent Night...
Photo:Jackie Sawjewski 2020 Dancer: Kate Webb
C R E A T I N G
L E G A C Y
New endowment fund set up to
ensure a bright future

inside verbiculture
14
02
12
08
04
18
06
11
02
04
06
08
09
11
12
The Director's Note
Conducting through the Pandemic
New Board Leadership
Creating Legacy
Stories of Giving
Last Season by the Numbers
Ways to Support
14
16
17
17
18
Strain Inflicted & Honoring Loss
10 Q's with Kelly Korfhage
Who is Wasted Talent Media
Meet Betsie Schaeffer
Rockin' New Traditions on Stage
For more content and exclusive videos, visit
www.verbballets.org

DIRECTOR'S NOTE
2020 is coming to an end. In many ways it feels like the year has
lasted an eternity. It is hard to fathom how the pandemic has shaken
our industry. I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish,
shifting to virtual programming and exploring new ways of
presenting dance. As the governor has begun to allow theatres
to open with limited audiences, we are happy to participate in the
experiment of a socially distanced audience at the Akron Civic
Theatre for a family matinee of Peter and the Wolf. In December, we
will make a guest appearance in Neil Zaza’s One Silent Night... show
again at the Akron Civic Theatre. It is a strange new norm, but I am
grateful to continue to bring dance to our audiences. We are all
eager for a vaccine and to resume life as we knew it. The second half
of our season will most likely be fluid as we see what is the best
situation to present work.
I am very much looking forward to the upcoming collaboration with
BlueWater Chamber Orchestra on November 21st. Daniel Meyer is
the Artistic Director and Conductor of BlueWater Chamber
Orchestra and serves as director of many additional regional
orchestras. We first started working with him two years ago at
Lakeside Chautauqua. This partnership has grown and now
audiences will be treated to a collaboration specifically made for
virtual performance.
Thank you for your patience and continued support. The history and
strength of this organization has always been in its creativity. This
season is experimental in nature as we find new approaches to do
what we do best - dance. Read more about exciting new works
coming soon.
Photo:Kolman Rosenberg
Grace (2020)
Dancer: Lieneke Matte
Dr. Margaret Carlson
Producing Artistic Director
verbiculture | Novemeber 2020
2

WE HAVE BIG PLANS FOR
INTRIGUING AND DELIGHTING
CLEVELAND AUDIENCES WITH
PROGRAMS THAT MOVE AND
INSPIRE MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCES.
D A N I E L M E Y E R
Photo: Susan Bestul

E X P L O R E C L A S S I C A L M U S I C
CONDUCTING
THROUGH THE
PANDEMIC
Captivating and imaginative conductor Daniel Meyer was
appointed permanent Artistic Director and Conductor of the
BlueWater Chamber Orchestra in April of 2019. As Music
Director of the Erie Philharmonic and Lakeside Symphony
Orchestra, Artistic Director of the Westmoreland Symphony,
and Director of Orchestral Activities at Duquesne University,
Mr. Meyer has reinvigorated orchestras with his innovative
programs, engaging presence and keen musical intellect. We sat
down with him to talk about the the new collaboration in store.
Tell us about your background working with both dance and
orchestra together?
My first experiences with ballet and live orchestra were with the
Pittsburgh Ballet and Attack Theatre, a modern dance ensemble
based in Pittsburgh. With the Pittsburgh Ballet, we performed
Balanchine's Serenade, which re-orders the movements of the
Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings into an emotional
ensemble piece. With Attack Theatre, we created a premiere
version of Stravinsky's L'histoire du Soldat, a fascinating wartime
Faust tale for chamber ensemble and dancers. I learned right
away that the tempos and inflections that best suit the dancers
will ultimately reveal the best results, even if I would make
different choices in the concert hall. It's truly a collaboration,
and I also do my best to stay connected to the physicality of what
the dancers do - it deeply influences how I pace the musicmaking.
Photos: Susan Bestul
Performance photos prior to COVID-19 (2019)
The program is titled “Building Bridges Together.” How did the
organizations come to that name and what were you hoping to share?
With the pandemic still raging in our country, we have been
anxious to create experiences that keep us connected to our
audience. We want to find ways to build a bridge to our
audience at home, and that led to an idea that we could
build a bridge to one of our treasured artistic partners in
verbiculture | November 2020
4

Verb Ballets. The passion and beauty
of dance is such a visual experience,
and to marry that to the way
BlueWater Chamber Orchestra
makes music and satisfies our need
for auditory stimulation, I hoped that
the combination would in some way
strengthen us through this tie and
give us hope for the future.
Were there any unique challenges or
opportunities conducting with a
socially distanced orchestra?
The orchestra performed with at least
six feet between each of us, so the
way that we subconsciously react to
each other changes drastically. I also
never fully appreciated how our
facial expressions signal to each
other what we are about to do, how
we will do it, and how we feel about it
all. I do believe we have to finely
hone our other senses to a degree
that compensates for what we lack in
visual stimulation and visual cueing.
How has working with film brought
out the unique qualities of the
orchestra?
In this format, our audience has a
close-up view of our musicians
working their hardest to fill each
musical gesture with meaning and
passion. You can really feel as if you
are a specially invited guest
who gets to hear and watch the
orchestra onstage. I happily get to
experience this sensation on a
regular basis, and it gives me great
pleasure to share this vantage point
with our audience.
What did you most enjoy about
working with Verb Ballets?
I first had the pleasure to experience
Verb Ballets when they came to
Lakeside Chautauqua to perform with
the Lakeside Symphony Orchestra. I
was immediately struck by the
creativity of the choreography, the
fascinating choices of music, and the
notably high quality of dancing. There
was obviously a special chemistry
between the dancers, and that came
across to clearly on the Hoover
Auditorium stage. Once I had then
the chance to collaborate with Maggi
and Richard the following summer,
I knew we were kindred spirits in
terms of our love to create, execute,
and dream. I just knew that someday
it would be inevitable that the
BlueWater Chamber Orchestra and
Verb Ballets would collaborate.
Don't miss
Building Bridges Together
November 21st at 7:00pm ET
Get tickets now!
5 verbiculture | November 2020

Photo: Bill Naiman
Carmen (2019)
Dancers: Noe Iwamatsu, Elizabeth Schaeffer, Benjamin Shepard, Emily Dietz, Ashley Forché
N E W B O A R D L E A D E R S H I P
14 year board veteran steps in new role as president
Robert Shwab
Verb Ballets welcomes Robert Shwab as our new board president for the 2020-21
season. He has served on the board of directors for the past 14 years and has helped to
guide Verb Ballets through a name change, economic crisis, building a new facility, and
much more. He was inspired by the strength and resolve of Verb dancers and staff in the
face of the pandemic challenges and stepped up to help lead as president. Rob has a
successful 30-year career as a leadership coach for practice and career advice, and
retirement sales training. He came to Cleveland with Ernst & Young business consulting,
then as COO of a dot com startup. He has worked with several investment and financial
tech firms in consulting and sales roles including Ascensus, Mutual of America, and
NEBS. He graduated from SUNY Purchase and further accreditation from the Wharton
School. Now retired he is arbitrator for FINRA, a market strategy consultant for private
equity firms, an adviser to a free speech organization, and a business writer. He is taking
on new adventures in retirement with producing a screenplay with a modernist take on
Madame Butterfly in collaboration with a film producer classmate from SUNY Purchase.
Currently, he is in North Carolina searching out mountain bike trails. He will head back
to Cleveland with his wife, TuYa, for cold weather hikes and to enjoy their four
grandchildren.
My priority is
to support the
dedication
and energy of
our dancers
and staff who
have been
relentlessly in
re-inventing
the company.
verbiculture | November 2020
6

Photo: Jackie Sajewski 2020 Dancers: Lieneke Matte, Julie Russel, Kelly Korfhage
D R . M A R G A R E T C A R L S O N
Stories of giving from supporters that make a Verb Ballets season possible.
Every gift no matter the amount helps us to achieve our mission.

S T O R I E S O F G I V I N G
CREATING LEGACY TO
ENSURE A BRIGHT FUTURE
Verb Ballets was honored to receive a gift from Kenneth Milder, longtime
supporter of the company, to establish the first endowment fund for the
organization. The Verb Ballets Endowment Fund was set up through the
Cleveland Foundation. Different from an annual fund that supports yearly
operations, the endowment fund grows in perpetuity as an investment and
allows a non-profit to take a portion of the interest earned each year. In
short, it helps to strengthen an organization financially by diversifying its
income to ride the tides of economic challenges.
I believe art and
humanities education
is an essential
component of society’s
progress, especially in
this highly competitive
world.
As fate would have it, I did not stay in
the performing arts, although I had
apprenticed in technical theatre at The
Santa Fe Opera. Perhaps I didn’t share
the courage to pursue such a
challenging career path in the arts.
Nonetheless, I have been blessed with a
wonderful 38-year career at the New
Mexico’s Los Alamos National
Laboratory. Now as a retiree from a
prestigious national laboratory, it has
afforded me the opportunity to give
back to my beloved performing arts.
Why would you encourage people to
contribute to the endowment?
The arts help push the frontiers of
human knowledge and
achievement. In this era of tight
budgets, where funding for arts and
humanities is first on the chopping
block of school and college education,
our support is more critical than ever.
My hope is that you, too, recognize the
importance of having arts and
humanities in our lives and share in
creating a legacy of support through
this endowment. Will you join me?
What inspired you to create the
endowment fund?
On the surface a dancer’s life
appears glamorous. I know this
because two of my dearest
childhood friends, including Maggi,
made it their career as dancers. I
have seen their reality, in the hard
work, long hours, dedication to
make it for very little pay.
Developing their talent to a level of
acceptance by a ballet company
typically requires struggle.
I witnessed first-hand the
challenges faced by those who bring
us their talent and beauty through
their art.
What has inspired your sense of
philanthropy?
As a child, theatre was my refuge; a
safe place away from my own homelife
challenges. It was also in theatre
that I created life-long friendships
that shaped my personal
philanthropic goals.
verbiculture | November 2020
8

S T O R I E S O F G I V I N G
ENSURING ARTS
ACCESSIBILITY
Cleveland Heights residents and Verb Ballets' board members, James D.
Graham and David M. Dusek annually give the gift of underwriting the
production costs to allow Verb Ballets to present a free performance at
Cain Park for the community. James D. Graham is the Executive Vice
President, Chief Legal Officer & Secretary of Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. David is
retired from Lubrizol and led Verb Ballets as the President of the Board for
the last four years. They both serve on several non-profit boards including
the Playhouse Square Foundation, Hiram College, the American Red Cross
and are active in fundraising for numerous institutions in the Cleveland
area. Their relentless passion and support of dancers as artists is inspiring.
Cain Park 2019
Photo: Bill Naiman Dancers: Omar Humphrey, Michael Escovedo, Lexy Lattimore,
Kate Webb, Christina Lindhout, Sabrina Lindhout, Nathanaël Santiago
9 verbiculture | November 2020

S T O R I E S O F G I V I N G
LONGTIME SUPPORT
Verb has always
been a repertory
company. We
believe the
company is a
local source for a
variety of dance.
-Marvin & Charlene Nevans
"Over the years, we have known and remained friends
with many officers, board members, dancers and even
production staff. This involvement is important and
enriching for us. We love the way that Verb connects with
the community, through classes, outreach and
performances at a variety of venues including the studio.
The location of the new home deepens our connection
with the Shaker Heights community. We're proud to
support Verb!"
Marvin and Charlene Nevans have followed the
company since its founding as the Repertory Dance
Project. As longtime supporters they are proud to
support Verb Ballets through annual giving.
Dancers: Erin Conway Lewis, Mark Tomasic 2004
BEYOND STATE LINES
"I am so impressed by how graceful, strong, and healthy (so
important in the dance world) the dancers are. Verb has a
passion for teaching, in believing dance is for everyone.
How wonderful to be in a class of adults who want to study
this beautiful art form! Many of the teachers dance in the
company which creates a bond between students and
artists. Watching a performance where you know some of
the dancers makes it personal, more beautiful and fun to
watch. I live a long way from Cleveland and am grateful for
the opportunity to see performances virtually! "
Anndria Ciabattoni first saw the company at Lakeside
Chautauqua on a special trip with her mother. She also
participates in our online community Dance for
Everyone classes and even comes to the studio when in
town for business. She supports Verb Ballets by making
a monthly donation. She also engages her employee
giving program to make her support go further!
Verb does it
all very well, even in
these crazy times.
-Anndria Ciabattoni
Photo: Susan Bestul 2017
Dancers: Kate Webb, Stephaen Hood
verbiculture | November 2020
10

2 0 1 9 - 2 0 S E A S O N B Y T H E N U M B E R S
New Collaborations
3
6,829
Outreach particpants
528
Community dance classes
13Commissions
1,680
Tickets sold
4Year partnership with
Laura Alonso
Counties
4
4,998
Community dance students
5shows with live music
2
Tours to Cuba
T H A N K Y O U F O R Y O U R S U P P O R T T O M A K E A L L T H I S P O S S I B L E
11 verbiculture | November 2020

Photo: Jackie Sejewski Dancer: Lieneke Matte
SEASON OF GIVING
Please consider a tax deductible contribution to the
Annual Fund for the 2020-21 season. Pivoting
towards new opportunities will take additional
support to conquer the technical challenges we face.
Your contribution will help us move into this new year
and a new reality with confidence. Together we can
make an impact through dance.
To make a donation online by credit
card visit verbballets.org/donate
To make a donation by check please
mail to Verb Ballets 3558 Lee Rd.
Shaker Heights, OH 44120.
For details on how to set up
monthly pledges please contact
Nakiasha Moore-Dunson at 216-
397-3757 ext 2.
For details on how to contribute
gifts of stock or securities contact
Dr. Margaret Carlson at 216-397-
3757 ext 3.
For details on how to contribute to
the endowment fund contact
Dr. Margaret Carlson at 216-397-
3757 ext 3.
To make gift in honor or as a present
contact Nakiasha Moore-Dunson at
216-397-3757 ext 2.
verbiculture | November 2020
12

F E A T U R E
Photo: Jackie Sajewski
Broken Bridges (2020)
Dancers: Lieneke Matte, Kate Webb
13 verbiculture | November 2020

Photo: Jackie Sajewski
S T R A I N I N F L I C T E D &
H O N O R I N G L O S S
Former Verb Ballets dancer and choreographer,Michael Escovedo talks about honoring his
grandmother's memory while staying true to the person she was
Broken Bridges (2020)
Dancers: Lieneke Matte, Kate Webb, Julie Russel, Kelly Korfhage
We sat down with Michael Escovedo to
talk about the story behind his ballet,
Broken Bridges. The work will appear on
the Building Bridges Together program
that was filmed with BlueWater
Chamber Orchestra.
Dr. Carlson originally came to you with a
challenge to reimagine or take
inspiration from Heinz Poll’s Elegiac Song
also set to music by Shostakovich. What
inspired you by his work?
When I first saw Heinz Poll’s Elegiac
Song, I was drawn to the loneliness of
the piece. My heart broke watching a
woman fight her way through
emotion, loss and exhaustion. While
we were setting Elegiac Song, my
grandmother’s Alzheimers began to
get worse. I started to see my
grandmother in this woman, and I
started to connect their journeys. At
this point, I began listening to
Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony,
the same music used for Elegiac Songs,
and it became a coping
mechanism for everything I was
experiencing. The high tension and
contrast within the music helped me
tell the story, and helped me process
my emotions. To my surprise a year
later Dr. Carlson asked me to
choreograph, and when she did, I was
more than ready to share.
The ballet was choreographed in 2017
after your grandmother passed away.
Tell us how she inspired the piece.
My grandmother's passing was
one of the first close experiences
with death that I'd had. At that time I
was also coming to terms with my
own mortality, and what my impact
on the world would be. As I grew, I
began seeing qualities in myself that
were very similar to my
grandmother, and most of these
qualities were not necessarily good.
While making Broken Bridges, I
wanted to validate both of our
existences. I wanted to show that
there is dignity in life no matter how
torturous it can be. And the beauty in
human beings, even if they are
covered in layers of abuse, illness, and
misfortune.
This is an immensely personal ballet
about your family. How does it feel to
see it on stage again?
I actually have mixed emotions about
making this piece public. Putting
myself out there is one thing. I didn’t
realize what the impact would be on
my family to witness their
experiences on a stage. I'm so grateful
to have a supportive family that loves
and appreciates the work that I
create. The piece became healing
work for all of us and helped us all
grow to understand each other on a
deeper level. I am so proud of this
piece and will always be filled with an
array of emotions every time I see it.
verbiculture | November 2020 14

Dancers (left to right) : Noe Iwamatsu, Daniel Cho, Kelly Korfhage, Antonio Morillo,
Julie Russel, Robert Carter, Dancers (center) Kate Webb, Lieneke Matte
Broken Bridges (2020)
Photo: Jackie Sajewski
How did the title of the ballet come to you?
One of the main themes of the piece is the loss of
connection. These include familial, personal, and even
mental connections. My father used my grandmother's first
name, Bridgette, and the idea of breaking connections to
create the title Broken Bridges.
Given the ballet is being performed for film vs stage what do you
hope people will see in the work?
I hope that our audience can see the amount of detail within
the piece. Every single step has meaning to it, and there is so
much story told through motifs and symbols. I also hope
everyone gets a close look at the main dress. My mother,
Shawna Hinton, designed and created it, and it is beautiful
and perfectly fits the the theme and emotion of the piece.
Finally, I hope that the audience will be able to connect with
the emotion of the piece and the emotion of the dancers.
What did you most enjoy about working with Verb Ballets?
This company is my family. We have all seen each other at
our best and our worst, and those experiences bring an
authenticity to our work that I cannot find anywhere else.
There is not another company on this planet that
understands me, my mind, and my intention as well as Verb
Ballets does, and there isn’t another company that I would
trust with a work like this.
After retiring from Verb Ballets what are you up to now?
After leaving Verb, I moved back near my family and took on
the job of Conservatory Manager at the Colorado
Conservatory of Dance. I continue to choreograph and I
always have a piece in my back pocket ready for Verb!
Building Bridges Together
November 21st at 7:00pm ET
Get tickets now!
15 verbiculture | November 2020

Photo: Kolman Rosenberg Dancers: Kelly Korfhage, Benjamin Shepard
How many times have you performed Adagio for Two Dancers? I have
performed the work four times. Last year at the Heinz Poll Dance
Festival, Lakeside Chautauqua, our virtual performance this past
October, and for the filming of our upcoming collaboration with the
BlueWater Chamber Orchestra.
What is the trickiest part of the choreography for you? I think the
trickiest part isn’t necessarily a specific step. It’s the ability to be
exact and consistent with every movement. Something as little as
stepping an inch in the wrong direction could cause something to not
go as planned. This piece needs to be rehearsed multiple times
every day to gain consistency.
What are you thinking at the top that sit lift? I’m thinking about
keeping my body tight, while simultaneously reminding myself to
appear calm, graceful, and goddess-like.
What was the biggest coaching tip you have received when learning the
piece? This tip came from both Richard Dickinson and Jane
Startzman. To dance big and use the space. There are plenty of
moments in the piece where I could play it safe, but it is much more
exciting for the audience if I take chances and step or jump far away
from my partner before he catches me.
What has been difference performing this in studio for film versus a live
audience? When performing this for a live show, we only have to do it
once. When we filmed it, we had to do it 2.5 times in a row to get all
of the necessary shots. It was a lot more tiring, but the final product
will be awesome with all of the “movie magic.”
How would you describe the work Verb does in one word? Diverse
What has been your favorite memory thus far this season? Definitely
rehearsing and performing Adagio for Two Dancers. It is one of my
favorite roles I’ve ever performed and I feel fortunate to have had
the opportunity to have a second go at it. There’s always room for
improvement which keeps it fun.
How have you been coping as an artist during the pandemic? I feel a
new sense of gratitude for every day I am able to step into a studio. I
found that having to go with the flow attitude has made it easier for
me to deal with the many changes and uncertainties.
1 0
Q U E S T I O N S W I T H
K E L L Y K O R F H A G E
What is your favorite holiday tradition? My family always celebrates
Christmas the Saturday after the real holiday. We call it “Fakemas.”
I look forward to that every year!
What are you are looking forward to next? I am excited for the virtual
premiere of FEAST: a ballet on November 27th! It is a work I cochoreograph
with fellow dancer Christina Lindhout and the Creative
Destruction Collective.
verbiculture | November 2020
16

B E H I N D T H E S C E N E S
Carnival Macabre (2020)
Dancers: Daniel Cho, Julie Russel
Photo: Kolman Rosenberg
WHO IS WASTED
TALENT MEDIA?
Ever wonder who has helped Verb Ballets pivot to
film this season? Wasted Talent Media, a multiaward-winning
film, broadcast, and digital media
production company created in 2009. Winners of
several ADDY and AVA awards, Wasted Talent
Media creates inspiring content across a broad
creative spectrum from documentary film to
television and advertising. Wasted Talent Media is
also the creator and producer of Arts Quest hosted
by Erin Ludlam and Todd Volkmer and distributed
throughout the Midwest. Check out Wasted Talent
Media at www.wastedtalentmedia.com and on
instagram @WTMvideo.
BETSIE SCHAEFFER
Betsie Schaeffer was born and raised in Karachi,
Pakistan before returning home to New Hampshire at
the age of 11. She began her dance career with
Northeastern Ballet Theatre. Schaeffer attended
Belhaven University where she received awards for
outstanding artistic and scholastic achievements. She
has attended the Bates Dance Festival, Alabama
Dance Festival, the National American College Dance
Association Festival at the Kennedy Center and has
appeared as a guest performer in local theaters. After
graduation, she danced with Ballet Hartford. She
moved to Cleveland with her husband, Josh Schaeffer,
a dancer with Inlet Dance Theatre in 2018. This is her
second season as a trainee with Verb Ballets and she
has performed in company repertoire such as
Wandering On and Mendelssohn Italian Symphony.
Dancers: Betsie Schaeffer with husband Josh Schaeffer
17 verbiculture | November 2020

ROCKIN' NEW
TRADITIONS ON STAGE
Photos: Kolman Rosenberg
What about the Nutcracker music is nostalgic for you?
Pretty much everything about the score is nostalgic for me! I have
been dancing Nutcracker since I was 8 years old, it's firmly planted into
my psyche. As a young dancer, getting to perform in the production
was the pentacle of my year. Tchaikovsky's score is a masterpiece and
can take me back to memories from over 15 years ago in just a few
notes.
Kate Webb grew up in Richmond, Virginia. She
joined Verb Ballets in 2015 after graduating
from Butler University. She has choreographed
six works for Verb ballets including a premiere
for Tuesday Musical’s Fuze series. Audiences
will get a sneak peek at the production Revenge
of the Rat King coming next season with rock
virtuoso Neil Zaza and made possible by the
Ohio Arts Council . Her lively spirit comes
through with nostalgic magic in new
choreography for a Nutcracker-inspired ballet.
We sat down with her to see how she
approached this amped up holiday tradition.
What is your vision for the choreography?
The rockin’ version of the score that Neil Zaza has orchestrated
demands that this classical holiday tradition be given a wicked
makeover—while it will still include pointe shoes and tutus, leather
and head banging will also be on deck.
Were there any unique challenges or opportunities choreographing with
for the rock concert?
Most of the challenges stem from the production differences that
come between a rock and a ballet concert. The lighting and special
effects for a rock show are far more raucous than they are for a
typical dance performance and could disorient the dancers during
turn sequences. I also have to place the dancers in spacing
patterns that are flexible enough to adjust around potentially
unforeseen cords and musical equipment that could get in the way.
Neil has given me more or less free creative reign to “rock” the
choreography in any direction.
Dancers: Lieneke Matte, Hunter Hoffman, Kate Webb,
Benjamin Shepard, Kelly Korfhage, Robert Carter,
Antonio Morillo
Don't miss the sneak peek at Neil Zaza's One Silent Night...
December 12th at 8:00pm at the Akron Civic Theatre -
Get tickets now!
verbiculture | November 2020
18

3558 Lee Rd.
Shaker Heights, OH 44120
216-397-3757 l verbballets.org
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Photo: Kolman Rosenberg
Building Bridges Together
with BlueWater Chamber Orchestra
November 21, 2020 7:00pm
Virtual Performance
Neil Zaza's One Silent Night...
December 12, 2020 8:00pm
Akron Civic Theatre
Adaigo for Two Dancers (2020)
Dancers: Kelly Korfhage, Benjamin Shepard