Meet Tom & Shondra.
Both have careers in the music & acting business, and together they are known as the powerhouse entertainment team since they came to Sedona, in 2002. They have performed in concert, on tour throughout Arizona, and have emceed annual events. They won the Arizona Foundation’s 2013 Business Benefactor of the Year Award for their community service, and Shondra was awarded the AZ Foundation’s Community Collaborator Award in 2018.
Q: Tom, tell us a little about your career.
A: I have worked on a few Broadway musical tours such as Camelot, Opera tours with legendary Dorothy Warenskjold, also performed in the San Francisco Light Opera, and LA Civic Light Opera. In the 90’s I played Gurdjieff in the musical, Crazy Wisdom, and the original soundtrack. I was the warm-up act for Tony Bennett, Shari Lewis, and other stars in Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas. I have done voice-over work for film, radio, television, World Fairs, and I narrated the Sedona Heritage Museum’s Audio Tour. In the ’80s, I had my own production company in San Diego for ten years producing theme parties for corporations and conventions.
Q: What do you do at the Blazin’ M Ranch?
A: I play the character, “Otis,” nightly and have been at the Blazin’ M Ranch for 14 years.
Q: What is one thing that people don’t know about you?
A: Most people don’t know that I write Science Fiction short stories.
Q: Shondra, tell us a little about your career.
A: I am an Alumnus of the Juilliard School of Drama in NYC. I’m a singer, songwriter, musician, actor, voice-over artist, voice, and acting coach. I emcee events in Sedona, and I am on Red Rock Channel 16 since 2013.
Q: Tell us about the accomplishments you achieved with your music video recently.
A: In 2019, my music video, Greed Incorporated, was accepted in nine film festivals across the country, including the Sedona International Film Festival, and in Ireland. It won an American Tracks Music Video Award and a Finalist Award in Chicago.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am in a musical, Hot Flashes On the Trail with my co-writer, cast mate, and creative partner Dev Ross.
Q: In addition to your entertainment career, you are involved in many community projects. Tell us about them.
A: Recently, I served as the 2018-2019 President of NAWBO Sedona and Verde Valley. I Co-founded the Sedona Community Fair (in which the Sedona Winefest was born), Co-founded Sedona Youth Theatre, and currently serve on the Boards of Sedona Historical Society, Sisterhood Connection Foundation and Jack Jamesen Memorial Sculpture Park.
Q: What else would you like to accomplish here in Sedona?
A: Shondra: We lived in San Diego before coming to Sedona, and we were very involved in the community there. When we decided to move to Sedona, we intended to embrace the community and become involved as much as possible.
Tom: When we first came here, we went Uptown and met a man who said to us, “You guys look like good people. There are two kinds of people: people who come here to help out and make a difference in the community and others who are here for the money and are greedy.
Q: What do you love most working with Shondra?
A: Tom: Besides the fact that she’s the better half when we perform together, she does all the work, and I show up. We’ve been together for 43 years as a couple, and we’ve been officially performing together since 1996. We fit together, have a lot of chemistry, and we love each other. So, it’s great to be able to perform and play music that we both enjoy doing, both separately and together.
Shondra: It’s rare to have chemistry with someone on stage. Tom knows by just looking at me and vice versa if something is not right. We can read one another well, and that’s very special.
Q: What is a highlight of living and working in Sedona?
A: Shondra: In 2012, a very dear friend’s house burned down. When I heard that, something came over me, and that night I reached out to 15 different people on Facebook and through email. I coordinated a fundraiser, and together, we made $30,000 in one day. Tom emceed the event. It all came together beautifully. It’s something that I will always cherish and remember.
Tom: One of the highlights I would say was when I worked at Barking Frog, which is now Steakhouse 89. The owner hired us to do shows. We were performing one evening, and this guy, Paul Lehnen, with the National Performing Arts, said, “I’ve been watching you guys, and you’re very versatile. I’m looking for someone who can do everything.” He booked us on tour, for 29 performances.
Q: How can people find out more about you both?
A: They can check out our websites:
ShondraMusic.com, TheTwoLucys.com
From the interview with Jonelle Klein
