![\"Brad](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/1793818575_707_ABP-9.jpg\")
Brad Weisman is host of \u201cThe Brad Weisman Show\u201d podcast. (Courtesy of Suzyrae Design)<\/p>\n\u201cThe Brad Weisman Show\u201d has been named the Bronze winner for Best Video Podcast in the Shows division of the fifth annual Signal Awards. This year\u2019s program honors podcasts that take creative risks: work that breaks format, takes on hard subjects or finds a new way to reach listeners.<\/p>\n
Brad Weisman is host of \u201cThe Brad Weisman Show\u201d podcast. (Courtesy of Suzyrae Design)<\/p>\n
Hosted by Brad Weisman and produced and co-hosted by Hugo Cardona, \u201cThe Brad Weisman Show\u201d goes live every Thursday at 7 p.m. on YouTube and Facebook, no scripts, just honest conversations about leadership, wellness, relationships, real estate and entrepreneurship. What started as a local Berks County show has grown to more than 300 episodes, 1.4 million downloads and over 100,000 followers across platforms.<\/p>\n
At the heart of the show is the belief that failure and success are not opposites but connected parts of growth. Weisman brings that philosophy to life through conversations that explore what people learn from setbacks, how they navigate challenges, and what motivates them to keep moving forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cFailing creates learning, while winning gives us the energy to fail again,\u201d Weisman said. \u201cI believe some of our greatest lessons come from the moments when things don\u2019t go as planned. Those experiences challenge us, help us grow, and often lead us toward something better. Through this show, I want to create a space where people can share the real stories behind their successes and failures, because there\u2019s always something to learn from another person\u2019s journey.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Signal Awards honor podcasts that demonstrate creativity, meaningful storytelling, and new approaches to connecting with audiences.<\/p>\n
Winners are selected by The Signal Awards Judging Academy, a collective made up of the architects, instigators and trailblazers of the medium. Featured Academy Members this year include Shayne Topp, host, \u201cSmosh Reads Reddit Stories\u201d: Dan Roth, editor-in-chief and vice president, LinkedIn; Crissle West, co-host, \u201cThe Read\u201d; Asma Khalid, co-host, BBC World\u2019s \u201cThe Global Story\u201d; Bobby Finger, host, \u201cWho? Weekly\u201d; Graham Litten, Podcast Partnerships, YouTube; and Stephanie Kuo, vice president of content, PRX. A complete directory of our Judges can be found at https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/33jkrra3<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cPodcasting is no longer defined by a single format, platform or approach to storytelling, and this year\u2019s submissions make that evolution impossible to ignore,\u201d said Jemma Brown, GM of The Signal Awards. \u201cCharts and download counts can only tell us what\u2019s popular. At Signal, our role is to notice the creative risks that are quietly changing what everyone else makes next. This year\u2019s winners offer a first look at podcasting\u2019s next chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n Each year, The Signal Awards present Gold, Silver and Bronze honors, and the listening public votes for their favorite finalists to receive the Listener\u2019s Choice Award in each category. In 2026, Listener\u2019s Choice voting drew over 260,000 votes from 94,000 listeners.<\/p>\n Music<\/p>\n The power of a live symphony orchestra meets the breathtaking artistry of ballet when the Reading Symphony Orchestra (RSO) presents the Joffrey Ballet at Santander Performing Arts Center on Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n Led by conductor Andrew Constantine, the RSO will perform alongside dancers from the Grainger Academy of the Joffrey Ballet for an unforgettable evening celebrating the connection between music and movement.<\/p>\n From the sweeping beauty of the classical repertoire to the bold, pulse-pounding rhythms of Igor Stravinsky, the program invites audiences to experience orchestral music in a new and exhilarating way.<\/p>\n Featuring works by Anton\u00edn Dvorak, Gabriel Faure, Stravinsky, and Dmitri Kabalevsky, the performance brings together the expressive power of a live orchestra and the extraordinary physicality of ballet.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen music and dance come together at this level, something remarkable happens,\u201d said Andrew Constantine, music director of the RSO. \u201cThe orchestra does more than accompany the dancers. The music drives the drama, shapes the movement, and brings an entirely new dimension to the experience. We\u2019re thrilled to bring this exceptional artistic collaboration to Reading.\u201d<\/p>\n The program highlights Stravinsky, whose revolutionary approach to rhythm, orchestration, and musical storytelling transformed the world of ballet and reshaped 20th-century classical music. His music remains among the most electrifying in the orchestral repertoire, offering audiences a vivid demonstration of how sound and movement can combine to create something greater than either art form alone.<\/p>\n The performance also showcases the Grainger Academy of the Joffrey Ballet, the\u00a0Chicago-based training institution established to develop the next generation of ballet artists through rigorous classical training and the Joffrey\u2019s distinctive artistic vision.<\/p>\n \u2022\u2022\u2022<\/p>\n Pasion y Arte, the Philadelphia-based flamenco company known for its bold, contemporary take on a centuries-old Spanish tradition, returns to the Fall Festival of the Arts for a performance at WCR Center for the Arts, 140 N. Fifth St., Reading, today at 3 p.m., part of the festival\u2019s 41st season.<\/p>\n Founded in 2000 and led by Artistic Director Elba Hevia y Vaca, Pasion y Arte (PyA) has built a reputation for groundbreaking contemporary feminist flamenco that blends traditional technique with mixed media and narrative experimentation. The company\u2019s work has been praised for its technical precision and bold storytelling, and for challenging conventions of gender, production, and form while staying rooted in flamenco\u2019s traditional vocabulary. PyA previously performed at the Fall Festival in 2023.<\/p>\n Tickets are $25 for adults; $10 for college students with valid ID, available at the door only; and free for children under 18 accompanied by an adult. Tickets are available at fallfestivalofthearts.org\/2026-tickets<\/a>.<\/p>\n Performing arts<\/p>\n The WCR Center for the Arts, 140 N. Fifth St., Reading, has announced Suzanne Cody as a new member of its board of directors, where she will serve on the Programs and Events Committee.<\/p>\n Bringing extensive experience in theatrical production management, a passion for historic architecture, and a deep appreciation for the transformative power of the arts, Cody joins the organization with a vision for strengthening WCR\u2019s role as a cultural cornerstone of the Reading community.<\/p>\n Cody\u2019s connection to WCR began as an audience member, where she developed an appreciation for the building\u2019s stately architecture, elegant atmosphere, and unique ability to create intimate and memorable artistic experiences. Having recently joined the board in late summer, she looks forward to contributing her professional expertise and collaborating with fellow Board members to support the organization\u2019s continued growth.<\/p>\n Her professional background includes more than 10 years of theatrical event production management for League of Resident Theatres (LORT) A theaters in Philadelphia. Her experience includes work at the Merriam Theatre, the American Music Theatre Festival (AMTF) and its transformation into the Prince Music Theater, as well as serving as general manager for the Philadelphia Fringe Festival.<\/p>\n These experiences have given Cody valuable insight into the production, management, and presentation of the performing arts \u2014 knowledge she is eager to bring to WCR Center for the Arts.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat drew me to WCR is the opportunity to bring together my love of historic buildings and my belief that theater can change minds,\u201d Cody said. \u201cThe building is stately and elegant, and its value deserves as an intimate theater space offers an acoustical experience which cannot be replicated in large-scale, modern venues.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking ahead, Cody envisions WCR as a tastemaker for the community, offering relevant and sophisticated programming across artistic disciplines while preserving and showcasing the building\u2019s rich history and distinctive architecture.<\/p>\n Auditions<\/p>\n Reading Civic Theatre\u2019s first show of its 2027 season will be \u201cDisney\u2019s Frozen, Jr. \u201d Auditions will be held on Nov. 14 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and Nov. 18 from 6:30-10 p.m.. Callbacks will be on Nov. 19 from 6:30-10. Rehearsals will start on Nov. 22 6:30. Auditions will be open to students ages 10 to 18. All auditions, callbacks and the first few rehearsals will take place at Alsace Lutheran Church, at 2201 Kutztown Road, Muhlenberg Township. There will be no official sign-up required before auditions,\u00a0 but the materials necessary for auditioning can be found at readingcivic.org<\/a>. Just show up and you will audition in the order you arrive. For any questions, contact the director, Samantha Grinage at samgrinage@gmail.com. Performance dates will be Jan.\u00a0 29, 30, 31 and Feb. 5, 6, 7, 2027.<\/p>\n Books<\/p>\n Wyomissing native Abby Manzella, a Pushcart Prize winner, will release a short story collection called \u201cRipples Into the Wild\u201d (Cornerstone Press) in February.<\/p>\n Whether real or imagined, a lake monster born from a campfire story begins \u201cRipples into the Wild,\u201d Manzella\u2019s debut collection. That monster grows more terrible from story to story: a teenager goes missing; an entire town\u2019s lights go out; sicknesses and climate shifts drastically alter everyone\u2019s world; and people, nonhuman animals, and the environment are forced to adjust or die.<\/p>\n Manzella teaches at Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo. Her academic book, \u201cMigrating Fictions: Gender, Race, and Citizenship in U.S. Internal Displacements\u201d (OSU Press), won the Society for the Study of American Women Writers Book Award.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cThe Brad Weisman Show\u201d has been named the Bronze winner for Best Video Podcast in the Shows division…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":321182,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[349,1681,182,1213,858,28,128,130,129,289,706],"class_list":["post-321181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-berks-county","tag-entertainment","tag-local-news","tag-music-and-concerts","tag-ontap","tag-pennsylvania","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news","tag-things-to-do","tag-top-stories-reg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=321181"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321181\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/321182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=321181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=321181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=321181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Reading](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/1793818576_433_778794325_1838954867457933_9148827778211578554_n.jpg\")
Reading Symphony Orchestra Music Director Andrew Constantine. (Courtesy of Reading Symphony Orchestra)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/1793818576_843_Passion-y-arte.jpg\")
The Pason y Arte flamenco company will perform at the WCR Center for the Arts in Reading today. (Courtesy of Fall Festival of the Arts)<\/p>\n![\"Suzanne](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/1793818577_888_SuzanneCOdy.jpg\")
Suzanne Cody<\/p>\n