BEING SOMEBODY comes to the Hurleyville Performing Arts Centre on Thursday, August 6

HURLEYVILLE — Most people spend their later years reflecting on the past. Dr. Howard Mase is creating an entirely new chapter. At age 87, the longtime psychologist and executive coach stepped onto a stage for the very first time. 

Today, at 90, he continues to coach clients while touring with his daughter, acclaimed recording artist and performer Marla Mase, in the heartfelt production BEING SOMEBODY. The one-night performance will take place on Thursday, August 6, at 7:00 p.m. at the Hurleyville Performing Arts Centre, 219 Main Street, Hurleyville.

Directed and co-produced by award-winning filmmaker and transformative acting coach Elizabeth Browning, BEING SOMEBODY features Dr. Howard Mase and Marla Mase as they take audiences on a funny, moving, and deeply personal journey through the moments that shape a life. 

Through storytelling, music, photographs, and movement, this real-life father-and-daughter duo invites audiences into Howard's coming of age in Brooklyn's post-war glow of the 1940s—a world filled with humor, family, heartbreak, and hope—while Marla reflects on holding fast to our dreams amid the disco-bright grit of the 1970s. Together, their stories span generations, celebrating resilience, creativity, love, and the enduring bond between parent and child. 

“When I met Howard, I realized his story wasn't just one family's story—it belonged to all of us,” says Browning. “BEING SOMEBODY explores the relationships that shape us, the dreams we postpone, the forgiveness we long to offer, and the moments that matter most through laughter, tears, music, and deeply personal storytelling.”

Audiences consistently leave laughing, crying, and feeling newly connected to their own memories, families, and dreams. Many stay after the performance to share their own stories or simply express gratitude for the reminder that it is never too late—to heal, to pursue a dream, or to tell someone they matter. Howard's message is simple but profound: “We're never too old to be young, to follow a dream, or to begin again.”