By GAIL LOWE
WAKEFIELD — By definition, North Shore Music Theatre General Manager Karen Nascembeni is the embodiment of what every woman would want in a friend. She’s a joy to know, a joy to hear.
Nascembeni, a Lynnfield resident, recently gave an inspiring talk to a group of about 25 women at the Wakefield Area Women in Business luncheon held at the Albion Cultural Exchange on Albion Street. In March 2020, Nascembeni, her husband Steven T. Richard and father-in-law Earl L. Richard were all diagnosed with COVID-19. First, she lost Steven at age 58 on March 24. Earl then died five days later, on March 29. He was 99-years-old.
“The last time I saw Steven was in the parking lot of Winchester Hospital,” said Nascembeni. “As his medical team was taking him inside for treatment, he blew me a kiss.”
Steven was later transferred to Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington, where he passed away.
Nascembeni was the only one to survive after spending 31 days in the hospital. Many of those days she spent lying in a coma while intubated, unaware that the two men she had loved dearly were now gone from her life. While these tragic facts play a large role in Nascembeni’s story, she has chosen to be grateful for the life she has today, even though she continues to experience some residual effects of COVID-19.
“I had to learn how to walk again,” said Nascembeni.
The “voice of North Shore Music Theatre” also spoke about growing up in Agawam and her early career in radio.
“I could sell ice to an Eskimo,” she said in reference to her broadcasting talents.
Fate stepped in one night while she was dining at Chianti, a restaurant on Cabot Street in Beverly. North Shore Music Theatre owner Bill Hanney happened to be there and he told Nascembeni he needed a “voice for the theater.” Not long after their chance meeting, she became that voice.
During her talk, Nascembeni spoke about Hanney’s CapeLive Concert Series in Hyannis and the potential for even more expansion. COVID-19, said Nascembeni, produced many negative effects, including rising production costs and ticket scalping, but that North Shore Music Theatre is “trying to keep a balance.” Plans are currently in the works to hold a Chamber of Commerce night in 2024 to support the theater.
Nascembeni also announced that one of the 2024 shows that has had to be kept secret will be revealed on Monday, Jan. 15. Over the past few months, Hanney has told theater-goers that this show has tremendous crowd appeal, a show that everyone will love.
Wakefield Area Chamber of Commerce Co-President Janice Casoli praised Nascembeni’s presentation.
“Our Women in Business luncheons have been a huge success and we have had great attendance,” said Casoli, who lives in Lynnfield. “Our speakers have been amazing. We were grateful to have had Karen take time out of her busy schedule to attend our luncheon. She shared the many facets of her business life as well as her personal life. She is an inspiration to all of us.”