Down a Long Yellow Brick Road
Scott and I saw closing night of a high school production of “The Wiz” this Saturday. I’d never been to a high school production before, and wondered what Smalls and Brown would think about their production performed by these kids.
For the most part, it was what you would expect from a high school production, but there were three things that really stood out for me that night:
a.) The actress playing Dorothy, Carly Valentin, blew everyone away! No one could keep up with her, and she basically carried the show on her petite shoulders. Carly had been on “Showtime At the Apollo, ” twice. She has performed for former politicians.
Carly’s obviously already been wowing audiences for quite some time. On a sweet and humble note, in her bio she wrote: “Carly would like to thank her family, friends, and boyfriend for believing in her and pushing her to audition for The Wiz.”
b.) The second thing I noticed was that there were FORTY FIVE, yes, 45 students on that stage for curtain call. That’s not even including the pit… As a former teacher, I was floored and amazed that the Director and AD were able to get all those kids together at once, and get the best out of them.
c.) We found out that there was no budget for this production. The school employees and the cast (with help from family and friends) raised the entire budget themselves. (Over $8,000 dollars.) They had been working since September to raise funds for three nights of performances.
And it’s really this last point that stuck with me. That’s dedication to theatre if I ever saw it, and it’s awe inspiring!
I have a feeling these kids will remember this experience and take it with them wherever they go as they “Ease on Down the Road” of life.
–Sue
2 comments March 17th, 2008
