Greta Nerad
News Editor
Costa’s Drama and Tech Department held its annual benefit show on Feb. 5 in Costa’s small theater and raised approximately $500 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS to help those with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
Drama donated all proceeds from the $5 admission and concession sales to the organization, which provides free treatment and services for people with AIDS. Acts included songs, popular show tunes, original skits and a hip-hop dance.
“It’s truly a magical thing when we can help our little piece of the world by doing what we love and are passionate about,” Drama President Sophi Boylan said. “Not only is it an opportunity to perform in front of an audience, we are also helping such an important cause that is so close to our community.”
The show opened with junior Mary Clare Powell playing piano and singing “The Chain” alongside juniors Olivia Stanley and Maggie Cubillos. Other songs included “I Don’t Need Anything But You” from the broadway show Annie, “Valerie” by the Zutons and “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” by Boyz II Men.
“Opening the show and capturing the audience’s attention is such an honor,” Powell said. “The AIDS benefit is a great opportunity to perform, and it’s for a great cause.”
Many acts had their own musical accompaniment, including ukulele, bass guitar and piano, while others sang over a recorded track. Juniors Anjali Deepak, Sofia Fontaine, Emma Gray, Max Orroth and Leilani Poffenbarger closed out the show with a rendition of “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac.
“It was fun being the last act of the AIDS benefit because it’s memorable and leaves an impact,” Poffenbarger said.
The performers stuck to a dress code of red and black to acknowledge the importance of the cause, Boylan said. The red represents the ribbon for HIV/AIDS awareness and black symbolizes mourning and remembrance of those who have suffered.
“Sticking to one cohesive color scheme showed our unity in supporting this cause and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, which has helped many people, especially in the theater community,” junior Tucker St. Ivany said.
Auditions took place a week prior to the performance, and in order to maximize the number of participants, students formed groups together. Although the show did not adhere to a strict theme, the benefit organizers asked the students to be mindful of the cause and ensured that the acts were appropriate during the audition process.
“When it comes to performances, it’s more limiting when there’s a theme, so we make AIDS benefit much more general,” Boylan said. “We do allow comedy acts and dramatic acts as long as they are tasteful.”
The Drama and Tech Department’s spring musical, “The Drowsy Chaperone,” will open on April 26 and run through May 4 in Costa’s auditorium. The one-act show welcomes the audience into the apartment of a theater-loving man, as he watches the record of his favorite 1920s satirical musical come to life.
“Everyone in the cast is so excited to open the spring show,” St. Ivany said. “This musical features everything an audience would want, and it’s such a fun show.”
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