December 2009 Archives

 

        Recently I had the opportunity to see West Side Story. 

            Where I am from, gang violence and its effects are nothing new so to see it again on stage, it's just a little reminder of the things that nobody wants to talk about or relive.  The way the characters expressed their emotions when someone died was very realistic, to the point where you almost feel what they are feeling. One of the things I didn't agree with was how fast Maria forgave Tony for killing her brother, but I guess that she must have loved him that much.

                Tony and Maria had found an escape from the outside world when they were with each other. Though it ended badly; their love was strong up to that point. I hope I can feel that way about a girl in the future.

            I honestly thought that I wasn't going to like the show because I never liked musicals. When I saw the show, I ended up loving it. Its way of telling a story about the effects of gang violence, the experience of coming to America and the love of two people made me understand why West Side Story is considered a classic.

Nico, GED + Stanley Isaacs Center

 

My first experience of Broadway was breathtaking. I went to see the play West Side Story. The play told a story about love, prejudice and violence which was what affected everybody in this play in some way.

I personally have experienced prejudice. I have been called a spic and other very offensive and vulgar names and all this because I am Latina. This is a very sad situation because I don't see the need for all this hatred. At the end of the day, we are all the same in different variety of colors, shapes, sizes and some speaking different languages. This is a never-ending problem because of people's ignorance.

There was something that I didn't really agree with in this play. That was how Maria forgave Tony so fast after killing her brother. Being the other way around, that Bernardo would have killed Tony, I'm pretty sure that Maria would have not forgiven him that instant.

Everything turned out the way I expected and more. My first time on Broadway was the greatest ... I actually loved this play and the fact that I can relate to it in many ways. This was an unforgettable experience.

Matt Cavenaugh, Broadway performer and Early Stages Advisory Council member, arranged for  20 Early Stages students to attend a performance of West Side Story followed by a talk back in the Green Room with Matt Cavenaugh (Tony), Josefina Scaglione (Maria), Karen Olivo (Anita), George Akram (Bernardo), Curtis Holbrook (Action), and Tro Shaw (Anybodys). 

 

Most of the students who attended the performance did not know the plot of West Side Story and for some it was their first experience at a Broadway show but the depth of the students questions and insights clearly showed how deeply connected they felt to the performance .

 

"The show brought up so many things about who to love, how to live, and how to find a sense of identity in the world." Said Katherine, Coalition High School. 

 

"The way you portray love is powerful," Gloria of University Heights High School, said to actor Josefina,  "Even though Maria should have been in sorrow for her brother, she was still being pulled by her love for Tony.  Was this because she was not using her head, she was just feeling?"

 

Josefina responded, "Exactly.  That is what it is for her.  She is not thinking and sometimes the best things come from just feeling and reacting."

 

Keith of University Heights High School questioned George (Bernardo), "How do you feel being the leader ? Like everyone has to follow your kick-flip?"

 

 "I love it.  He responded " It's nice to have that feeling of everyone having your back, but it's also about me taking on the responsibility.  Since I also feel that I am representing all Latinos in the show,  it puts me in a position to feel stronger in the role." 

 

Another student asked Karen (Anita), "How did you compose yourself after the attack scene?  It must have been hard, but you came off strong in the end, like a strong Latina."

 

"Yes," said Karen, "She (Anita) has just lost the love of her life and the one person left that she loves the most on earth has asked one thing of her.  Her mission is to do this one thing for Maria, but things go a little haywire.  Every character (in this show) is pushed to do something they didn't think they could."

 

As the conversation continued, the group addressed gang violence, racial prejudices, and the differences and similarities in society from when the original production debuted (1957) and today.  As the night drew to a close, Janita from University Heights High School asked the actors, "Have you learned lessons or things from being in the show that have helped you in your own lives?"

Matt (Tony) answered, "As an actor, I try not to think in absolute right or wrongs.  In the theater, there is no right or wrong, but simply a better choice.  I always try to make a positive choice on stage.  That same principle can be applied to life."

Thank you Matt Cavenaugh  for making this wonderful event possible, and thank you to all the actors, students & teachers for sharing your experiences and insights and for making the night so memorable!

 

You can find more information about Matt Cavenaugh, who in addition to West Side Story has starred in A Catered Affair, Grey Gardens, and Urban Cowboy at The Internet Broadway Database.  To learn more about West Side Story, or to purchase tickets, visit the official website.

 

Every month, students from schools all over New York City are going to amazing performances as part of the Early Stages Live Theater program. We hope to inspire you to join us here on the blog and share your feedback, thoughts and experiences at the theater.

 

Check back every week for Early Stages updates and join the conversation with teaching artists, students, teachers and young people who are discovering the performing arts.

 

So visit often, and comment away.... we want to hear from you!

Early Stages brought students from Coalition High School to see Lemon Andersen's County of Kings.

As all of our participants are New York natives, they could really relate to aspects of Lemon Andersen's life.  Katherine from Coalition High School in Spanish Harlem said, "I was left truly mesmerized.  The struggle that he portrayed and the picture he managed to paint assured me that our voices as Latinos are rising and are being heard.  The show was beautiful, funny, refreshing, and emotional at all the right times.  I'm actually thinking about going back to watch the show again, it was that good!"

      

                  Last month, my fellow peers and I were invited to see a show called MEMPHIS.  It was based on segregation events in the 1950's between black and white people.  The main characters in the play were a white young man by the name of Huey, and a beautiful black woman by the name of Felicia.

                  In the play, there was a scene that I didn't like at all. It was when Huey and Felicia were walking in the park together, and a group of white males walked in on them. They started to harass them and beat them into a pulp. Because of this conflict, Felicia can't have any kids. The reason why they were beat up was because they were different colors. When I saw that part, it reminded me when my friends and I were walking in the park one night and a group of 15 black males approached us and started to beat us up for no apparent reason. I was so aggravated that night because there was nothing we could do about the situation because we didn't know who they were.                 

              I really understood what Huey and Felicia went through in the story because of my experience with the prejudiced moment that my friends and I had. I say it was a prejudiced moment for me because I have experienced fights with black males for the simple reason that I am a Latino person. When I went to the cafeteria in school, we always were separated from the blacks. They had half the cafeteria to themselves and so did we. When school was over, we had to stay united, because they would be grouped up waiting for us out side and seeking the moment to attack us. That's why police officers used to surround the school and trains because of the conflict that always occurred after or during school time.

                    In conclusion, the play taught me not to judge any one for their race or who they were. The play taught this to me by showing what sort of problems that blacks went through, without doing anything wrong. By seeing it from a third person point of view, it seemed very shallow how the whites treated the blacks.

                    I recommend this show because it is a part of history we people should know about, so we could see how some people suffer in the world and how the human spirit could still survive.

Johanny, Stanley Isaacs Center, GED +

Early Stages brought students from all five boroughs to see Superior Donuts
 

Nico from GED Plus @ Stanley Isaacs said,   "I thought the show was a great experience and something out of the ordinary for me. Leaving the building, I felt like I learned a little more about the impacts of a choice, the realities of life and most of all, the value of friendship. I recommend this play with hopes that the next person will get what I got out of this experience."

 

This production gave Nico a deeper perspective on his own life, and all the students were captivated by the show!