Broadway and Brooklyn College Add Professional Touch to School Play

Spotlight Archive

May 28, 1999
Broadway and Brooklyn College Add Professional Touch to School Play

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Brooklyn, NY - As parents are well aware, spring is the season for birthday parties and school plays. Next week, one school play will stand out from the others as fifth grade students at P.S. 58 in Brooklyn perform an original musical folk tale titled Frozen in Time.

For the past several months, some thirty children havebeen coached by students from the Conservatory of Music of Brooklyn College and professional actors who starred in the Broadway musical Titanic. Last fall, the producers of Titanic -- a group from Brooklyn called the Dodgers -- provided 60 free tickets to P.S. 58 so that the students could see a professional production.

The children have spent many hours honing their skills in acting, dancing, script writing, and performing music. The culmination of this effort will be presented at P.S. 58, 330 Smith Street, on Thursday, June 3, at 7 p.m., in the school auditorium.

The association began three years ago, when Nancy Hager, director of the Conservatory of Music of Brooklyn College, was contacted by Linda Leff, the principal at P.S. 58, who was seeking teaching assistants for the school's music program.

"That call drew my attention to the need for richer music programs in the public schools," said Professor Hager. "Not many public elementary schools in New York City can offer instrumental classes or full-time music specialists."

Professor Hager contacted Helen Guditis, executive director of the Broadway Theater Institute, and suggested they combine their resources to boost P.S. 58's arts programs, including the spring play. Then Ms. Guditis contacted the Dodgers to see if actors from their hit musical, Titanic, would be interested in working with children.

Both the actors and the Conservatory of Music students were eager to become involved. The collaboration is funded in part by Project Arts, a New York City arts and education program, whose purpose is to provide support for arts programs in public schools. Also, the Friars Foundation, based in New York, provided funds that helped make it possible for Conservatory students to serve as teaching interns at P.S. 58. The Friars Foundation, which funds a broad range of arts-related projects in the New York area, has provided support for arts programs at Brooklyn College for nearly twenty years.

Additional music internship programs will now be possible since the Conservatory of Music has received a $20,000 grant from the Alexander Schneider Foundation. The late Mr. Schneider, a prominent violinist, was also a great advocate of music education for children.

The Conservatory of Music of Brooklyn College is also working with I.S. 246 and P.S. 156 in Brooklyn as well as other schools in the area.
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