Wellington residents looking for a night of theater can get a taste of three local high schools’ talented students during “A Touch of Broadway: A Musical Preview” at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 31 at the Wellington Amphitheater.
For the second year in a row, students will take to the stage in front of a hometown crowd to perform selections from their high school musicals.
This year, the evening will feature students from the King’s Academy performing scenes from Les Misérables, Wellington High School performing scenes from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Wellington Christian School performing the Brothers Grimm version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Wellington Councilwoman Anne Gerwig spearheaded the event last year, giving residents a chance to preview some of the talented students in local musicals.
“I thought it would be fun to show off all of the high school musicals and bring some great entertainment to the amphitheater,” she said. “They have spent so many hours on this, and I thought it would be a good way to showcase their talent.”
In return, it offers free publicity for the shows. Gerwig said that the aim is to get people interested in purchasing tickets to see the whole play.
“It gives them an idea of the play,” she said. “Then they can decide if they want to go see the whole play. I went to all of them last year. After the event last year, I wanted to go see all the shows.”
That is exactly what she hopes residents do this year, she said. “We want them to see the level of talent in our schools and, if they’re interested in the musical, to go and buy tickets to go see it,” Gerwig said. “We want it to be a cross-marketing platform. The amphitheater gets great entertainment, and the high schools get some free publicity.”
Last year’s preview was a success, she said, with parents, friends and family coming out to support the students. She also noted that the King’s Academy’s production of Beauty and the Beast sold out every performance.
“A lot of people came out to the amphitheater to see it,” she said. “It’s so great to see kids you know performing on the stage for the community.”
With the amount of talent in Wellington schools, Gerwig said that it’s sure to be a great night of entertainment. “We have some very talented kids in Wellington,” she said. “To me, that’s what the amphitheater is just screaming for. It’s that kind of community theater that is entertaining but shows off our hometown talent.”
The Wellington Amphitheater is located at 12100 W. Forest Hill Blvd. For more info., call (561) 753-2484 or visit www.wellingtonfl.gov.
