Uniontown Area High School’s production of “Newsies” will be one of several high school musicals featured in “Encore!” at the State Theatre Center for the Arts in Uniontown this Sunday.
Five months ago, the Main Street Theatre Company became the first recipient of the $50,000 Catalyst for Change grant.
At the time, John Wagner-Malia, the artistic director for the company, said the award would go toward showcasing the hard work that high school drama students put into their yearly musicals.
On Sunday, “Encore!,” featuring selections from several county high school performances, will do just that during two performances at the State Theatre Center for the Arts in Uniontown.
“After months of planning, it’s been wonderful seeing everything come to life this week with rehearsals,” Wagner-Malia said. “We hope that ‘Encore!’ will highlight the abundance of talent that we have right here in our community and all of the wonderful things that each school district in our county has to offer.”
The showcase will include scenes and songs from “The Spongebob Musical” from Albert Gallatin Area High School, “Fiddler on the Roof” from Brownsville Area High School, “The Little Mermaid” from Geibel Catholic High School, “The Wizard of Oz” from Laurel Highlands High School, “Mama Mia!” from Southmoreland High School and “Newsies” from Uniontown Area High School.
In addition to the performances, a small committee attended shows at each high school to select four students who will participate in special opening and closing numbers.
The Catalyst for Change grant that made the show possible is awarded by the Community Foundation of Fayette County through funds raised at its annual Gala of Giving.
“For the Catalyst for Change Grants, CFFC is looking for big ideas… projects that will spark change and growth in Fayette County,” said Renee M. Couser, the executive director of CFFC. “It’s been a community effort to raise these funds … and we’re excited for everyone to see Main Street Theatre’s ‘big idea’ in action.”
Larry Kiefer, the grantmaking committee chair of CFFC, said the first Catalyst for Change grant went to “Encore!” because it has a county-wide reach.
“We saw that our $50,000 grant could be very impactful as the launch point for a new program — a program that will engage the entire community and can be continued each year,” Kiefer said.
Wagner-Malia said he and the Main Street Theatre Company are incredibly thankful for CFFCs support, adding that the arts not only bring people together, but help to boost the local economy.
“Audience members will come from across the county to purchase tickets, eat at restaurants, shop at stores and support other local businesses on show day,” said Angela Braun, CFFC board chair. “So what appears to be a ‘just a musical showcase’ is in reality a massive economic driver to our community.”
And, said Wagner-Malia, the future of the arts locally and across the country rely on the participation of younger generations.
“This performance is an opportunity for our county to come together to celebrate the talent and achievements of our Fayette County students,” he said.
The 1 p.m. performance of “Encore!” on Sunday will be hosted by WTAE news anchor Mike Clark. The 6 p.m. performance will be hosted by Scott Blasey from The Clarks.
During the 1 p.m. show, the Fayette County Cultural Trust will present its Achievement in the Arts awards to 18 students who have excelled in the fields of art, music and theater.
Tickets for “Encore!” are $15 each and can be purchased at www.statetheatre.info or by calling The State Theatre box office at 724-439-1360.
