Broadway jumps in to fight AIDS
The NPHS Theater department provides an environment of laughter, song and dance for their annual Broadway Cares Cabaret event in the NPHS Performing Arts Center. Broadway Cares is a national organization that helps raise money to provide medication, medical services and shelter for those who are living with HIV/AIDS, women battling breast cancer and ovarian cancer, as well as helping many others living with various illnesses.
Marilyn Strange, theater teacher at NPHS, loves seeing the community come together to make the Broadway Cares Cabaret an amazing event. About four years ago, the drama club decided to start running the Broadway Cabaret event. “I took students to a California State Thespian Festival, and they took a workshop about Broadway Cares. I had two students who came to me and said, ‘Ms. Strange, I think this is something we need to do at our school.’ I said, ‘Okay, let’s do it!’,” Strange said. The theater has been running this every year since.
She wanted to take her talent and teach about it to others who also share the same love for theater. “My drama teacher was really an amazing lady. She taught me a lot about performing. When I got to college I said I would take one class on theater and from there it never stopped and I decided to continue with it,” Strange said.
Delilah Grant, junior, started last year in the theater community and is now shadowing the event with the student coordinator, Evan Sussman, for Broadway Cares events. Grant participated in the Broadway Cares Event the prior year. “It was honestly really fun. You can do comedy, acting, directing, dancing, singing. We allow auditions for everyone in our school and anyone in another school. You pay what you can to help raise money for Broadway Cares,” Grant said.
Evan Sussman, junior, and coordinator of the Broadway Cares event, wants to bring happiness and raise money for people all across the world who have AIDS and differing diseases. Sussman’s favorite part of Broadway Cares was the energy and all of the support that showed up to the event. “It is a great event which fundraises for equity…the community who came and supported [us] was truly remarkable in their support,” Sussman said.
Strange believes that the Broadway Cares Cabaret is a great opportunity for the community to work together. “It’s really cool to see the community come together because this isn’t just a Newbury Park High School performance,” Strange said.
