It takes more than just practice to make it to a big stage like this. “We did some car washes, we did some chocolate sales, Yankee Candle fundraisers," Shirley Guerreiro, co-Director of the Dartmouth (MA) High School Theater Company, recently told NPR. "So we’ve been fundraising a little bit every month since last year.” Rehearsals, too, have been going on since September.
All that hard work paid off. The Dartmouth High group recently traveled with us to the Brightspark-exclusive National Performing Arts Festival in Orlando, where they performed "Alice in Wonderland" and received feedback from industry professionals.
Guerreiro thinks performances like this can pay dividends beyond the stage. “Sometimes kids are afraid to be who they are. But when you get to pretend to be someone else, it helps you to just express yourself and brings you out of your shell,” she said.
Any concerns about stage fright? “I think we’re more nervous that they are,” laughed choreographer Julie Regan.
"It’s anxious," added Guerreiro, "but that’s just normal, because you’re excited. It’s just those butterflies that you normally get as a performer.”
Groups from around the country participated in the festival, and two Dartmouth students won Outstanding Performance awards for their roles. We're so proud of all our performers and can't wait for next year's festival--and extra congrats to Dartmouth for the great NPR story. Enjoy your time in the spotlight!
