BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP BUZZ APRIL 20 - APRIL 26, 2018 43 BROOKLYN
CULTURE BRIEFS
COMPILED BY JAIME DEJESUS
CELEBRATING DIVERSITY
THROUGH DANCE
Head over to Sunset Park Recreation Center
and join Young Dancers in Repertory for a free
celebration of dance from around the world
called “Celebrating Diversity through Dance.”
This multicultural dance festival has taken
place over the past 10 years with the cooperation
of talented dance artists who share YDR’s
passion for celebrating all dance traditions
in a way that truly reflects the rich diversity
of Sunset Park and neighboring Brooklyn
communities. The Festival will give participants
the opportunity to learn about different
dance traditions through performance and
participation.
The event will take place at the Sunset Park
Recreation Center, 4200 Seventh Avenue, on
Saturday, April 28, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For
more information, visit www.youngdancersinrep.
org
ETERNAL MENAGERIE
Green-Wood Cemetery is hosting Eternal Menagerie,
a tour allowing attendees to discover
its wealth of furry and feathered permanent
residents as well as those used as religious
motifs or cryptic symbols and prominently
featured on many of the cemetery’s grand Victorian
era monuments and mausoleums. Learn
their meaning while also visiting the graves of
the few animals that are buried alongside their
owners.
The tour will take place on Saturday, April 21,
from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Green-Wood Cemetery, 500
25th Street. Tickets are $25 for non-members.
For more information, visit www.green-wood.
com.
STEP AFRIKA!
The Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts
will present “Step Afrika!” on Saturday, April
28 at 3 p.m. and Sunday, April 29 at 8 p.m. at the
Kumble Theater at LIU-Brooklyn, 1 University
Plaza.
The show, founded in 1994, aims to promote
an appreciation for stepping and its uses as an
educational, motivational and healthy tool for
young people. Performances are much more
than dance shows; they integrate songs, storytelling,
humor and audience participation.
Over the past two decades, the company
has grown to become one of the top 10 African
American dance companies in the U.S., as well
as Washington D.C.'s largest African American
arts organization.
Tickets are $35. For more information, visit
www.brooklyncenter.org.
"The Addams Family" creeping up
at St. Patrick's Catholic Academy
St. Patrick's Academy gears up for a production of "The Addams Family."
BY JAIME DEJESUS
JDEJESUS@BROOKLYNREPORTER.COM
They're creepy and they're
kooky!
St. Patrick Catholic
Academy is gearing up to present
its own production of a famous
musical based on everybody’s
favorite eccentric family, “The
Addams Family Young@Part.”
The production, directed by
Susan Huizinga, musically directed
by Camille Johnson and
choreographed by Heather Gault,
will feature talented performers
from the St. Patrick’s Drama Club
and follow the lives of Gomez and
Morticia Addams, along with
their daughter Wednesday and
the rest of the bunch.
Eighth grade performers Anthony
Villamagna and Adriana Zajac
may be sad that this is their final
show at St. Pat’s before they head to
high school, but both are thrilled to
be a part of a fun-filled final show
they hope audiences will love.
“'The Addams Family' production
is about family and
acceptance,” said Villamagna,
who plays the popular character
Uncle Fester. “What separates
this show from other shows I've
been a part of is that it will be my
last performance in a St. Patrick
Catholic Academy drama club
production. Because of that, I will
be giving my best performance."
He is also excited to play a particularly
kooky character.
“Uncle Fester is special because
he's always happy,” Villamagna
Photo courtesy of St. Patrick’s Catholic Academy
explained. “He's a crazy, fun
and carefree spirit. He's also the
narrator.”
Zajac, who plays Wednesday, is
excited that her character is the
show's focal point. “'This show is
the story of Wednesday Addams
falling in love with Lucas, a ‘normal’
boy,” she said. “Wednesday
tries throughout the show to get
her family to accept him.”
She is also happy to be playing
such a complex character.
“I think that Wednesday has
many special characteristics,”
Zajac explained. “During the
show, she goes through a change
of heart and mind. She also works
hard to get her way and to get her
parents to accept her engagement
to Lucas. She is one of my dream
roles as a performer, so this is a
show I’ll never forget.”
Thus far, rehearsals have been
enjoyable as the cast and crew gear
up for the four performances.
“Everyone gets into character
from the beginning and gives
their all like it's the actual show,”
said Villamagna. “The cast is
comprised of students from the
fourth through the eighth grade.
Everyone is very serious about
the show and takes pride in what
they're doing.”
“Rehearsals have gone great,”
added Zajac. “The cast is so
dedicated and talented. Susan,
the director, is also incredibly
talented.”
“She is a very understanding and
good director,” agreed Villamagna.
“She lends advice and pointers to
the students and she is always encouraging.
She is very professional
and has an amazing work ethic and
she expects the same from us.”
Both actors have a favorite part
of the show that they look forward
to audiences experiencing.
“The whole show is pretty
awesome but I'd have to say, for
me, the highlight of the show is
the last scene,” said Villamagna.
“It really shows how much family
is a main factor in the Addams
family's life and really wraps up
the whole show's meaning.”
The message is something they
want to resonate with audiences.
“I'd like them to take away from
the show a good feeling about
themselves and their own family,”
said Villamagna. “At the same time
I hope the audience will see and appreciate
all the hard work the cast
and crew put into this production
to make it an awesome one."
“This is a good show to present
to audiences because it shows
that you shouldn’t judge people
based on first impressions, which
I think is a good message for our
school community,” Zajac said. “I
would like the audience to walk
away with a new love for 'The
Addams Family' from the show.”
“The Addams Family young@
part” will be performed at St.
Patrick’s Catholic Academy, 401
97th Street, on Friday, April 27
at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 28 at
2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday,
April 29 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10.
For more information, visit www.
stpatrickca.org.
/www.brooklyncenter.org
/www.youngdancersin-rep.org
/www.youngdancersin-rep.org
/www.green-wood
/www.youngdancersin-rep.org
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/www.stpatrickca.org
/www.stpatrickca.org