Students Star As Stage Performers

Kevin R. Free (standing at center), director of education at Queens Theatre in the Park, is pictured with students from Maspeth's P.S. 153, along with their coordinator and the teaching artists from the CentreStage performing arts program. With their performance of their original play, The Mixed Up Teenager Talent Show, the students closed the show last Thursday, June 11. Shown from left: (front row, kneeling) Claire Baker, Julia Klepadlo, Monica Lorens, Julio Gutierrez, Theo Lukes, Michael Krumbine, Kainat Rehman, Taric Lyazghi; (middle row) Christopher Terrano, Jocelyn Palacios, Valentina Torrealba, Andrew Tscherne, Luis Escobar, Kelly Zdanuczyk, Sakina Ali, Jennifer Villani; (back row) Lorraine Berenholtz, coordinator; teaching artists Vanessa Cohen and Bonnie Pipkin; Charmaine Swasey, Joseph Keller, Victoria Michalska, Deirdre Rouse, Emmanuella Reina, Kyle Campbell, Izabela Balawender, Sky Rivera and Kerwhin Valette. (photo: Bill Mitchell) As the schoolchildren fortunate enough to experience the CentreStage program learn, it's more fun to do than watch—especially when it means a chance to perform before an audience of friends and family at Queens Theatre in the Park.

On the eve of their performance at Queens Theatre in the Park, students at Glendale's P.S. 91 took a break during rehearsals of their original play, Good Neighbors, to pose for a photo in the school auditorium last Wednesday, June 10. They were among the approximately 500 students from 22 schools who performed as part of the CentreStage program. The students are pictured with parent coordinator Veronica Feliciano (standing on stage, at far left) and teaching artists Dyana Kimball (standing in foreground, at left) and Corey Johnson (standing in foreground at right). As shown from left, the performers included: (seated on stage) Adriana Molina, Jordyn Hock, Taylor Torres, Matt Smith, Yanessi Jusino, Danielle Alejandro, Erin Fitzgerald; (on stage, standing) Joshua Ojeda, Jakub Malecki, Samantha Sandstrom, Kayla Beauchamp, Lilly Baez and Kayla Feliciano. Performers not pictured: Ashley Campoverde, Elijah Howard and Faith Pogosyan. (photo: Bill Mitchell) Certainly, for someone with an interest in the performing arts, the experience seems akin to being a Little Leaguer who gets to take the diamond at nearby Citi Field.

Students from P.S. 108 in South Ozone Park lined up on the stage of Queens Theatre in the Park to take their bows after wowing the audience with their performance of their original play, Saksalocksagem, last Thursday, June 11. The performers included (in alphabetical order): Joshua Balesa, Jasmine Bishundat, Wilson Castro, Lisa Cho, Albina Dautaj, Noella Deabreu, Zaria Dumancela, Kimberly Hemlall, Amy Isaac, Saad Kabir, Destiny McClary, Tiffany Paramhance, Ashley Persaud, Nicholas Rambally, Sarah Ross, Manjot Sandhu, Nirmala Sarabdial, Shameeza Sattaur, Marquise Soto, Michael Soto, Johan Urena and Ariana Woolford. (photo: Bill Mitchell) But for the adults who see shyness being cast aside by youngsters involved in CentreStage—previously known as the CASA program—the watching can bring a joy that is hard to match.

At each school that participates, up to 25 children team in writing and then rehearsing an original play, under the direction of two teaching artists, with someone at the school— a teacher or parent coordinator— serving as the coordinator.

As noted by Kevin R. Free, director of education at Queens Theatre in the Park, a total of 36 hours was allotted for the entire process.

Finally, the payoff came when the curtain went up on a professional stage, with lights and the settings created by show director Jason Brantman's team. David Lovett was the scenic and lighting designer; Jacob Seelbach was the stage manager.

Thanks to City Council Both Free and Jeffrey Rosenstock, the executive director of Queens Theby atre in the Park—who articulated the notion that when it comes to theater, the doing is more fun than watching— expressed their gratitude to members of the City Council for the funding that makes CentreStage possible.

Two of the local legislators, Council members Elizabeth Crowley and Eric Gioia, were on hand to hear the audience endorse those sentiments with appreciative applause.

This year, the CentreStage program enjoyed its best representation from among local schools.

Over five evenings—Wednesday, June 10 through Sunday, June 14— 21 different Queens schools, plus one from Brooklyn, were represented on stage. One school—I.S. 61 in Corona— had two different groups.

Last Thursday, June 11, the Times Newsweekly was in the audience as the performing schools included: P.S. 91 from Glendale, P.S. 108 from South Ozone Park, P.S. 153 from Maspeth, P.S. 199 from Sunnyside and P.S. 128K from Bensonhurst in Brooklyn.

Among those also in the audience was Susan Voogt, assistant principal at P.S. 153, who stepped to the stage to express her delight with the program, thanking Council Member Crowley for her support of it. She also thanked the children; their parents; teaching artists Vanessa Cohen and Bonnie Pipkin; and Lorraine Berenholtz, who served as coordinator.

In speaking with the Times Newsweekly, Berenholtz—who taught at P.S. 91 for over 30 years and now mentors new teachers at P.S. 153—said that the Maspeth school has been involved in the program for four years. She has served as coordinator for the past two of those years. The program's appeal is so strong that a random drawing is conducted by the student council to determine the students who will participate.

A cure for shyness

She credited the people involved— the teaching artists— with making the experience fun and drawing out children who otherwise would remain shy and withdrawn.

Similarly, Veronica Feliciano the coordinator at P.S. 91, praised the program's impact.

"I think it's great—the kids love it," she said, adding that in particular, she likes the idea that by having the children write their own play, they acquire a different perspective.

Feliciano has been the Glendale school's parent coordinator for four years—the entire time that P.S. 91 has been involved in the performing arts program.

Like Berenholtz, she can attest to the positive influence the experience has had in bringing more than one normally shy child out of his or her shell.

For Kevin R. Free, who had been a teaching artist before becoming the director of education, seeing how the children respond to the program gives him a special thrill.

"I can't imagine my life without being part of a program like this," he said.

Schools represented

Of the schools represented at the June 11 performances, the students, their plays, coordinators and teaching artists included:

• P.S. 91: Danielle Alejandro, Lilly Baez, Kayla Beauchamp, Ashley Campoverde, Kayla Feliciano, Erin Fitzgerald, Jordyn Hock, Elijah Howard, Yanessi Jusino, Jakub Malecki, Adriana Molina, Joshua Ojeda, Faith Pogosyan, Samantha Sandstrom, Matt Smith and Taylor Torres performed Good Neighbors. Veronica Feliciano was the coordinator; Corey Johnson and Dyana Kimball were the teaching artists.

• P.S. 108: Tiffany Paramhance, Ariana Woolford, Sarah Ross, Albina Dautaj, Joshua Balesar, Johan Urena, Zaria Dumancela, Amy Isaac, Kimberly Hemlall, Marquise Soto, Michael Soto, Destiny McClary, Wilson Castro, Lisa Cho, Saad Kabir, Noella Deabreu, Shameeza Sattaur, Jasmine Bishundat, Ashley Persaud, Nirmala Sarabdial, Manjot Sandhu and Nicholas Rambally performed Saksalocksagem. Gabrielle Compton was the coordinator; Jojo Gonzalez and Ryan Good were the teaching artists.

• P.S. 153: Sakina Ali, Claire Baker, Izbela Balawender, Kyle Campbell, Luis Escobar, Julio Gutierrez, Joseph Keller, Julia Klepadlo, Michael Krumbine, Monica Lorens, Theo Lukes, Taric Lyazghi, Victoria Michalska, Jocelyn Palacios, Kainat Rehman, Emmanuella Reina, Sky Rivera, Deirdre Rouse, Charmaine Swasey, Christopher Terrano, Valentina Torrealba, Andrew Tscherne, Kerwhin Valette, Jennifer Villani and Kelly Zdanuczyk performed The Mixed Up Teenager Talent Show. Lorraine Berenholtz was the coordinator; Vanessa Cohen and Bonnie Pipkin were the teaching artists.

• P.S. 199: Evelyn Balzan, Cristian Castillo, Raisa Chowdhury, Pallab Dhar, Daniel Gonzalez, Nicole Gutierrez, Nicholas Katehis, Wellington Lema, Vanessa Ochoa, Camila Realpe. Sanjana Shukla, Jaileen Sinchi, Jamie Somoza, Aarti Tyagi, David Vargas, Saleem Zeideia and Naromi Zuleta performed The Craziest Party Ever! Jennifer Westcott was the coordinator; Lori Fischer and Pamela Sabaugh were the teaching artists.

P.S. 128K: Mahnoor Ahmed, Brittany Bermudez, Fatema Bhulyan, El- liot Bobr, Charlie Carranza, Ahmed Fariboynanani, Denise Franco, Julia Green, Jovita Lin, Xin Lin, Julie Liu, Mariam Mohamed, Carmen Ng, Tea Nurcellari, Alma Perez, Justin Schau, Jennifer Shum, Carlos Soyto, Amrat Tahir, Jawaria Tahir, Ufaq Tahir and Vivian Wong performed The Quest for Hope. Regina Nichilo was the coordinator; Nathan Christensen and Jamie Kalama were the teaching artists.

Locals also represented

In addition to the schools that were represented on Thursday, June 11, other local schools—their participating students, plays, coordinators and teaching artists—on the other four dates included:

• Sacred Heart School in Glendale: Valentina Saverese, Sarah Cullivan, Madison Mendez, Angelica Cieslak, Jacqueline DeFalco, Francesca Piparo, Samantha Reinhardt, Peter Maxham, Conor Gilroy, Jack Polizzi, Brendan Dooley, Steven Hansen, Brendan Taphouse, John Federico, Marlayna Fanto, John Kazlausky, Brittany Sattler, Brian Lawlor, Michael Scacalossi, Breanna Jones Taphouse, Kelly McGarry, Emmett Gilroy, Allison Scacalossi and Patrick Hardy performed Dream Loud. Lisa Uruchima was the coordinator; Stacee Mandeville and Randy Redd were the teaching artists.

• P.S. 97 in Woodhaven: Helen Tenecela, Nafilah Chowdhury, Ashley Ramdeo, Reet Bassi, Jafet Cordova, Tamia Nelson, Minerva Caceres, John Chu, Tatiana Delacruz, Cara Lujan, Stephanie Carrasco, Angisselle Suarez, Gissell Garcia, Denise Khor, Leandra Royer, Maria Lao, Giubis Romero, Ekok Soubir, Leilyn Morales, Tanvir Dulay and Jose Hernandez performed Strength in Numbers. Cynthia Buynak was the coordinator; Amanda Hinkle and Lisa Colangelo were the teaching artists.

• J.H.S. 190 in Forest Hills: Laureen Levitt, Maria Agronovsky, Magdalena Orlowski, Lily Kaufman, Dina Salim, Aleksondra Jaroslawska, Gregory Nikolla, Tarcisio Nascimento, kristen Deyne, Bryan Prieto, Sandra Ramos and Nicholas Friday performed The Lunch Box. Geraldine Kazin was the coordinator; Michael Frederic and Tarik Davis were the teaching artists.

• P.S. 206 in Rego Park: Hana Elgoarny, Francis Aggrey, Kassandra Lorovico, Kanak Somani, Shaina Williams, Sarah Restrepo, Prakhar Daga, Vanessa Martinez, Jennifer Chang, Isaiah Singleton, Zayli Baez, Krisnina Magpantay, Marwa Gadalla, Catherine Kaszowski, Thea Mensah, Jasmine Dash, Frederic Liu, Shubh Pathak, Jiwoo Yi, Oumou Barry, Xavier Dupuy and Kenny Shah performed The Most Amazing Dream. Maris Jaffe was the coordinator; Virginia E. Grace and Melissa Maxwell were the teaching artists.

• Immaculate Conception in Astoria: Odoma Agawu, Jennifer Jean Baptiste, Guishyloh Boursiquot, Valerie Bresier, Shane Edwin, Sofia Greaves, Kyle Hoosein, Alona Johnson, Amanda Lallemand, Oscar Loja, Christian Lopez, Andrea Mendoza, Olivia Mercedes Mole, Justin Obayi, Kimberly Ramcharitar, Sarah Rodriguez, Delijha Rose, Natasha Sanchez, Gabrielle Singh and Gaurav Srivastava performed The Giant Spider Invasion. Maureen Fortin was the coordinator; Jeff LaGreca and Lulu French were the teaching artists.

• I.S. 235 in Astoria: Jossy Almanza, Richard Arenas, Jessica Argudo, Cynthia Arteaga, Jaimie De la Cruz, Lance Escobar, Juan Garcia, Yinndy Herrera, Vivian Lemus, Olga Meneses, Lesley Ptacek,Juan Puma, Miguel Puma, Mahmuda Tabassum, Nataly Tacuri, Joyce Vinueza and Carolina Zurita performed The Next Stop. Amparo Mejia was the coordinator; Sofia Dubrawsky and Desiree Burch were the teaching artists.

• I.S. 61 in Corona: Johanna Alvarez, Afsana Ambed, Sidikha Ashraf, Sanam Bhatia, Shaniiya Borden, Michelle Cobos, Tyler Diaz, Alexis Fernandez, Nicolle Martinez, Giselle Maza, Milana Musayeva, Jennifer Pensamiento, and Keyla Toribio performed The Play. Lara Pasternak was the coordinator; Eric Dente and Nicole Serra were the teaching artists.

• I.S. 61: Giannina Callejas. Ambar Cruceta, Krishna Daiya, Nadege Diedrich, Carla Goodwin, Sarah Habib, Soboohee Khalid, Almadely Leal, Asma Nished, Zareen H. Mir, Sharin Chowdhury, Jessica Singh and Kristian White performed The Party Gone Wrong. Lara Pasternak was the coordinator; William Coelius and Ryan Lee were the teaching artists.

P.S. 143/Louis Armstrong School in Corona: Jose Betances, Brandon Cortes, Nashalie Alvarez, James Guazhco, Chelsea Alvarado, Kevin Sanchez, Benito Cuenca, John Ramos, Ana Acatecati, Lourdes Quizpilema, Nancy Ramirez, Jonathan Vargas, Danny Perez, Johnny Carchi, Ashley Reinoso, Sujey Morelos, Odalys Sepulveda, Noori Nadeem, Chelsea Patino, Laura DeLaCruz, Diego Madera and Nageory Amador performed The Meteor! Maria Tsambazis was the coordinator; Richard Calvache and Aren Chaisson were the teaching artists.

• P.S. 123 in South Ozone Park: Kristen Jimenez, Emily Ram, Judith Lloyd, De'Shalah Potter, Alicia Fleitchman, Bridgette Wilson, Jessica McKenzie, Madelene Gallon-Abreu, Jade Walters, Lanaya Atkinson, Nassiah Cumberland, Tamara Dalton, Tylil Trantham, Nia Solomon, Ashley Roberts, Preya Prasad, Joshua Laurie, Breanna Jones, Nadia Etkins, Brianna Edwards, Johanza Blaize, Tianna Marshall, Naje Adams, Sherise Ali and Temple Scott performed A Time of Hope. Yolanda Harvey was the coordinator; Barbara Matovu and Christopher Burris were the teaching artists.