SPARK Stories July 2020 by Blumenthal Performing Arts

SPARK

Despite the cancellation of The Blumey Awards due to COVID-19, students were able to keep their passion alive with a Blumeys tribute program on PBS Charlotte. It was a perfect example of Blumenthal’s mission, unifying the creativity and innovative spirit of artists, community partners, schools and Blumenthal staff.

IGNITING OPPORTUNITY

BEHIND THE SCENES

The broadcast program, “A Blumey Awards Salute,” included choreography numbers with students performing and recording them in their homes.

OUR MISSION Unify Inspire Celebrate Creativity Serve Others

TEACHERS CONNECT WITH STUDENTS Supportive teachers play a huge role in students’ success in and passion for the performing arts. Blumenthal Vice President of Education Andie Maloney felt it was important to give teachers a forum to speak directly to their students during the COVID-19 pandemic, so she and her staff developed the #ilovemycast Facebook challenge as part of a social media campaign promoting the TV broadcast of “A Blumey Awards Salute.” Thirty-three teacher teams from schools around the region participated. They were able to use their 30-second slot however they wanted to pay tribute to their casts. “Some of the teachers were phenomenally creative,” says Maloney.

Click to view the Cast Challenge videos, or visit: BlumenthalArts.org/ ILoveMyCastChallenge

July 2020

‘A BLUMEY AWARDS SALUTE’

by LIZ ROTHAUS BERTRAND

As the COVID-19 pandemic spread this spring, schools everywhere shut their doors and reimagined education for the rest of the year. They also canceled student activities and traditional rites of passage, like proms, graduations, athletics – all gone. This included spring musicals that many students involved in the performing arts had been planning and rehearsing for months. With a heavy heart, Blumenthal’s leadership canceled The Blumey Awards, an event celebrating accomplishments in high school musical theater that draws sold-out crowds annually to Belk Theater. But thanks to the creativity and innovative spirit of artists, community partners, schools and Blumenthal staff, a special TV tribute and accompanying social media campaign were born to honor students and their teachers. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

“(S)omething I’ve seen every single year from these students is the way that students problem solve … their focus … their wanting to really deliver.” DAVID DABBON

MUSIC DIRECTOR FOR THE BLUMEY AWARDS

Musical theater students participate in “A Blumey Awards Salute,” a program that aired on PBS Charlotte. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

On May 12, PBS Charlotte aired “A Blumey Awards Salute,” the only broadcast TV event in the country this year honoring a region’s high school musical theater students. The show featured performance footage from previous Blumey Awards ceremonies and clips of this year’s student productions, many of which were still in rehearsals when the virus hit. It also included tributes to seniors and a special rendition of The Blumey Awards’ traditional closing number, “Don’t Be Surprised.” This final song melded more than 60 student performances, individually recorded from their homes, into a stunning compilation number. “I couldn’t let it completely disappear this year,” says PBS Charlotte General Manager Amy Burkett, who approached Blumenthal with the idea of the TV special. With corporate support from Wells Fargo, the station has been broadcasting The Blumey Awards ceremony Burkett since 2016. Burkett, who has served as one of the award show’s emcees, says high school musical

theater really helps every student. “There are so many students that that’s where they find their people ... their connection. ” Gareth Robbins, a recent graduate of Providence High School, remembers the excitement last year when he and his castmates performed a selection from the school’s production of Newsies, a nominee for the Wells Fargo Best Musical Award. “It was an absolutely amazing experience.” This year, he was cast as a lead in Providence High’s production of Mary Poppins, but unfortunately, the show never opened. North Carolina’s stay-at-home order went into effect immediately following the final dress rehearsal. Robbins’ school selected him as one of its two representatives for the TV special’s closing number. “It was kind of a breath of fresh air,” he says. “It felt like I was doing something cool and being part of a really big thing.”

high quality videos to sync perfectly with the others so they could be quickly edited into a broadcast-ready production. “There were no rehearsals – that’s what’s so crazy,” says Dabbon. For that reason, every aspect had to be carefully considered and communicated to the students in another way. Dabbon and his hand-picked team of professional sound and video editors, who all live in New York, collaborated remotely with Charlottebased choreographer Linda Booth and Blumenthal’s education department. The goal was to find creative solutions to help students prepare, record and upload their parts for the finale with the best quality production possible. The song is musically and rhythmically tricky, but it brims with positivity and hope. Dabbon, who composed it with lyricist Jill Abramovitz for the inaugural Blumey Awards in 2012, says its message is particularly relevant during the pandemic: “We’re stuck now, but don’t be surprised that we’re still going to do amazing things.” Dabbon’s vision guided the recording and editing process for the virtual performance. “My philosophy in working in ensembles is that everyone is important. If anyone is louder or someone’s softer, you don’t try to find a middle ground. You try to bring out all the different colors and textures because that’s what makes it sound full.”

A ONE-OF-A-KIND VIRTUAL FINALE

Grammy nominated David Dabbon, who serves as The Blumey Awards music director, led a team of artists who helped bring the virtual performance to life. They overcame many challenges, including a rapid timeline for students to master the music and choreography, and then independently recorded their own

“There are so many students that that’s where they find their people ... their connection.” AMY BURKETT

PBS CHARLOTTE GENERAL MANAGER

David Dabbon music directs The Blumey Awards.

D’Erika Davis, a rising senior at Kings Mountain High School, is used to learning music quickly for theater and show choir productions. But getting the angles and sound just right for her recording of the song took about 10 tries. With each attempt, she focused on giving her very best performance. “I just remembered, if I was with other people, I would be giving 110 percent,” says Davis, “and I just tried to do exactly the same, even though I was by myself.” The careful planning by the professional artists and the dedication of the student performers paid off. “When the videos started popping in, it was so thrilling to see the commitment and excitement,” says Dabbon. “(S)omething I’ve seen every single year from these students is the way that students problem solve … their focus … their wanting to really deliver. It’s why I think Charlotte has such a presence outside of the city as well as what’s thriving in that community.” T Click to view the at-home edition of the closing number, “Don’t Be Surprised,” or visit the website below. BlumenthalArts.org/DontBeSurprised