At Booker T. Washington High School for the Visual and Performing Arts, students of all expertise are coming together for the first performance of the new school year.
“It’s definitely a process, getting all these different conservatoires together,” said Thomas C. “You have all these different ideas, and then it comes together and it’s like, ‘we have a show.’ There’s a lot of first-time things being done, and it’s just seeing it all executed. It’s very cool.”
The senior is in the music conservatory at Booker T. He is also one of the dozens of students who signed up for the all-conservatory production of “On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan.”
Olivia L., a senior in the theater conservatory, said there are many pieces that need to be put together to make an all-school performance happen.
“The show cannot properly function without technical theater, actors, dancers, musicians, or a strong group of producers and directors. Thankfully, we have all of those,” she said.
An assistant stage manager, this is Olivia’s first time being involved in an all-school production.
“I was nervous at first because theater folk, especially stage managers, are very used to doing things a certain way, as are dancers and musicians. It can be daunting to incorporate multiple methods of process but I have been enjoying it a great deal,” she said.
Full of heart and heritage, the show tells the true-life story of the iconic duo. That’s what makes this performance special, said Brookelle T., a senior who is in the theater conservatory.
“This show has a lot of culture and is based on someone’s life,” she said. “It’s different and unique. The events in this show happened in real life, and it’s cool that the person who wrote it is the person in the show.”
Working in costumes, Brookelle was one of the first to sign up for the production.
“I knew it was a big opportunity, and it would just showcase my leadership,” she said. “I knew I could learn a lot from doing a bigger show.”
Brookelle is the head designer of the show. She worked with local businesses and vendors to donate items to use in the production. She then handmakes costumes using those, including a red dress worn by Gloria Estefan near the end of the show.
“I’m excited to see how the audience feels about the wow factor. It’s supposed to be like a gasp at the end,” she said.
While “On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan” was well-received on the show stage, not many people have seen – or even heard of it. This gave Booker T. students a chance to work together to showcase their creativity and try new things.
“I’m excited to showcase all the dances. Because we’ve been working really hard at them, and I think that they look really great,” said Vivianna G. “I think the costuming and it all fits together really nicely. The dance styles, like salsa, we haven’t done before. I’m just excited for everybody to see it.”
A junior, Vivianna is in the dance conservatory at Booker T. She, along with the rest of the crew, say the best part of working together is learning more about one another’s craft.
“You have so much work that went into the show, and I think especially for all of us who worked on it, this gives us an appreciation for the work it takes,” said Soleil S., a junior in the visual arts conservatory. “Someone who’s never been lead in a show before, they just see the show. They don’t see everything that goes on to make the show happen.”
Eloise N., who is also a junior in the visual arts conservatory, agreed.
“I feel like as artists, we look at what we make and see all the bad things about it. We want to criticize it so much,” she said. “But having other conservatories join in and work on it, too, you finally see it all wrapped up together in the end. It is mind-opening of what it will become just from you putting your effort into something.”
Planning for the show started in the summer. The first performance of the season, the team say it’s an opportunity to set the scene for the rest of the rest of the school year.
“I believe in starting the school year strong, and this is a good kick off of what shows could be,” Eloise said.
