Between eight performances at the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State, cast and crew members of the touring Broadway musical “Jersey Boys” were busy with appearances in Bellefonte and State College.
Twelve cast members visited residents and performed an a cappella concert at Centre Crest, a nursing home in Bellefonte. The concert provided a way for the “Jersey Boys” performers to give back to the community during their visit.
The Hall-LeKander Endowment, in part, supported the visit.
“The Center for the Performing Arts believes in transforming lives through inspiring experiences,” said Amy Dupain Vashaw, audience and program development director. “A powerful way we accomplish that goal is through providing direct engagement between community members and many of the artists we present. In the case of ‘Jersey Boys,’ we are thrilled at their generosity of spirit in making a visit to the residents of Centre Crest.”
In addition to the Centre Crest visit, six “Jersey Boys” cast and crew members conducted an audition workshop with State College Area High School Thespians. Cast members Matthew Dailey, Keith White, Miguel Jarquin-Moreland and Dru Serkes, plus orchestra members Jonathan Smith (music director) and Taylor Peckham (associate conductor), took part in the workshop at the high school.
The thespians performed what they prepared for recent auditions for their production of Roald Dahl’s “James and the Giant Peach.” The “Jersey Boys” professionals provided feedback to the students about their audition material and about how to prepare for college musical theater auditions.
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