By Pamela Sroka-Holzmann | The Express-Times The Express-Times
View full size Express-Times Photo | Sue Beyer The Nazareth Area High School Theatre Troupe rehearses for its upcoming winter performance of a one-act play called, "It's A Wonderful Life." Performances will be Dec. 17 and 18. Student director, Ryan Skerchak, 17, of Nazareth, works with Zack Esposito, 16, of Lower Nazareth, and Margaret Richter, 14, of Lower Nazareth.
The Nazareth Area High School Theatre Troupe is collecting toys for needy children in lieu of selling children's tickets for the holiday show.
During performances of “It’s a Wonderful Life” next month, children under 12 years old who bring a toy for a needy child will receive free admission.
The one-act play tells a similar story as the film, but in a condensed version.
A cast of 20 students will be practicing about three hours a day up to four times a week until the curtain rises for real.
Danielle Baclawski Scheller, theater director and performing arts and television broadcasting teacher, said the idea to collect toys for the Salvation Army’s Toys for Tots campaign followed a discussion with students on ways they could give back to the community.
"We are trying to teach them that, despite the difficulties we all face, there are always people who are worse off who can use our help and when they get the opportunity to give back they should take it," she said. "This is a lesson we are hoping they will carry with them when they leave Nazareth and pass it on to others."
The troupe conducted a similar drive last weekend. Children under 12 years old who brought a canned good for the Nazareth Area Food Bank got in free to see “How I Became a Pirate.”
“I think it’s a really good opportunity,” said 16-year-old junior Devan Allen. “Audience members are getting to see something while giving back to the community.”
McKenzie Doyle, 16, a sophomore, said the initiative takes away the usual pressure of competing against peers for various roles in the plays.
“It puts the focus off who got what part and the money we could have raised,” she said. “It puts the focus more on helping the community.”
During performances of the musical “Singing in the Rain,” scheduled to be shown throughout the last two weekends in April, $1 for each ticket sale will benefit two local charities: The Center for Animal Health and Welfare and Brenton’s Hope.
The animal center took the place of the Northampton County SPCA.
Brenton’s Hope benefits children battling cancer in the name of Brenton Krouse, a Shafer Elementary School sixth-grader, who died in June 2009 from leukemia.
Scheller said the troupe hopes to sell out all six performances of the spring musical, which would raise more than $3,000 for each charity. Some students also are planning to volunteer at the animal shelter on the weekends.
“We have such a good group of kids who will someday make a mark on the world,” Scheller said. “They’re happy to do it.”
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