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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Lydia played the violin before the Oakland Center for the Arts cast performed "The Wizard of Oz" for the residents of Shepherd of the Valley Boardman on April 20.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Shepherd of the Valley Boardman watched as performers from The Oakland Center for the Arts sang songs from "The Wizard of Oz" on April 20.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.The performers from The Oakland Center for the Arts sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" as the finale for their "Wizard of Oz" performance on April 20 for the residents of Shepherd of the Valley Boardman.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.The performers from the Oakland Center for the Arts mingled with residents from Shepherd of the Valley Boardman after putting on selections from "The Wizard of Oz" on April 20.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.The Oakland Center for the Arts Kids First Theater Initiative performed selections from "The Wizard of Oz" for the Shepherd of the Valley Boardman residents.
By ALEXIS BARTOLOMUCCI
Residents from Shepherd of the Valley Boardman got a special visit from the performers at the Oakland Center for Arts on April 20.
The Oakland Center for the Arts Kids First Initiative performed selections from their upcoming production of “The Wizard of Oz.” The production is directed by Brendan Byers and Donna Downie.
“As a courtesy to us, they were coming in to perform ‘The Wizard of Oz’ for our residents today,” said Shepherd Activities Associate Michele Sammartino.
The residents sat around the room as the Oakland Center for the Arts performers prepared for their performance. The room was decorated with various props from “The Wizard of Oz” to allow the residents to set the scene for the performance.
One of the residents, Catherine Malys, has a son Joe who is very involved in the arts and is part of the Oakland Center for the Arts. Joe Malys and Byers jumped at the opportunity to perform for the residents who are close to them.
The performers introduced themselves to the residents and told them what character they are playing in the show. Although the whole show wasn’t performed, the residents had the opportunity to see several selections from it. Many of the residents enjoyed singing, dancing and clapping along with the performers.
When the show was finished, the performers and residents had the opportunity to meet each other and talk about the performance.