Visit the BRAVO website:  http://www.op97.org/brooks/BRAVO-Programs.cfm

 

For the past four years, BRAVO has had the honor of being invited to represent Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School in the Junior Theatre Festival!  Held in Atlanta each January, iTheatrics holds the festival to celebrate musical theater!  BRAVO students have performed exceptionally well in years past, earning awards and accolades as well as being honored to present New Junior Works on behalf of the festival.

 

This year was no different!

 

By now, you may have heard, BRAVO earned the coveted top honor of Outstanding Production for Schoolhouse Rock, Live Jr.  This was our third year in a row to receive such an honor.

It was 9:15pm, all of the boys were backstage getting ready to go on for the closing number, Seize the Day, while the girls were in the back of the theater also preparing for the closing number.  We had just performed Finian's Rainbow and encountered some technical difficulties beyond our control.  Yet, the kids pushed harder, worked together and performed what I believe was the most beautiful, breathtaking and stunning performance on the main-stage that night.  That same morning, at 9:15am, the kids performed Schoolhouse Rock better than they ever had. They had a focused pacing and were in such a zone it was amazing and entertaining to watch. Personally I didn't want it to end.  They were having so much fun!  As they held their last note of Interjections, there was thunderous applause, cheering and an immediate standing ovation including one of our adjudicators.  The judges began their critique with praise and somewhat in awe of what they had just experienced by our young people, working "together" on a match box size, horrible acoustic stage.  No criticism, no construction only compliments poured out from each of them.  Wow!  It was an exhilarating and powerful performance then followed by such accolades was just so rewarding.  BRAVO performed with love, passion, energy, precision, and they performed as a team; as a family.  My favorite comment by Jeff Calhoun.  No matter what happened at the awards ceremony, we/they could and should be so proud of their performance and what they achieved together.  So... back to the New Works show, huddled closely together, when BRAVO was announced for Outstanding Production, the tears flooded the faces of your children. There was jumping, screaming, crying and uncontrollable joy.  Children that had worked so hard, were so deserving were also ...so grateful.  That, my friends, makes me most proud.  Out of 65 schools, seven were awarded the coveted overall performance award of Outstanding Production. 

Here are some of the festival highlights:

• 8th grader, Max Gonzalez was awarded Best Male Performer (in our purple pod)

• 8th grader, Maggie Lynch and 7th grader, Alex Frendt were awarded JTF All-Stars.  They earned the opportunity to perform with 130 other All Stars from the 65 schools in the closing Awards Show with You Can't Stop the Beat!

• 10 of our kids were invited to audition for the Choreography DVD to be shot this summer.  Max Gonzalez, Emilio Amaya, Tommy Figel, Alonte Williams, Grant Reynolds, Elena Awe, Tatiana Castenada, Sydney Jackson, Christen Conley, Maya Trinka and Sydney Jackson.  They were all outstanding and now will find out if they're selected to come to New York in July to film the newest choreography DVD produced by iTheatrics.

• BRAVO awarded Outstanding Production, for the 3rd consecutive year, for Schoolhouse Rock Live, Jr.  A trophy is received with this award along with the honor of performing one piece from our adjudication on Sunday during the Awards Show.

• Performed Finian's Rainbow, Jr in the festival New Works Showcase on Saturday

• Bravo boys helped choreograph, teach and performed Seize the Day from Newsies at the close of the New Works showcase on Saturday.  Our 7th graders Paul Johnson and Grant Reynolds were featured soloists while Tommy Figel, Emilio Amaya, Alonte Williams, Max Gonzalez, Seth Gilbert, Pierce Boyd-Bagby, and Eli Whelan were also featured in the number and joined by all our boys in the number with 65 boys from other programs.

• Max, Emilio, Tommy and Alonte taught 65 boys from other schools (with the support of all our boys) the choreography to Newsies on Friday in between showcase and adjudication rehearsals.  Directors, teachers and students were blown away by our boys ability to relate, welcome and teach their boys so quickly, effectively and with such energy and passion.  Max lead the group teaching and every director approached me awe inspired by his ability to communicate and teach the other boys with perfect direction, patience and passion.  Our boys showed each other such respect, the other schools were so impressed by our kids camaraderie and skill level.  It was like a master class and one of the proudest moments for me personally.

• Jeff Calhoun, Broadway director of Newsies, Hairspray, 9 to 5, Grease, High School Musical and others was one of our three adjudicators.  After giving the kids a standing ovation here are some of his comments:
  • WOW, now I know why you're called BRAVO!
  • He asked how many kids were on stage, after our kids replied 41, he turned to the room and replied " I see one.  One group, one family."
  • He said "I wish Broadway actors that I work with had the same work ethic and commitment as you kids just displayed"
  • Give me an hour and I could keep talking about all the wonderful things you do on stage
  • Outstanding!

• Leo Weinberg earned Technical Backstage All-Star

• Tim McDonald, iTheatrics and JTF founder, asked Ms. Reynolds on Sunday at 10am if BRAVO would perform Finian's Rainbow again, at the close of the Broadway Junior Slam improv showcase that morning at 11:30am.  He was so moved by our performance on Saturday evening and the executives from NBC's SMASH were there that he wanted a polished and memorable showcase to close the show.  Our amazing team pulled together hair, makeup, and the kids and we made it happen through awesome collaboration.  This extra performance was truly a gift.  Hard to think the kids could perform it any better than they already had on Saturday, but they did!  It was unbelievable.  tears...

• A camera crew followed BRAVO Saturday morning to document the adjudication process.  Tommy and Ms. Reynolds were mic'd and followed closely.  Another unique and exciting opportunity.

• The Freddie G Directors Award alumni were recognized and integrated into the awards ceremony.  Ms. Reynolds was given the honor to kick off the Awards Ceremony, describe what the Freddie G experience is and introduce the one and only, Mr. Freddie Gershon. 

• To top off the non-stop, rewarding weekend, our visit today to the Martin Luther King National Historic Site was simply beautiful.  Some experienced tears while we vistied the Ebeneezer Baptist Church, The King Center, the Eternal Flame, Dr. & Mrs. King's tomb, Freedom Hall, the Fire Station No. 6, and we stood outside the Dr. King's Birth Home.  It was the perfect final chapter to experience this together. To Remember, to Celebrate and to Act.

All of the chaperones and parents that attended JTF were just remarkable with their tireless efforts and support to anything and everything we needed as well as commitment to the kids. A heartfelt thank you to Marcia Frank, Sally Prescott, Mary Carlin, John Figel and Ben Weinberg.  Each of you are so special and provided such strength to our entire team. I am grateful for your time, organization, passion, expertise, sense of humor, ability to lead and to follow, whatever it takes attitudes, your patience, and your love for the BRAVO team.  Thank you also to Marian and Rick Frendt, Kathy Lynch, Debbie Figel, Carsi Hughes, and Walter Reynolds.  They ran errands, took pictures, video taped, schlepped costumes, and helped anywhere when needed.  Parents - your kids were in such great hands!

My deepest gratitude and love to the amazing, awesome and so committed dream team:  Michael Jones, Cameron Burgess and Lisa Morrow!  As they say in Annie, "I don't need anything but YOU!"  Thank you for the gift of sharing everything that you are good at and love to do.  Not only did the kids technically look and sound amazing, they physically looked amazing.   Success is in the detail but it is also in friendship and trust.  This is the magic we could bottle and sell.  The love, respect and appreciation of the gifts you each share is beyond words.  What we achieved, we achieved together!  I am forever grateful to each of you. 

Videos are available of this amazing weekend. 

DREAM *  BELIEVE * ACHIEVE!