Welcome to PLAYBILLDER Spotlight, where Playbill highlights shows and events from educational institutions around the country (who have used Playbill's program-building service). By welcoming these PLAYBILLDERs center stage, we hope to give our readers a more in-depth look at theatre programs that are fostering the love of the performing arts in the next generation.
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This week's spotlight is Brooklyn Technical High School in New York and their production of Hello, Dolly!. The musical follows Dolly Gallagher Levi, a matchmaker tasked with finding "unmarried half-a-millionaire" Horace Vandergelder a bride. Dolly travels from Yonkers to New York, leading a parade of wide-eyed, open-hearted romantics hoping to end their night with a kiss. The story, adapted from Thornton Wilder's play The Matchmaker, contains humor, romance, dance, and infectious bravado for musical theatre lovers of all ages.
Assistant Principal of Visual and Performing Arts Gustave Trombetta shared with Playbill why it's necessary to provide an artistic outlet for students, even in a STEM-focused school.
Tell us a little about yourself. How many years have you been teaching?
Gustave Trombetta: I currently serve as the Assistant Principal of Visual and Performing Arts at Brooklyn Technical High School, which is a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) school here in Brooklyn New York. The main focus of our school isn't the arts, but rather the STEM areas, which is why I consider my work in providing students an artistic outlet to be so important.
What are your dreams for how your drama department can grow?
Our department is growing every year, and we see that even our most gifted STEM students also excel in both the visual and performing arts. Our annual spring musical is living proof of that as students from all the different STEM focuses come together to put on an amazing show.
What are the most challenging and most rewarding aspects of teaching the performing arts to today’s students?
The most challenging part of my work is that we often lose students to programming constraints centered around their course requirements in which the arts do not take the front seat. However, we have a robust department including several levels of chorus, orchestra, band, and visual arts.
Tell us a little bit about the production. What made you pick this show?
We wanted to go big this year after building back after the pandemic. We started off with a small show, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, to something a little bigger, Once Upon A Mattress, and this year went with Hello, Dolly!.
What are the kids loving about the show?
The students loved the costumes, the music, which was played by our student pit orchestra, and the large cast and ensemble, which allowed so many students to be included.
What message do you have for your students as they take the stage?
Our message [to the students] is to have fun, work together as a team, make memories, and always give it [their] all.
What reactions do you expect to see in students when they see their name printed in this Playbill for the first time?
The students always love seeing the Playbill for the first time, opening it up, and seeing their color pictures and personalized bios. They love the autograph pages, which fill up quickly as Brooklyn Tech is the largest high school in the entire United States.
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