Dark times for all. Trying to find some bright spots. If you were meant to perform in your High School musical and it was cancelled please post yourself singing and tag me. I want to be your audience!! Sending all my love and black market toilet paper.
16.8K people are talking about this
"I just decided I would go on social media and encourage
these young performers to send me videos of them performing from their
sequestered homes," Benanti tells. "And so many of them were able to
send their final dress rehearsals or rehearsal that they were able to do before
their show got canceled."
Parents and young actors are sending videos of rehearsals and
at-home performances to Benanti on Twitter and
using the hashtag #SunshineSongs.
This is my daughter singing a song from her canceled musical. She’d been working toward her senior year musical lead for six years :(
We had to trim the beginning, but... guess the show! @LauraBenanti
392 people are talking about this
Benanti has been retweeting some of them to her
146,000 Twitter followers. Other celebrities got in on the action, too: Hamilton creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda promised
to watch. And actress
Jennifer Garner made an Instagram request "to the Elsas and Matildas; to
the Willy Lomans and Romeos" to show off and tag #heyjenlookatme as well.
@LauraBenanti @Lin_Manuel #SunshineSongs My son, Nick DiSabella(a junior at Muhlenberg HS in Reading, PA)& his cast mates were suppose to have opening night this coming weekend. He was Link Larkin in Hairspray musical. Here’s a practice clip. #proudmom
See Tiffiny DiSabella's other Tweets
The response has been overwhelming. So many
people are tagging Benanti with their videos that she isn't able to retweet all
of them. The response has grown from high schoolers to theater kids of all ages.
My 8 year old daughter was cast as Matilda in Matilda the Musical, and found out the show was cancelled the day before opening. #heyjenlookatme #sunshinesongs #Matilda #theaterkid #musicaltheatre #matildathemusical @LauraBenanti @Lyrikris10 #naughty
16 people are talking about this
These @CYTPortland kids worked very hard for the past two months on this amazing show and today would be their closing performance.I took some video during rehearsals last week so I thought we would share them with #heyjenlookatme and #sunshinesongs Thanks so much!
See Karen Hughart's other Tweets
"It's just been really wonderful to see
all of these posts pouring in and to know that it's bringing so much joy to so
many," Benanti says. "And that although these kids are incredibly
disappointed that they're not able to perform for a live audience, they're now
getting a huge audience via social media."
#SunshineSongs The Drowsy Chaperone was supposed to be my last collegiate show but unfortunately was canceled. This was our final rehearsal together before the news... If this show taught me one thing, it’s that a little positivity can change someone’s world.
28 people are talking about this
Benanti knows how important high school theater is to the young
actors. She says her own experience was a "lifesaver."
And she tells that she promises she's watching the videos.
"I think the overall feeling that I get from it is how committed these
kids are, how open-hearted they are, how sincere they are. ... And I love
seeing how much these kids care."
Tags
Music News