For the past two years, East Stroudsburg University students in the Musical Theatre Organization (MTO) have presented a small cabaret at the end of the academic year to have another opportunity to do what they enjoy most\u2014perform songs from Broadway, movie and television musicals.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s cabaret, New York, New York,<\/em> will be held on Friday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m. in the Cecilia S. Cohen Recital Hall of the university\u2019s Fine and Performing Arts Center, Normal and Marguerite streets, East Stroudsburg.<\/p>\n \u201cMTO has more members this year, so we\u2019ve decided to turn the small cabaret into a longer, more polished production,\u201d Katie Rose Reardon, a senior from Rockaway, N.J., who is majoring in English and is president of MTO, said. \u201cThe group chose New York, New York<\/em> as the theme of the show since the city is home to Broadway and that\u2019s what we all love and want to pursue.\u201d<\/p>\n After selecting songs about New York City from a wide range of sources including Annie, Follies, Thoroughly Modern Millie, New York, New York, Avenue Q<\/em>, and Smash!<\/em>, Reardon and the other officers found MTO members who wanted to direct sections of the show.<\/p>\n The directors, which include Asia Burnett, a junior from Philadelphia, Pa., majoring in theatre; David Kunz, a junior from East Stroudsburg, Pa., majoring in technical theatre and digital media technologies; John Lauri, a junior from Long Pond, Pa., majoring in computer science; Rebecca Roeber, a senior from East Stroudsburg, Pa., majoring in technical and musical theatre; Christopher Robinson, a junior from Cape May, N.J., majoring in theatre; Sophia Thompson, a junior from Etters, Pa., majoring in speech-language pathology and theatre; Destiny Washington, a junior from Philadelphia, Pa., majoring in musical theatre and minoring in dance; and Reardon; selected the songs they wished to do and auditioned performers in December.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been rehearsing since January,\u201d Reardon said.\u00a0 \u201cWe have costumes\u2014t-shirts; and scenery projections. Our accompanist, Linda Christ, is a local pianist, and the opening number was choreographed by Christopher Shin, the guest artist who choreographed the ESU Theatre Department\u2019s production of Seussical<\/em> last year.\u201d<\/p>\n