Student reflects on support of the arts during “Drowsey Chaperone”



By Mia Turco ’19 | Staff Writer

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Photo by Mia Turco ’19

According to National Endowment for the Arts, 50 percent of adults support the arts. I had the experience of supporting the arts myself during Marine City’s production of The Drowsey Chaperone. The audience consisted from elderly to young kids, most of which did not know a single cast member, but attended for the mere reason of supporting the arts and experiencing live theatre.
“The Drowsey Chaperone” is a musical about a man listening to his favorite record of another musical. As the record plays on, it comes to life as the characters on the vinyl sing, dance and perform, all the while the “man in chair” narrates. The record a musical about a wedding and all the theatrical chaos it entails. By the end, the audience has laughed, cried and prepared themselves to buy tickets for the next night.
Two South students, Grayson Kennedy‘19 and Luke Bove‘17, were leads. Kennedy played a gangster, and Bove portrayed a groom before his wedding. Both roles were hilarious and illustrated the individuals’ theatrical skills well. I was proud to see two members of South’s own Pointe Players Theatre program branching out to other professional musicals.
During the show I photographed. From nearly the back row, it was difficult to shoot over everyone’s heads, but I sought to capture a raw picture as if the viewers are in the audience themselves. Not everyone has the time or money to support the arts, but I strive to provide the imaginary presence of being at the show.
Not all can support the arts financially, but what most fail to realize is that arts can be supported simply by interest: playing a song, the fascination of a dance, or even glancing at a photo. Theatre makes performers feel wonderful and alive, but in the end it is for the audience, ultimately to make them feel something, even if it is from the mere flash of an image.

Supporting the arts doesn’t have to be time consuming. It doesn’t have to drain your bank account or snatch all your energy completely. But as a performer myself, I can confirm that we ask for only an interest in our work. Some read the Sunday paper, others watch the news or play a song on loop — all ways of supporting someone’s work and supporting their artistic contributions. It may even be the glimpse at an image or gallery to feel an involvement of somebody’s passion and to add oneself to the 50 percent of supporters today. imagePhoto by Mia Turco ’19