Regla Sanchez has always been a fan of the performing arts.
And, on one occasion, while attending a show with her daughters, she thought to herself: Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone in the theater could bring a less advantaged child to a future show?
The typical audience at a performing arts center is made up of people who have grown up going to the theater, Sanchez explained.
“Spending hundreds of dollars for one performance is nothing for some of these families,” the educator said.
By contrast, many of the families she works with are struggling to get by.
So, Sanchez decided to try to expand the opportunities for the families she serves.
The result is a partnership she inspired between Pasco County Schools and the David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Tampa.
Since the partnership began two years ago, it has made it possible for 500 people — children and chaperones — to attend performances at the Straz. Shows they’ve seen include “Wicked,” “Cinderella” and “The Phantom of the Opera.”
The educator’s initiative also has yielded a national award for Sanchez, presented by the Broadway League, the national trade association for the Broadway industry. Only four educators nationwide received the distinction.
The partnership between the Straz and Pasco County Schools began shortly after Sanchez became the school district’s Parent Engagement Coach for Parents of English Language Learners.
Sanchez wanted the families she works with to have exposure to the theater because she believes the experience can help broaden one’s view of the world and expand one’s aspirations.
Many children her department serves come from families with parents who work as migrant laborers, so they don’t know any different kind of career, Sanchez said.
And, some of them have never left their community or had a chance to see downtown Tampa, she said.
Sanchez came up with a bold approach: She’d make a cold call at the Straz to pitch her idea.
“The security guard literally said, ‘Do you have an appointment?’
“I said, ‘I do not. I just need to speak to someone about my vision to see if they would partner with me and support my idea.’
“That’s how it all started,” she said.
Sanchez wound up talking to Alice Santana, community programs manager for Patel Conservatory at the Straz.
Santana described what happened, via email.
She said Sanchez explained the need, and the Straz decided to respond.
“Regla was so passionate about exposing her students to more that we quickly jumped at the opportunity to bring her vision to life,” Santana said.
Next, Sanchez reached out to her supervisor, Katty Chois, to see if funding could be obtained to pay for buses.
That happened, too.
Under the partnership, the Straz provides tickets, which are distributed to different schools serving students learning English, Sanchez said. Typically, a group of students will go, accompanied by chaperones. Sometimes the performances are on the weekend, so parents take their children.
Sanchez is thrilled that the partnership came together and is continuing.
“I’ve loved this from (the) get-go. I love to see the children engage. Their faces glow in the theater when they look around,” she said.
The Straz has the opportunity to nominate an educator each year for a Broadway League’s Educator Apple Award.
“This year, across the department, it was a unanimous decision to submit Regla for this honor,” Santana said.
“Regla is a true advocate for her students and their families, and a champion for theater,” Santana explained. The educator was determined to find out-of-the box opportunities.
The structure of the partnership between Pasco schools and the Straz will serve as a template for replicating the program with other counties, Santana added.
For Sanchez, the national recognition is icing on the cake.
“I was already rewarded. This is like a dream come true. God had blessed me with this opportunity. I’ve had doors open,” Sanchez said.
Published August 29, 2018