By B.C. Manion
The patrons file in and find their seats. The lights dim. The show begins at the Pasco County Schools Center for the Arts at Wesley Chapel.
On any given day the performance could feature a magician, a saxophone player, ballet dancers or singers.
But these aren’t just any entertainers.
The magician, Bradley Fields, has appeared on international stages and uses magic feats to promote mathematics skills and problem-solving in his showed called “MatheMagic.”
The saxophone player, Eric Darius, is Blue Note jazz musician who did a clinic to help aspiring young musicians, in an addition to doing two performances.
The ballet dancers from DanzAmerica’s Project Inc., presented Tchaikovsky’s classic fairy-tale ballet, “The Nutcracker” and will do an encore this year. The performances feature dancers from America’s Ballet in New Tampa. Performances are scheduled for Dec. 9-10 for Pasco County students and on Dec. 10-11 for the general public.
Numerous student performances occur on the center’s stage, including a recent music concert by a group of 220 kindergarten through fifth-graders from Connerton Elementary, under the direction of music teachers Kristen Hillstrom and Barbara Falkingham.
Those children are among students from 43 elementary, middle and high schools from Land O’Lakes east to Zephyrhills, who take advantage of the professional theater located on the campus of Wesley Chapel High School, 30651 Wells Road.
The center, which celebrates its 10th year this year, offers incredible educational opportunities for students, said Patrick L. McDermott, the center’s director.
The recent visit by Eric Darius offers a prime example of the benefit that students derive from the performing arts center, McDermott said.
Not only did Darius wow the crowds with his performances, he also did a clinic with aspiring musicians from Charles S. Rushe Middle School, Wesley Chapel High School, Sunlake High School and Pine View Middle School.
“Eric Darius is an amazing musician and a fantastic showman,” McDermott noted in an e-mail following the musician’s two shows. “Both the matinee student audience and the evening public audience were blown away by this fantastic concert.”
McDermott also raves about Fields, the performer who teaches mathematics through magic.
Fields, who is set to appear at the center again on Jan. 27, applauds Pasco County Schools for giving students the opportunity to learn through the arts.
Schools make a mistake if they focus only on preparing students to take tests, at the expense of the arts, said Fields, who, in addition to being a magician is also a former New York City school teacher.
“What makes a difference is real, live performances,” Fields said. “Nobody knows where a kid is coming from, or where they are going,” he said, noting his show is intended to inspire kids and provoke them to think.
“I might have a 1,000 in a crowd,” Fields said. “Maybe one or two will have their lives completely turned around.”
The Pasco County Schools Center for the Arts offers an excellent venue for shows both large and small, McDermott said. It can handle virtually any show – but can’t afford to offer the more expensive Broadway shows because it would take too many performances to cover the costs.
Working out the schedule for the 927-seat theater is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, he said. Last year, the center had 260 productions.
Every year, McDermott books between 12-15 professional groups to perform for students, the general public, or both. The shows come from places like Toronto, London, Dallas, California, New York, Omaha and other places.
“I think this is one of the jewels of the Pasco County school district,” McDermott said.
The theater is well equipped. It has a 48-by-35-foot stage, a 48-channel sound board, a large dressing room and two smaller dressing rooms for the production’s principal players. It has tall doors on the side of the building to enable large sets to be moved in and out.
Unlike most stages, which drop straight down, this one has steps leading down into the theater. That allows actors to walk out into the audience and enables singers to use the stairs as risers.
The stage is also used for special events, McDermott said, noting music teachers from Wesley Chapel, Seven Oaks and Watergrass elementary schools put on a Broadway Spectacular each year to raise money for the schools.
“Their level of musicianship is amazing,” said McDermott, who has a master’s in music composition and used to play trumpet in orchestras for Broadway musicals.
Besides providing performances for students at a nominal charge, the center also hosts public performances at much lower prices than many other professional theaters, McDermott said.
For instance, tickets for the Florida Orchestra sold for $20 each and tickets for Grammy award-winner Arturo Sandoval went for $15 each – both exceptional bargains, McDermott noted.
For more information about the arts center, its upcoming schedule and ticket availability, visit www.cfawesleychapel.com or call (813) 794-8772.
