Some of the region’s most famous faces will jump under a spotlight of a different kind on Friday, Jan. 8, to support the Saratoga Children’s Theatre. A cabaret group made up of WNYT’s Benita Zahn and Jessica Layton and WRGB’s Jerry Gretzinger will perform Broadway favorites at a benefit concert at the National Museum of Dance in Saratoga Springs.
We love performing together and this is a great cause, said Zahn. `We did a show like this back in November and it was a sellout. We had a blast and decided we should really take this on the road.`
That road led to the Saratoga Children’s Theatre where Zahn is on the board and admittedly a `terrible board member` because she rarely makes it to meetings.
`I pitched [the group] as a cabaret act to Meg Kelly, the director, and asked if she needed a fundraiser. Her eyes just lit up and in about a week or so everything was planned,` said Zahn.
The singing anchors actually have great voices, said Zahn, and like to perform standard tunes that the audience can recognize and enjoy. They also try to personalize the act by poking fun at each other since they represent dueling broadcast stations.
`We just have fun with it; poke fun, tell little stories about our lives and the music we pick all has some type of personal meaning,` Zahn said. `It really gives the audience a glimpse of who we are off camera, which is what we want and so important.`
So, how did Zahn go from discussing breaking news with Layton to coordinating duets from the musical Wicked? She said getting to know her colleagues as more than news reporters is important to her and a personal conversation with Layton kind of helped everything fall into place.
`Jess sings and we had a conversation when she first started working that revealed this [to me],` said Zahn. `I told her ‘you really need to do something with this one day’ and after I became familiar with the Wicked soundtrack I basically told her we needed to find a place to do this particular duet because it was so perfect.`
Kelly said having Zahn as part of the board is invaluable for the young business that was only born about three years ago. A golf instructor by trade, Kelly never had any theatre experience until her 10-year-old daughter fell in love with it. Since she was constantly traveling everywhere but Saratoga to feed her daughter’s interest, it quickly became apparent to her that Saratoga County needed an outlet outside of the schools for young actors to massage their passion.
`She loves theatre, the whole reason I’m in it is because she has so much passion for it,` said Kelly.
The theatre company runs four productions a year and doesn’t charge children to be in them. About 55 kids are in the cast and crew of the upcoming performance, `You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown` on Jan. 29 and 30. Kelly said making summer camps and classes affordable is an unwavering principle of the company and one of its greatest assets.
`We didn’t raise fees for summer camp this year, just because of the economy, because we want this to be affordable,` said Kelly. `We want to make sure we’re getting that child involved who doesn’t do sports or play an instrument; we’re giving them another outlet.`
Kelly said 100 plus children go through performance camps each summer. This year’s camps are `Annie,` `Seussical` and `Oklahoma` and target ages five to 18, depending on the particular show or program. Classes are also offered throughout the year and target skills used on stage and off stage.
Since the theatre is still in the growing stages, Kelly said it’s just getting into the grant cycle. For now, it’s mostly buoyed by community donations and fundraisers, like a very successful Barnes and Noble fundraiser where kids do a preview of the most current show and golf outings that draw large crowds.
The Jan. 8 cabaret fundraiser will cap off a busy performance year for Zahn. Aside from her various singing and theatre events throughout the year, she recently decided to try her hand at a different type of entertainment`standup comedy.
`I’m loving it; it really is like being on tightrope over Niagara Falls,` said Zahn, who took a class through the Knowledge Network that led to professional gigs. `I’ve always wanted to try this. I performed at Tess’ Lark Tavern, which was exciting but the audience was tough. I learned to deal with a tough audience which is something that you can encounter with this type of performing.`
Whether or not Zahn could spin her latest talent into a potential future fundraiser for the Saratoga Children’s Theatre is yet unknown, but she said she will continue to support a cause and organization that is important to her and the community.
`If it’s important to you, you make time for it,` she said.
Doors open at 7: 30 p.m. and the show kicks off at 8 p.m. All seats are $25 and tickets are still available by calling 580-1782.
For more on this story, pick up a copy of the Jan. 7 print issue of Saratoga Spotlight.
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