OFC Creations is virtually presenting Songs for a New World: The Musical on October 9 and 10, which can be streamed online.
Written by Jason Robert Brown, Songs for a New World is a song cycle that transports audiences from the deck of a 1492 Spanish sailing ship to a ledge, 57 stories above Fifth Avenue, to meet a startling array of characters that range from a young man who has determined that basketball is his ticket out of the ghetto to a woman whose dream of marrying rich nabs her the man of her dreams and a soulless marriage.
The show is directed by Judith Ranaletta. She is best known as the former longtime Artistic and Vocal Director for Greece Athena High School, and now is the director and founder of the ROC City Singers and is the Arts Program Director for the Century Club, bringing innovative and creative theater experiences to Rochester.
Ranaletta has assembled a professional cast of local talent including Orlando Boxx, Jennifer Dinolfo, Lyndsey Lord, and Hector Manuel.
While the performers will be performing live from OFC’s new home, the OFC Creations Theatre Center, audiences will be able to view the performance online which will be streamed by video.
The new OFC Creations Theatre Center, a 260-seat theater in the Winton Place Plaza in Brighton, officially opened in July. Although no live audiences have been able to attend shows, OFC has kept the lights on with educational programs and streaming programs virtually online.
In July and August, OFC ran the largest theater summer camp program in New York State with 17 full musical productions and over 500 campers. Instructors guided attendees through singing, acting, and dance while putting on camps themed around Aladdin, Sweeney Todd, The Sound of Music, and many others.
Due to COVID-19 precautions, campers were required to wear masks at all times with the exception of lunch break. Campers were broken up into smaller groups of 15 at all times, and temperatures were taken at the door. While singing, campers were given a face shield to wear in addition to their cloth face mask for extra protection, and there were no in person performances with audiences because of New York State restrictions. After eight weeks of summer camps, OFC had no illnesses due to COVID-19.
“Even during a pandemic, our community is craving the arts,” said OFC Executive Director, Eric Vaughn Johnson. “We were met with a huge challenge, our students hadn’t been around other kids since March and we had minimal examples to follow.”
Similar safety precautions will be in place for staff and performers involved with OFC’s presentation of Songs for a New World. With a cast of only four performers, the actors will wear face shields and will creatively use a full body plastic shield throughout the performance.
Performance dates are Friday, October 9, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, October 10, at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $12 to $25 and are available at www.OFCCreations.com or by calling 667-0954.
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