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Students rehearse a song at the Horizons summer program at Sacred Heart University, in Fairfield, Connecticut on August 2, 2022. The Horizon students will perform a music and dance variety show at SHU’s Community Theater, in Fairfield, for their graduation on Friday.
Students rehearse a song at the Horizons summer program at Sacred Heart University, in Fairfield, Connecticut on August 2, 2022. The Horizon students will perform a music and dance variety show at SHU’s Community Theater, in Fairfield, for their graduation on Friday.
Liza Powell, of Bridgeport, sings a solo during a music rehearsal at the Horizons summer program at Sacred Heart University, in Fairfield, Connecticut on August 2, 2022. The Horizon students will perform a music and dance variety show at SHU’s Community Theater, in Fairfield, for their graduation on Friday.
Sacred Heart University Community Theater production manager Joseph Gray works with students from the Horizons summer program during a musical rehearsal in Fairfield, Connecticut on August 2, 2022. Horizon students will perform a music and dance variety show at SHU’s Community Theatre, in Fairfield, for their graduation on Friday.
FAIRFIELD — Bridgeport students have a new opportunity to show off their artistic ability this summer.
The Sacred Heart University chapter of Horizons National, a nonprofit promoting equity in education, runs a program with the SHU Community Theater that gives young people an opportunity to perform on stage.
Matt Oestreicher, the executive director of SHU’s Community Theater, said they want every student to have really deep experiences in the arts, and understand the variety of career paths in that field.
“Every kid we work with has the opportunity to light the spark of excitement about a new field or something that might capture their attention and passion,” he said.
Ashley Nechaev, the executive director of Horizons at SHU, said the nonprofit’s goal is to promote educational equity by building partnerships between the community, families and schools. One way that took shape this summer is a program where students sing, write songs and perform — with their work culminating in a show at 6 p.m. friday It is open to the public but there is limited seating.
The students receive instruction from SHU Community Theater staff, including Oestreicher and Production Manager Joe Gray.
Oestreicher is an accomplished musician who plays multiple instruments and has toured with Lady Gaga, Blink 182, Weezer and Fall Out Boy. Gray was a mainstay at the iconic Apollo Theater in New York for nearly 30 years and sang with Patti LaBelle and Lenny Kravitz and worked on shows ranging from Metallica to James Brown.
Friday’s show will run the same way the Oestreicher and Gray productions ran at the Apollo and on Broadway, Oestreicher said.
“We put together a lot of material in a short amount of time,” he said. “We do our best and we accept the imperfections of the process. We learn how to work together and we learn how to communicate. We learn how to share the spotlight and lift each other up.”
All the students worked together to write, and soon perform, a song that centers on Horizons’ community values, which focus on citizenship, being safe and being one’s authentic self, Nechaev said.
They also partnered with seven Bridgeport artists who serve as mentors and teachers. The entire partnership has allowed students to push themselves into a safe space while building their confidence and being supported, Nechaev said.
“It’s really quite magical how our students feel so empowered by the partnership,” she said. “They have these really incredible opportunities to show how talented they are and really feel like it’s their time to shine.”
Nechaev said the 168 students learned various skills that will be demonstrated in the show, including ukulele, dancing, fencing, skipping rope, drumming, guitar and singing.
Oestreicher said the Apollo’s house band comes to accompany the children in the group song.
“This will be a celebration of everything they’ve learned this summer,” he said.
Oestreicher said SHU’s Community Theater builds on its programs like this one, and has a lot to offer in terms of education and entertainment.
Nechaev said students typically enroll in the Horizons program in kindergarten, staying in it for about nine years before entering the high school program. Those accepted are people who qualify for free or reduced school lunch because the program aims to help underserved communities, she said.
“Fairfield County has one of the largest, if not the largest, opportunity shortages in the nation,” she said. “We use the term opportunity gap because we really feel that the achievement gap is just a symptom of a larger problem – which is disparities in opportunities provided to children in traditionally underserved, under-resourced communities compared to their middle or upper class peers.”
The goal is to give everyone a level playing field and remove systemic barriers, Nechaev said. The program provides different educational opportunities to these students to prevent summer learning, continue learning and enrich their lives.
“We provide them with lessons and activities and exposure to enrichment activities that could spark their passion,” she said. “Then, we add academics who are taught in unconventional ways to remind kids how joyful learning can be.”
Nechaev said the Horizons program also focuses on providing children access to the arts.
“I think, importantly, arts and entertainment have the power to revitalize communities,” she said.
Students learn about famous venues that have historically been inclusive – such as The Bijou Theatre, The Apollo Theater and The Grove.
“Bridgeport is a really rich city full of wonderful people, and I think it’s so important to shine a light on all that is good,” Nechaev said. “I think the more light we shine on Bridgeport, the more it becomes. This summer, Bridgeport got really, really bright here for students at Horizons at Sacred Heart University.”
joshua.labella@hearstmediact.com
joshua.labella@hearstmediact.com
