If You’re Out There
Early Sunday morning I went to Theatre on the Bay in beautiful Camps Bay, home to our first benefit concert. I met the theatre staff and started the day teching lights and sound, then added the musicians—Brett, our music director, and a local guitarist, bassist, and drummer who met for the first time that day. A few hours later the singers arrived for rehearsal and we continued to work through the show. That afternoon we were joined by our host Mark Rayment, Shaun V, and the singing group Siyaya. Siyaya is a local singing group comprised of fourteen performers between the ages of 18-25 who perform in townships surrounding Cape Town. They perform in hospitals, community centers, and churches and call themselves “warriors” for HIV and AIDS education and prevention. At 5:30pm, we did an invited dress rehearsal for members of the community, including many people who we met during our time in Gugulethu.
The concert was a wonderful evening. Mark is a droll, witty host and was a hit with the audience. The show began with a medley from Jersey Boys and continued to feature a great lineup of Broadway shows. Shaun V had a group of fans in the audience and sang a thrilling “One Song Glory” from Rent before being joined by Adam, Tracy, and Lisa to sing “What You Own” and “Take Me or Leave Me.”
Throughout the concert, the co-founders educated the audience about Broadway in South Africa. Sean and Zach spoke about the organization: our history, our mission, our work in Gugulethu, and our upcoming projects in Johannesburg and Durban. Rachel talked about Keep a Child Alive, our charity of choice. While we’re in Durban, we’ll be working with children at a number of their sites, including the Agape Orphanage and Operation Bobbi Bear. Siyaya gave the concert a nice infusion of local Africa song and dancing, including traditional African costumes. The night ended with the entire company gathering on stage for “Seasons of Love.”
Monday morning, we hopped on an 8am flight to Johannesburg and went directly to the Montecasino Theatre. Same routine during the day, but in addition to Mark Rayment and Shaun V, we were also joined by South African performers Talia Kodesh, currently starring as Belle in Beauty and the Beast, and Samantha Peo, the star of We Will Rock You and Chicago. Thanks to our marketing director, Lisa, there were press people from local newspapers and radio stations, and a number of cast members from the South African casts of Rent and Beauty and the Beast who came to support their former co-stars. Many thanks to all of those at Theatre on the Bay and Montecasino Theatre who donated their time and talents to make these concerts a huge success.
We closed each concert with a song that has become our anthem:
If you hear this message, wherever you stand
I’m calling every woman, calling every man
We’re the generation, that can’t afford to wait
The future started yesterday, and we’re already late.
- “If You’re Out There,” music and lyrics by John Legend
Jen Bender, Artistic Director
3 years ago