Arts grant keeps high school musicals alive

As the curtain rose April 20, 2012, on the William Floyd High School production of "Seussical the Musical," two members of the audience embraced and waited for the tears to flow.

It didn't take long.

"We started to cry," April Franzino recalled. "We [she and Cathy Meinhold] couldn't believe that we pulled it off. We were overjoyed that we were able to continue something that was so important to the students and the teachers and a tradition at William Floyd. It was a very sweet moment."

About a year earlier, the two Shirley residents and parents of school-age children, along with others in the William Floyd School District community, thought the days of seeing students perform in Broadway musicals such as "Annie," "The Sound of Music," "Hello Dolly!" and "Grease" were over.

In 2011, as it struggled with a decline in funding, the district -- which serves Mastic, Mastic Beach, Shirley and Moriches -- reluctantly cut from its budget musicals and some of the other music programs funded in its five elementary schools, two middle schools and the high school.

It was a tough blow for residents. The district "is the poorest school district on the Island; we've always had challenges," Meinhold, 38, said. "It's a blue-collar community, and we don't have a big commercial tax base, so we've always depended on state funding. And as that started to be less and less we lost a lot of school funding over the last four years."

In spring 2011, students performed in the last district-funded production. But Franzino, 42, a homemaker; and Meinhold, a freelance writer, refused to let the final curtain come down with the staging of "Guys and Dolls." As parents of children who participate in the musicals, they felt strongly the shows must go on for the benefit of the students.

"Just being a part of the whole theater program is good for them," Meinhold said. "They start with nothing and create something by working together as a team. It gives them a lot of confidence. It's just as important as being part of the football team or the honor society."

When district administrators tried unsuccessfully to obtain grants to continue the shows, it gave Meinhold and Franzino an idea. "Let's do it ourselves," Meinhold recalled of the pair's determination to stage a spring 2012 musical.

Finding community support

The mothers joined the cultural arts committee of the William Floyd Community Summit, a nonprofit group that supports community projects. Meinhold became the committee's volunteer chairwoman. They found a supporter in Beth Wahl, the summit's president, who applauded their plan.

Next, Meinhold and Franzino needed $4,000 to pay for performance rights to the show. They approached the Community Library Friends of the Arts, a nonprofit affiliate of the Mastic-Moriches-Shirley Community Library.

"We asked how we could help," said Tara D'Amato, executive director of Friends, "and we used our nonprofit to provide them a grant."

Funds were also needed to pay directors, build sets and make costumes. The community rallied to the cause. Other parents helped Franzino and Meinhold organize fundraisers that included cheesecake and T-shirt sales, plus open-mic events, and sell the $10 tickets for the show, which brought in $1,500.

Gordon Brosdal, the school district's superintendent for secondary education and administration and overseer of the fine arts program since the cuts, said the district blocked out days for rehearsals and provided transportation and supervision.

At rehearsals, to feed the cast of about 30 high school and elementary school students, 20 student musicians and a stage crew of about 15, other mothers baked snacks, and local businesses took ads in the program for the show.

"The community was amazing," Meinhold said, adding that parents helped with hair, makeup and costumes and also sold programs and refreshments.

She and Franzino were on hand at rehearsals from 2 to 5 p.m. most days and until 8 or 9 p.m. the week before the show, advising the performers to get enough sleep and do their homework, and providing a shoulder to cry on.

"We ended up mothering them all," said Meinhold. "You can't have 30 kids without having plenty of drama, but we worked it through."

Their efforts garnered the appreciation of grateful parents and students.

"Everybody was just thrilled that these volunteers would take on such a job to help all our children in the community continue living out what they love to do," said Shirley resident Sue Knoop, whose daughter, high schooler Alison Wenchel, was in the cast.

Jolien van Nieuwenhuizen, 16, of Shirley, who has been performing in district shows since the sixth grade, agreed. "I didn't think anyone would step in and take over, for it's a lot of work and a lot of money," she said. "I was so happy there would be a show again."

More musicals to come

Building on their "Seussical" success, Franzino and Meinhold produced "Bye Bye Birdie" this past April "with pretty much the same results," Meinhold said. She and Franzino are optimistic about the future and are already talking about the spring 2014 production.

Brosdal said that the district "eventually would like to fund" the musicals again. If that doesn't happen, Franzino and Meinhold have their own plans.

"We couldn't believe we really did it," Franzino said. "We had so much fun. If we can keep it going forever that would be fantastic."