Vail Performing Arts Academy announces plans for virtual summer theater performances
Special to the Daily
Following Eagle County’s COVID-19 guidelines, the Vail Performing Arts Academy assures students and patrons that summer shows will go on.
“We’ve come up with a way to safely engage our students this summer in smaller rehearsal groups, while still upholding our standard of performing arts instruction,” said Artistic Director and Choreographer Colin Meiring. “We can’t present our work to a live audience, but these kids are still getting the VPAA experience that’s so important and enriching for us all.”
The summer programs include a Broadway Workshop Intensive and the summer musical showcase “Moana, Jr.” Enrollment for both programs is full and a wait list has been initiated. VPAA will conduct rehearsals and performances in small groups, with social distancing and sanitizing protocols. Masks will be required except when singing, dancing or eating.
For 25 years, the VPAA has been providing local youth with performing arts instruction that rivals any big city offerings.
The Broadway Workshop Intensive features routines from “Motown The Musical” and will be led by Meiring and special guest vocal coach, Kathy Morrow. VPAA’s summer musical “Moana, Jr.” features two separate casts each with their own performance. Both final performances will be presented in video format, without live audiences, following county-wide health regulations.
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In addition to no live audience, VPAA canceled its fundraising evening, originally slated for late July.
“The loss of this revenue is devastating for us,” continues Meiring. “With no fundraiser and no summer ticket sales, we could be facing a real financial crisis that would impact our ability to offer students arts instruction, as we have the past 25 years.”
As a result, VPAA has started a GoFundMe campaign with a goal of $100,000 to stay operational through the COVID-19 crisis. VPAA could not exist nor continue without community support.
“Any donation amount is greatly appreciated,” said Annah Scully, VPAA founder and executive producer.
For more information on Vail Performing Arts Academy and summer programming, visit http://www.vpaa.org. To donate to VPAA’s GoFundMe campaign, visit http://www.gofundme.com and search VPAA: Keep Our Spotlight Bright.
