Whether your passion is for performing or watching theater, On Pitch Performing Arts (OPPA) in Layton is focused on making theatre as accessible as possible to as many people as possible.
“We specialize in children's performance education. And then we have a community theater component. We bring in all skill levels, calls are open to anybody, even our children's performance program. It's through after-school programming and it's first come first serve on signing up. So we have no idea who's going to be there. They show up. Everybody gets a part in the show.”
Danielle Bendinelli, the development director at OPPA says she isn’t a performer, but that doesn’t matter when it comes to community theater.
“There are plenty of aspects, you don't have to be a performer, you could just be a fan of performing arts and not have the onstage skills and still come and get involved.”
On top of their packed schedule of performances, they also host an annual Broadway Community Concert, this year featuring Kerry Butler who has appeared on Broadway in “Beetlejuice,” “Mean Girls” and “Hairspray.”
“We call them Broadway access concerts because we provide very inexpensive tickets so anybody has an opportunity to come and see these Broadway performers do their do their thing.”
Bendinelli says these concerts are made possible by volunteers and by Layton City’s RAMP program which provides funding for recreation, arts, museums, and parks.
“Our volunteers are the true heart of how we make things happen around here.”
Tickets to a Broadway show in New York City can cost hundreds of dollars, but the tax-payer funded RAMP program has allowed OPPA to offer tickets for as low as $15 which Bendinelli says, makes these concerts more accessible to Layton students and residents of Northern Utah.
For more information on the concert, this Saturday, visit OPPA's website.
