This month, St. John fourth graders are blasting “Out of This World” as they rehearse for Broadway Comes to St. John, the annual fundraiser for the St. John School of the Arts held on Saturday, Jan. 25.
Each year, Broadway professionals arrive on St. John to teach fourth graders the rudiments of singing, dancing, acting, and performing on a stage. They work with home-schoolers and the students in each of the three St. John elementary schools — the Julius E. Sprauve School, the Gifft Hill School, and the St. John Christian Academy — and then bring them all together to shine on stage in the final week at the St. John School of the Arts.
This year’s original script — “Out of this World” — was written by Andrew J. Hanley and Suzanne Dupree, who are now on island directing the production. It combines heartwarming storytelling, a celestial adventure, and song and dance numbers with a Broadway flair, according to Jeune´ Provost, executive director of the SJSA.
The evening begins with a wine tasting before the show at the school. Following the performance, the audience will move to the restaurant 18°64° in Mongoose Junction for dinner with an open bar. Tickets are $275 and are available online at the St. John School of the Arts website or by calling the school at 340-779-4322.
A limited number of tickets are available for the family and friends show on Friday, Jan. 24, for $25.
This year, the school is also offering a unique raffle for Broadway fans with two options. Option one includes two top-price tickets to the Tony Awards held at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 8, an invitation to an exclusive post-awards party, and a $100 gift certificate for lunch or dinner at Sardi’s.
With the second option, the winner will receive eight house seats to any Broadway show/touring Broadway production in any city in the U.S. (subject to availability.) Raffle tickets are $1,000 and only 100 will be sold.
Funds raised through the show and raffle will be used to support arts education for children on St. John.
