Three Graduating Student-Actors Share Stories During ZOOM INTO THE ZONE

As schools enter what would normally be graduation season, three local high school senior student-actors shared their stories and experiences during TheatreZone's popular "Zoom into the Zone" series of video interviews. The video interview, available on TheatreZone's YouTube channel, was conducted by TheatreZone Founding Artistic Director Mark Danni on Tuesday, May 26.

The three students were cast members of TheatreZone's production of Gypsy, which was cut short in late March due to the pandemic. They are Luke Danni (Yonkers) and Raquel Ferriera (Delores) from Community School of Naples, and Lauren Tayon (Agnes) from The Village School of Naples.

"We thought it would be interesting to hear the student's perspectives on being a graduating senior participating in a professional show which ended abruptly, along with their other thoughts and experiences working in an Equity Theater," said Danni. "We saw it as a great opportunity to learn how they are dealing with the current situation, what they're learning, and how they feel about everything going on around them."

Though the remainder of TheatreZone's 2019-2020 season was suspended due to the pandemic, the professional Equity theatre recently began tapping into its creativity-- and today's technology, namely Zoom and social media --to engage with patrons, audiences and members of the public who would normally be attending its Broadway musicals.

TheatreZone's founding artistic director, Mark Danni, and his team are producing self-made videos from Danni's home in North Naples. Under the hashtag #ZoomIntotheZone, the videos offer sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes insights into the world of theatre, musicals and related elements such as choreography, sound and light engineering, and more. Viewers are also treated to stories from Danni's 30+-year career, including his tenure as a drummer on Broadway for such smash shows as 'Chicago,' 'Les Miserables,' 'Grand Hotel' and 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.'

The Zoom into the Zone series features new episodes posted to TheatreZone's Facebook page approximately three times per week. These stories are also shared on TheatreZone's Instagram, Twitter and YouTube channel. TheatreZone is also sharing "Tones From the Zone," a series of popular video clips from its various productions, on its social media pages.

"We strongly believe in the transformative power of performing arts," said Danni. "We have discovered some terrific opportunities to engage with the community on a different level, sharing our knowledge and experiences while having some fun online. I'm hopeful everyone who checks out our videos will be inspired to come enjoy one of our productions as soon as we're able to take the stage again."

TheatreZone is a nonprofit, 501©3, professional equity theatre located in-residence at the 250-seat G&L Theatre on the Community School of Naples campus, 13275 Livingston Rd., Naples.a??Tickets range from $50-65 with premium seats available at $85. All evening performances l begin at 7:30 p.m., with matinees at 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. For more information, visit www.theatre.zone or call 888-966-3352 x1. Online at: https://theatre.zone/.

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