Supporting the magic we do
Karen Enzer, and her husband Earl, are loyal members of the Inner Circle at Center Theatre Group. We are grateful for her generous support.
My daughter Rachel and I recently attended a special weekday performance of Pippin. The rest of the theatre was filled with middle- and high-school students, who were there as part of the Target Young Audiences Program. Seeing Pippin with these students actually enriched our theatre experience. The day we attended the show, the audience included deaf teens and students who were taking sign language courses in school. So while some of us were listening to the music and watching the signing in the traditional manner, many were “seeing” and experiencing the music through sign language. The actors and the audience were both amazing.
I’ve been supporting Center Theatre Group for many years, without really thinking about what my donation was being used for or even why I was making a donation. But being at that performance of Pippin reminded me of my first introduction to the theatre. It was during elementary school, when my class attended some sort of ballet at the Music Center. I don’t remember the name of the show or what venue we were in, but I do remember the thrill of discovering a live orchestra and dancing.
I started buying tickets to musicals as soon as I had a little money and could drive myself to shows. My own kids started attending as soon as they could sit quietly! We plan vacations in New York and London around theatre productions we want to see. And my daughter Rachel is a drama queen: She is playing the role of Adelaide in her school production of Guys and Dolls this month.
My life continues to be enriched by that school field trip I took to the Music Center some 38 years ago. I wonder how many of the students at Pippin were seeing professional theatre for the first time? And how many lives will be touched for years to come by that one show?
Now I know, my donations to Center Theatre Group are helping to engage a whole new generation of students…and that one theatre experience can start a lifelong love.
(L to R): Julie Nadal and daughter Amy, Karen Enzer with daughter Rachel and friend Hailey Biscow.
Tags: Inner Circle, Pippin
