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November 2, 2021Top-Shelf Teacher Guides Performers in Special Musical Revue at Saratoga City Music Hall
After nearly 18 months on the sidelines, due to a worldwide pandemic that wreaked havoc on every facet of society, retired teacher Laurie Larson is ready to get back into the swing of things. And in a big way.
Larson is directing a fundraising event celebrating the return of live theater entitled All Together Now: A Global Event Celebrating Local Theater. It will be performed by a 12-member Home Made Theater cast at Saratoga City Music Hall on Friday, November 12 and Saturday, November 13.
Under the auspices of the award-winning company’s Youth Musical Theater Conservatory, a cast of two boys and 10 girls, ages 12-19-years-old, will perform 15 of the Great White Way’s most beloved musical songs and production numbers. Larson and her long-time stage manager, Susan Turner, of Saratoga Arts, have run the conservatory for two decades.
Music Theater International (MTI), the theatrical licensing agency headquartered in New York City, is waiving royalty and licensing rights to many of the iconic musical shows it represents in order for the show to be produced; MTI’s magnanimous gesture permits local arts and entertainment groups such as Home Made Theater to thereby stage shows for free in order to recoup some of the monies they lost last year.
A May 2021 study from Americans for the Arts reports that the pandemic has cost non-profit arts organizations and groups such as Home Made Theater $16.8 billion.
“What I love most about my work is that I can get to know students and teach them to be artists,” Larson once said in a local interview. “I am always learning from my students.”
“I’m rocked by how much they balance school and family life,” continued Larson. “I hope I have taught my students that they can be successful in anything they do if they work passionately and with focus.
Larson, who has two children of her own, was in third grade when she knew she wanted to be a performer, according to a published account. She earned an Extra Mile Award from her school district in 2007 after reportedly creating a series of financial literacy television commercials in partnership with WMHT and State Insurance Company.
Larson, who was a theater and music teacher at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School prior to teaching at Ballston Spa High School, retired last June after 27 years. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in vocal performance and a minor in theater and dance from Ithaca College, and is also certified in Interdisciplinary Arts for Children, and holds a Master’s in Theatre from SUNY-Albany.
All Together Now will be performed just twice, on Friday, November 12 and Saturday, November 13, at Saratoga City Music Hall, which is located at 474 Broadway in Saratoga Springs.
Single tickets, plus information and subscriptions to Home Made Theater’s entire 2021-22 season are available on the company’s website, www.HomeMadeTheater.org, or by calling 518-587-4427 during regular business hours.
