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In a way, one of the reasons that David Pershica got the ball rolling on the idea of a district-wide high school musical was that he realized that even teachers and administrators didn’t realize what it meant to have arts in their schools. Pershica, a resident of South Seventh and Mifflin streets and 25-year veteran in the performing arts, was recently awarded a Greenfields Fellowship through the Philadelphia Theatre Co. The fellowship facilitated him the opportunity to provide, for kids across Philadelphia, the chance to be a part of a production of “Dreamgirls,” which finished a five-performance run on Sunday afternoon at the Paul Robeson High School for Human Services.
Functioning as director, choreographer, mentor and sometimes private financier, the Upper Darby native had the good fortune of graduating from a theater-rich Upper Darby High School. The teaching artist and tap dancer had been going into schools for years to teach theater arts, but when he realized that even a generation of educators currently teaching children hadn’t benefited from in-school, funded arts programming, he knew something had to be done.
“I had taken for granted that every high school did a play and a musical, but I found out that not only was that not true, but teachers and principals were saying that they didn’t have arts programming in their schools, either,” he explained, which is a little disquieting.
We’re fighting for current teenagers to have the chance to act, play an instrument, draw and paint and write creatively. But to think that this neglect goes back decades is alarming.
“There was this whole generation of people that didn’t have it growing up and didn’t understand why it’s important and why I should even be coming to their schools,” Pershica added.
As he points out, the arts aren’t just fun; they serve a purpose.
“The research is out there,” he said. “Their attendance goes up, they’re better at school, they become better thinkers and better students. We enhance their love of education and going to school.”
The idea of the program is pretty simple: bring kids from all over the city, primarily those without arts funding in their schools, and give them the chance to see what it’s like to work as an ensemble, to be dedicated to a team project and to support one another in the process.
“And we would go into a school that has sub-par facilities for performing arts and we would improve the facilities so that they would establish and continue arts programming after that,” Pershica noted.
The performers were ecstatic that South Philly Review was in the seats, and their endless energy was contagious on the stage. They thanked “Mr. David” countless times for his time and encouragement.
In an endearing note that Pershica received, they told him: “We thank you for giving us a chance to tell Governor [Tom] Corbett and Dr. [William R.] Hite [Jr.] that we don’t need them or their money to succeed. However, we do need people like you to believe in us the way that you do.”
The Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA), 901 S. Broad St., was represented in the cast by a half-dozen students, even when they are a performing arts school. At the time of auditions, Pershica reports, CAPA wasn’t sure if they would have funding to have a show themselves. One such student was the outstanding Murphy Applin Jr., who performed the role of James “Thunder” Early.
In the 15-year-old Southwest Philly resident’s cast bio, he wrote: “Having seen the ‘Dreamgirls’ movie a million times, it was breathtaking to see the cast list and see [my] name next to [my] favorite character.”
The freshman theater major followed his friend and classmate, Yvonne Reynolds, to rehearsal one day, and he very nearly stole the show from the production’s Effie White, performed boldly and capably by Greater Hope Christian Academy’s Veronica Boyd.
The musical is nearly 90 percent sung, and it delves into race, the music industry, loyalties and pride. With Motown-flavored songs at its core, the 1950s and ’60s were effortlessly captured by the spirit these students brought to the production and Pershica’s strong community ties, which yielded low-cost costuming.
In the musical’s bill, the Paul Robeson principal, Richard Gordon, commended the production: “The staff and students at Paul Robeson High School are absolutely thrilled to be hosting the Philadelphia School District citywide musical. This is an extremely invaluable program, and I commend David Pershica for sponsoring such a tremendous learning experience that will expose our budding performers to a professional experience they will cherish for the rest of their lives.”
As Pershica put it, “We are the feel good story about what’s going on in the school these days.”
In its very first production out of the gate, After School Musical pulled off five shows from almost nothing. And it may just be programs like Pershica’s that inspire and instill a dedication to the arts that schools are rarely able to offer in 2014.
“Once this stuff gets taken away from the schools, it’s not going to come back,” Pershica said, noting that once arts funding gets cut it rarely gets restored. “I did this by getting it privately funded, and every person I asked for help said ‘Yes, absolutely.’”
Luckily, it seems like Pershica won’t have to finance any more productions on his own after the success of “Dreamgirls.” He’ll be establishing a 501(c)3 and is hopeful that more local artisans, parents and educators will come on board and make it really sustainable.
Pershica, who’s toured with national productions of “Rent,” “Phantom of the Opera” and “Les Miserables,” reminds that he would have never been a successful professional without the tutelage and guidance from generous teachers.
“There are two people who said to me that you must become a dancer. If not, I never would have gone into this,” he revealed.
How many Effie Whites and Jimmy Earlys are in South Philadelphia right now looking for the teachers to tell them that they can and have to sing?
Staff Writer Bill Chenevert at bchenevert@southphillyreview.com or ext. 117.
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