playbill vip

Thank you all for coming to Espiritu Santo Catholic School’s performance of Madagascar – A Musical Adventure JR. The production is the Broadway Jr. version of this musical; the script and score have been designed specifically for middle school students and is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International. As I compose these Director’s Notes, I am reminded of the many wonderful performances we have staged in Saint Anthony of Padua Hall, and I am thankful for the Espiritu Santo community who has always embraced these productions. The actors, stage hands, production staff and our volunteers have worked hard to bring this story to life on stage for you. I am honored be a part of and leading this cast.

Every year, I have the amazing gift of directing a musical for our school, and with that gift comes the challenge of selecting the “right” show for our students. My family and I will watch many musicals in person, on television or online. We also love going to see our alumni perform whenever we have the opportunity to support them and our schedules allow. This year I wanted to pick something extra fun for our students. A musical that had a lot of sillyness. I wanted to find a show that could showcase as many of the students as possible. A few years back, some of our allumni particapted in this musical in 9th grade and I could not stop laughing. Thank you James Rosa for putting on such a memorable performance. I immediately wanted to direct this at some point. 

This production is a team effort, and I would like to thank several individuals who have contributed their gifts to it's success: Veronica Slain, Erin Miller, Father Len and Father Anthony for letting me direct this amazing cast and all their help and approvals.  Cris Miller and Susan Salesses have been there attending rehearsals, planning and consulting. Thank you to my wonderful wife, Kaoru Carbonaro, all of the alumni who returned to campus to help with rehearsals including my daughters Angelina with her stage expertise and my little director, Liliana. I want to thank the Alumni for their leadership and for being an inspiration to us. All the ESCS Staff for their love and support toward our students and program. Thank you to Desi Rotenberg for helping me gather the advertisements for this wonderful Playbill. I would also like to thank Jennifer Pettersen, Nancy Baumgart, Christina Boubaris and everyone who helped with the cast party. Our Playbill went to print two weeks prior to opening night, so there are many additional people who helped during that time frame and are not on this list but are equally deserving of our thanks and appreciation. You're all amazing and God bless you all!

Our Performing Arts program here at Espiritu Santo Catholic School continues to grow – each year brings new opportunities! I would like to thank each of you for your generosity and support of the arts, as I believe is one of the best investments we can make for our children. I hope you all enjoy Espiritu Santo Catholic School’s presentation of Madagascar – A Musical Adventure JR.

Sincerely,
Mr. Chris C. Carbonaro
Director of Performing Arts