PUC on Broadway: Bringing People Together

From February 3-4, PUC on Broadway was showcased at St. Helena High School Performing Arts Center. People braved the winter weather to watch, but the cast believed it was well worth it.

PUC on Broadway is the product of people coming together to try something new. The show was a production where performers sang songs from different Broadway musicals. Where a musical has one cohesive plot–they took Broadway songs and put them out of context.

This musical show is the brainchild of PUC’s Student Association President Kaitlyn Nakanishi. Just two weeks after the Jericho Road musical showcased at the college campus, she put up posters advertising auditions. She invited PUC student Leila Beltran as co-director to help choose songs, coach the performers, and be the musical director. From there, they hit the ground running and created the program.

Nakanishi was the co-director, producer, and choreographer for PUC on Broadway. She choreographed every single movement and production of the show. Ronnie Zanella, a PUC music professor, and Mika Palitang, a junior biology and music major, were their accompanists; with Jeremy Hadley and his team as the sound and lighting crew.

They held auditions two weeks before Thanksgiving break, had rehearsals in between Thanksgiving and Christmas break, and continued preparations when students returned for the winter quarter.

Rehearsal times were tricky. The key selling point of PUC on Broadway was that anyone and everyone was welcome to join and that the directors would create the rehearsal schedule around the participant's schedule. That meant that Nakanishi and Beltran had to create a spreadsheet to see what times were free for everyone in a specific number. They would rehearse in chunks by musical number instead of a two-hour rehearsal where they ran over all the songs all at once.

The well-casted performers sang many great songs. One of Beltran’s favorite songs was “Holding Out For A Hero” from Footloose. That song was their big dance number, which was fun to dance, pose, and sing all at the same time. It was also the most fun to rehearse.

People loved PUC on Broadway and were left impressed with the show's production value since it was at a nice theater. The best reaction Beltran received was the number of people who wanted to audition next year. People looked at the show and thought, “I could do that. That could be me!” For Beltran, that makes it worth it to be a part of these productions. The college used to showcase musicals, but the tradition of a yearly musical ended. Jericho Road, led by Dr. Lindsay Hayasaka, kickstarted the musical fever again. This is how Beltran became involved in the Music Department and wanted others to experience the theater bug.

As someone who did not have a theater program growing up, Beltran wants to create opportunities for people who want to be in theater. She didn’t know how fun performing onstage would be, which other students have expressed the same. Others thought about being a part of a production but never brought themselves to auditions. Beltran wanted to create a space with low stress and fun for all.

“We want to create a culture of musical theater here,” said Beltran. This theater culture she envisions is purely based on student vision. A musical theater culture currently does not exist at PUC. There is not a theater team that helps lead decisions, but they do have club sponsors since the show was a production of the Music Club.

The next musical is up in the air, and details are still being worked out on how to make one possible.

They want to create more productions and opportunities for people to get involved and see what musical theater is all about. “We want it to be expected that there will be a musical done every year,” said Beltran. “The community members love music and arts. The students love music and arts. Musicals are a great way to engage both of those populations. We're more than just a school with a good nursing program and a good number of medical school commitments. Our School of Arts, Professions, and Humanities is strong! By creating more productions and taking people to see shows, we can show what we're capable of!”