Musical theater is for everyone, and for the last year, Saguaro City Music Theatre has opened its doors — and its stage — to make that mantra a reality through education and professional performances.
“We have been able to create four educational programs that are tuition-free and inclusive, including a summer camp. These have served more than 100 students,” said Dena DiGiacinto, director of outreach and education for the nonprofit theater company. “We have an incredible amount of diversity among our students in every way imaginable. In the Clean Slate Program we started last July, about 14% of students had a diagnosis or disability and we are trying to work up to 50%,” she said.
She credits the success of the Saguaro City Studio Arts educational programming to support from local partners such as the Children’s Clinics and the University of Arizona School of Theatre, Film and Television, as well as sponsors including the Kautz Family Foundation, the Sakiyama Family Foundation, Don & Maryam Ferguson and Watermark for Kids. DiGiacinto said the sponsors are aligned in the mission to provide children with all abilities access to the arts.
“They allow us to offer our educational programs tuition-free. The incredible thing about removing financial barriers with these classes is that it equalizes the field of opportunity for many children who otherwise wouldn’t be able take classes outside of their school curriculums. These sponsors are a major catalyst for all we have been able to create,” she said.
On the production side, the professional company has produced two full-scale musicals, “It’s a Wonderful Life — A Live Radio Play” and “Seussical the Musical,” which integrated summer camp participants and veteran performers. The theater for young audiences’ production of “Seussical” welcomed a sold-out finale.
In the upcoming “Little Shop of Horrors,” the professional company will stage a fresh interpretation of the original Broadway production and cult-classic film version. Greg Knopf is lead production sponsor.
“This is such a classic in film and live theatre, and we are getting more buzz than with anything we have done so far. We are super excited,” said DiGiacinto, choreographer for the production.
She and her colleagues are gratified by the momentum they have built.
“The growth of Saguaro City this past year has felt like an embrace from the community encouraging us to do more and offer more. It’s nice to reach out and feel Tucson reaching back,” said Drew Humphrey, artistic director of Saguaro City Music Theatre.
