For hundreds of volunteers and about 1,500 students annually, Arts Express provides a living, breathing, performing link to the star-spangled history of our nation.
“A lot of our overall vision with the arts and what we do with ‘Let Freedom Sing’ and our other programs is to set the tone for our young people and provide a framework for them to celebrate our country,” said Karen Wiese, executive director of Arts Express, which has staged “Let Freedom Sing” in celebration of the Fourth of July for more than 30 years.
“We want them to have an understanding of history and learn about what they can do and recognize the lessons they can learn from veterans and others who came before them.”
The concert — titled “A Star-Spangled Celebration” this year in honor of a family-oriented theme — is one of several annual productions and various programs that facilitate the nonprofit’s vision of educating, empowering and entertaining Southern Arizonans with the ultimate goal of building culture and community by providing opportunities to experience the arts.
“The Fourth of July is about so much more than hamburgers and hot dogs and fireworks. It is about our nation’s birthday, and celebrating that through this musical presentation with more than 100 performers on stage is a great way to bring a diverse audience together,” Wiese said.
The production will feature the Arts Express Choir and The Big Band Express orchestra, along with renowned soloists and local favorites such as Ben Cline, Jodi Darling, Armen Dirtadian, Kathy Jenkins, Delores Maddox, Chach Snook and Dennis Tamblyn. A special appearance by The Manhattan Dolls will feature “Andrews Sisters-styled harmonies” with the trio performing favorites like “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.”
Wiese said attendees can also expect to hear traditional patriotic favorites such as “The Star Spangled Banner,” “America the Beautiful” and “God Bless America” as well as new classics such as a rendition of the Gettysburg Address put to music.
Another highlight of the concert will be a medley of tunes from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “South Pacific,” in recognition of the production this week by 60 youths ages 7 to 22 who are participating in the Arts America Summer Stock Production by Arts Express.
The annual Summer Stock Production stages a full musical in four weeks featuring theater professionals and young actors. It also provides an important opportunity for many children who might not otherwise have the chance to participate in a professional-caliber production, said Eric Yanes, 19.
Yanes, who became involved with Arts Express three years ago, is playing the lead of French expatriot Emile de Becque in “South Pacific.”
“Lots of these kids are from families who might not be able to pay for an experience in a theater company like Arizona Theatre Company or Gaslight Theatre. There is always the reality of finances, and Arts Express provides another option for kids to be involved in dramatic arts,” he said.
He believes that Arts Express has positioned itself as a leader in the local arts community moving forward by partnering with organizations such as Broadway in Tucson, UA Presents and the Ben Vereen Awards (the Southwest division of the National High School Musical Theater Awards). It has also developed Arts America: A Summer Arts Immersion Program, which focuses on art and culture in different periods of American history and a variety of other arts-education programs.
“I would say that generally in America, and unfortunately in Tucson, there is a deficit in the arts ... Arts Express is on a mission to increase arts opportunities in the community — especially for children in elementary school and middle school — who are growing up in a society with less funding for the arts. They also have less arts experiences, especially in the dramatic arts, which more than most academic disciplines, tend to change or redirect lives and teach children about humanity,” said Yanes.
Yanes hopes the public will turn out in force to support Arts Express at both “Let Freedom Sing” and “South Pacific,” the unconventional love story that deals with racial prejudice during World War II.
“The story is very meaningful and timeless. It is a very timely piece because it is a show that is ultimately about racism and racial boundaries and racial labeling.
“It is about the differences of culture and the disasters that those differences can bring about, which are issues that many Americans are struggling with right now,” he said.
