At Cohoes Music Hall, giving more than just song and dance

COHOES -- With each choreographed motion and every projected note, the theatre gives its audience an experience to remember for years to come. However, in the case of a local theatre company, whose gifts are far greater reaching than the edge of the stage, there is more for theatre to give than just a rousing anthem.

Company owners Jim Charles and Tony Rivera of C and R Productions at Cohoes Music Hall, in conjunction with The Center for Disability Services, have established a new program to their ever-expanding organization titled C-R Center Stars: Acting on Dreams. The program focuses on providing those with disabilities a chance to grow and achieve their dreams of the performing arts, while learning valuable life skills through the development of self-esteem, independence, community inclusion, speech and language.

This week, C-R Center Stars made their debut performance at the Cohoes Music Hall in “I Am…” to sold out performances, all of which Rivera promises to be a “warming, encouraging and inspiring experience," the last being Wednesday night. The show exemplifies the extraordinary talents of local Center for Disability Services consumers, sending out a positive message to the communities they live in. The cast of 14 promise to dazzle and shine as they put their theatrical crafts into acts ranging from a performance of the famous balcony scene from William Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ to a vocal tribute to the King himself, Elvis.

C and R Productions is able to fulfill their philanthropic dreams with the assistance of the Pepsi Refresh Project when they were chosen to receive a $50,000 dollar grant to be used to continue to fund their charitable deeds. The Arts and Culture Ambassador of PepsiCo, as well as numerous other representatives, will be attending tonight’s event, which includes a pre-show reception, as well as the opportunity for the cast and crew to walk down their very own red carpet as the enter the theatre to ‘wow’ their audience.

Along with the performance, the budding theatre connoisseurs will be given the chance to actively participate in 6-8 week long workshops that consist of expression through movement, speech in the theatre, and an Acting 101 class taught by co-owner Rivera. Participants are also given the opportunity to work on the visual aspects of the theatre in building the sets and making the costumes. According to Rivera, about 50 CDS consumers and counselors partook in the building of sets and the construction of costumes, which included the tedious gluing of sequins onto white gloves for an inevitably crowd-pleasing dance tribute to the late Michael Jackson.

“It’s amazing what they can do.” Rivera said, attributing the success of the show and the program itself to an outstanding team effort from all involved.

So what’s next for the passionate players of C-R Center Stars? Well this seems to just be an overture to this blossoming theatre program that will continue to play on for many years to come. However, if you can’t wait that long, they will be giving the theatre-goers an abridged version of ‘A Christmas Carol’ coming just in time for the holiday season, as well as numerous other productions to be taken on the road to other sites and disability centers.

For more information on the program itself, you can navigate to their website, which will be launching this up-coming weekend at www.crcenterstarts.org.

For tickets to tonight’s performance, you can call the box office at (518) 237-5858 or purchase your tickets online at www.cohoesmusichall.com. Tickets are $10 for Center of Disability Services consumers, and $15 for general admission and begins with the walk down the red carpet at 6:30 PM, followed by the performance at 7:30 PM.