Monday, June 16, 2025
Over $1,000 was raised for Elmont students during a scholarship fundraiser at the Elmont Memorial Library on April 15, helping graduating seniors “set the stage” for their future.
Ticket sales for Plaza Theatrical and Sunrise Theatre Company’s original rendition of Cinderella—written specially for the library by Sunrise’s executive director, Brian Sweeney—helped partially fund the scholarships.
The library previously hosted two scholarship fundraising events—a magician in December and a theatrical production of “Seussical the Musical” in February.
After combining funds from all three fundraisers, $2,648 was raised for the 2025 scholarship fund. The proceeds will be distributed to two graduating seniors who live in the Elmont School District.
“It’s such an honor every year that the board comes together to create these opportunities and give scholarships to tremendous students graduating in our community,” said Suzanne Schatz, an Elmont library board trustee.
Schatz said theater productions performed for the scholarship fundraiser are an opportunity for the community to come together for a special, shared experience.
Live theater productions are educational opportunities for students, Schatz said, and watching professional performers can open new experiences to young students in the Elmont community.
The musical, Sweeney said, is a modern twist on Cinderella. Sweeney, who began working on the play over a year ago, composed original music and wrote most of the script. He made sure to incorporate important lessons for young children, such as appreciating others for what’s in their heart rather than their social status.
“This version specifically speaks to a younger generation,” Sweeney said. “The music is more upbeat, which I think resonated with them.”
Sweeney said in his version of the classic fairytale, there is a huge focus on Ella’s independence. It’s not about getting the prince, he explained, but rather the idea that Ella and the prince see each other for who they truly are.
“Ella is not portrayed as someone who is helpless, or waiting on a prince, or a victim of her stepsisters,” he said.
Shannon Connolly, the actress who plays Ella, said allowing children to experience plays and musicals—especially ones with morals specifically directed at them—gives children a space that feels like their own. Many of the plays Sunrise performs are educational, she said, and are often performed at schools and libraries.
Connolly, who was recruited by Sweeney specifically for this production, said performing the original music for the show’s premiere at the library was an exciting experience.
Connolly said she has been performing in plays since she was in elementary school. One reason she loves educational theater, she continued, was because she taught music for a few years early in her career.
“It becomes an opportunity for young people to experience theater-going,” Connolly said. “It’s educating them about how to enjoy a show in a world where there are so many screens.”
Maggie Robar, who attended the show with her grandchildren, Juliana and Bodhi Verrelli, said the Elmont library is a great place for entertainment, especially for young children.
“I love it,” Robar said of the library. “There are lots of interactive things for kids.”
Rita Russo, who grew up in Elmont, attended the show with her granddaughter, Olivia Gambino. Olivia was dressed in a Cinderella costume, and loved the production.
All of them said their favorite part was Cinderella, of course.
Schatz, who attended Kenyon College in Ohio to study theater, said she is a huge proponent of theater as an educational tool. The shows are intentionally interactive, she continued, enlisting audience participation that is fun for children and adults.
“Just looking at the kids’ faces yesterday, you can tell they’re incredibly engaged,” Schatz said, recounting a part of the play in which the prince enters the theater’s front row of seats so audience members can try on Cinderella’s glass slipper.
“There’s a lot of thought that goes into it, which is an amazing part of our partnership with Plaza Theatricals,” she said.
Schatz said the experience comes full circle for students. Young children come to the show to participate in a community event, which, in turn, raises money for students in the same community. “It’s pretty incredible,” Schatz said.
According to Jean Simpson, the director of Elmont library, the Board of Trustees will review the essays submitted for the scholarship and choose two winners. The trustees will also be attending the winning students’ graduation ceremonies to present them with their scholarship checks.
Simpson said the fundraiser is one of many ways the library stays connected with the community. The library coordinates class visits to local schools, she said, and hosts field trips to introduce students to their building and services.
“The Elmont community is so important,” Simpson said. “This is just another way of giving back to it.”
In total, Simpson said, the library raised over $90,000 for students since the scholarship fundraiser’s creation in 2007. The American Library Association awarded the Elmont library with the Gale Cengage Learning Financial Development Award in 2008 for their fundraising efforts, and the plaque still hangs in the theater’s lobby.
Applications for the scholarship are available in qualifying schools’ guidance counselor offices and in the teen corner of the Elmont library. This year’s essay deadline is May 9.
