Thursday, April 17, 2025
Elmont Memorial Library collaborated with Plaza Theatricals and Sunrise Theatre Company to coordinate a special scholarship fundraiser on Feb. 18 that included a performance of “Seussical the Musical” at 11 a.m. All proceeds from the ticket sales went to Elmont high school students to help them “set the stage” for their future.
According to Elmont resident Pedro Bumachar and his 8-year old daughter, Lucia Bumachar, the performance was a fun way to give back to the community.
Lucia said she loves coming to the library for shows, and has been visiting the theater for their children’s programming since she was just three years old. This show, she continued, is one of the best shows she’s seen at the library so far because of how creative the production was.
“It was a really great show,” Lucia exclaimed. “I hope they do it again!”
As for Pedro, who grew up in Elmont, he enjoys any opportunity he gets to contribute to the community, especially students. Pedro attended Gotham Avenue Elementary School and Elmont Memorial High School, and he said he even recalled the old location of the library near the post office. Having a convenient location to watch shows at a cheap price, he said, was something he was grateful for.
“I loved the show,” Pedro said. “It’s a very great experience for the young kids, and the price is good, too.”
Tickets were $8, he said, and the 400-seat theater was packed halfway at the morning’s one-hour show.
Brian Sweeney, the executive director of Sunrise Theatre Company, which Plaza Theatricals contracts shows from, said Sunrise provided the performers for this fundraising event. Luckily, he said, the show had already been produced in summer 2024, so it was a quick two-week turnaround time for the company to rehearse before the event.
Seussical, based on Dr. Seuss’s children’s books and literature, is a child-friendly show, he explained, which makes it a popular choice for kid’s programming. On top of being entertaining, he added, the show can teach children new words.
“So much of our children’s shows are literacy-based,” Sweeney said. “It’s something kids can kind of immerse themselves in and make a connection with the curriculum.”
For more information about the library’s next scholarship fundraising production of Cinderella, on April 15, visit ElmontLibrary.org. To check out future shows by Plaza Theatricals or Sunrise Theatre Company, visit PlazaTheatrical.com and SunriseTheatreLI.com.
