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Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Local teenagers rehearse for next week's performance of 'We're Gonna Make It,' a musical benefit to raise money for the YWCA AIDS Prevention Program.
Teens pool talents to raise money for AIDS
By Michelle Ku
Every hour, two teenagers in the United States become infected with the HIV virus.
Even after nearly a decade of HIV prevention and AIDS awareness, HIV and AIDS is still an issue that many people remain uneducated about.
This month, a group of 20 local teenagers are warming up their vocal chords and lacing up their dancing shoes in a musical benefit to support the fight against AIDS. The benefit, "We're Gonna Make It," is at 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, June 15 and 16 at Cupertino High School. Proceeds are being donated to the YWCA AIDS Prevention Project.
The program is a blend of Broadway musicals, recent pop hits and AIDS information. The 27 songs include "Wind Beneath My Wings," "Gotta Have Heart" from Damn Yankees, pieces from The Phantom of the Opera, "All for the Best" from Godspell and "We're Gonna Make It After All" from Leader of the Pack.
"We wanted all the songs to be inspirational, upbeat and happy," said Suzie Woolhouse, a sophomore at Cupertino High School. "It's basically supposed to be an evening of fun and make people go out of there singing songs and dancing."
The tone for the show is set in the opening song, "Season of Love." The song is from Rent, a musical dealing with AIDS.
Interspersed among the singing and dancing numbers are educational segments. Cast members discuss important facts about AIDS and AIDS awareness. In another sketch, the performers act the story of four youths who have become infected with HIV.
Resource material on HIV and AIDS will be available in the lobby.
"AIDS is very widespread. There's no cure for it, and not that many people know about it," Woolhouse said. "A lot of teenagers seem to think they are invincible, and they can't get it, but they can. There are a lot of stereotypes about who can get it and how, but anybody can get it."
The musical tribute was the brainchild of Woolhouse and Brian Atkins, both veteran participants of the Sunnyvale Community Theater (SCT). Each semester, students are required to perform six hours of community service.
Originally, Atkins, a senior at Cupertino, and Woolhouse wanted to do free performances at a mall or convalescent homes, but decided to do something more by putting on a benefit for a good cause.
Atkins and Woolhouse pulled together a cast of 20 teens--several they worked with in SCT's recent production of Leader of the Pack--and began rehearsing for three performances.
The group hopes to raise more than $10,000--a tenth of the AIDS Prevention Project annual budget.
"The money they are raising will definitely contribute to us being able to run our program next year," said Carolyn Laub, program director. "I was also really excited because it's always inspiring to me to see young people in the community do things to make a positive impact on the community. This is a talented group of young people who wanted to not only entertain the audience, but educate as well."
The first performance of the benefit was last month. The show was at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center and raised $1,500.
"I went to the opening night in San Mateo, and they are a very talented group of young people," Laub said. "I was very impressed, and I was honored that they chose us to be their beneficiary."
Maria San Antonio, one of the show's producers, put the group in touch with the YWCA Mid-Peninsula because of its AIDS Prevention Project which annually reaches more than 10,000 middle school, high school and college students.
The AIDS Prevention Project started in 1987. It is the first and only countywide HIV prevention program for youth. Students are served through classroom HIV prevention workshops and one-on-one street outreach to at-risk youths.
Tickets for the benefit are $15 adult and $10 students. To order tickets, call (650) 969-7981.
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
