Hartford Stage Company Youth Theatre Alumni Will Host Reunion

Within Hartford's performing arts history, lies an important hidden gem that must and will be celebrated! Hartford Stage Company Youth Theatre (HSCYT), a little-known endeavor in the 1970s and 1980s, propelled hundreds of Hartford at-risk youth to pursue professional careers in the performing and visual arts and to achieve local, national, and international fame.

There will be an alumni reunion for HSCYT participants who were involved in the program from 1978 to 1986. The event is Saturday, September 20 from 1pm to 4pm at Wood 'N Tap located at 99 Sisson Avenue in Hartford. Tickets for the reunion are $44.52 (including a buffet lunch, soft drinks, cash bar, tax and gratuity) are available by visiting HSCYTalumni.eventbrite.com. This event is open to HSCYT alumni and plus ones only.

HSCYT noteworthy alumni includes the following.

• Illeana Douglas who has starred in such movies as Cape Fear, Grace of My Heart, To Die For, Alive, and Goodfellas and in TV shows such a Six Feet Under. She is also a talented and successful writer and filmmaker.
• Matthew Lombardo, a world-renowned playwright of the Broadway plays High and Looped and Off-Broadway hits like Conversations with Mother, Who's Holiday, and Tea at Five.
• Wayne Pretlow who was nominated for a Tony Award for his role in Broadway's The Civil War. He has starred on Broadway and in regional theater and came full circle when he starred in Kiss Me Kate at Hartford Stage as an adult and as a teen in the Hartford Stage Company Youth Theater.
• Jorge Vasquez, a dancer with Alvin Ailey and a dance instructor for many years. He has appeared as a featured dancer on tV and in movies both nationally and internationally.
• Wendy Bobbitt Cavett, a Broadway Music Director with such credits as Mamma Mia!, Come from Away, and Hamilton to name just a few.
• Ellis Echevarria, an award-winning art director and established artist. His work has been featured at the Wadsworth Atheneum and in galleries all over the world. His collaboration with a variety of industry leaders has resulted in some of the world's most recognizable brands. His murals and art can be found throughout Connecticut.

This event is presented in collaboration with Pearwater Productions. For more information or to connect with other Hartford Stage Company Youth Theatre alumni, visit facebook.com/groups/hscytalumni. Questions can be directed via email to celeniatica@gmail.com.