16-Year-Old Bionic Girl Directs Cabaret Fundraiser

Seven months post-op, high-school junior Thea Flanzer is hosting her first cabaret fundraiser to benefit pediatric scoliosis research in honor of her doctors at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, Dr. Michael G. Vitale and Dr. Richard C. Anderson.

Thea, an actress and student, battled scoliosis for two years and underwent a seven-hour spinal fusion surgery to correct her scoliosis this past October. Her doctors wanted to preserve the mobility of her spine by only placing two rods on the upper half of her spine to allow her to continue performing.

Thea has been training at the Gateway School of Performing Arts since she was five-years-old, and has performed in professional shows at The Gateway Playhouse and off-Broadway.

Thea has enlisted a spectacular group of performers to create The Artist Alignment: Shine for the Spines cabaret at the Vail-Leavitt Music Hall to benefit the Pediatric Scoliosis Research for Columbia Children's Health. The must-see event, being held on May 18th at 6:30 PM, will include performances from artists with Broadway and National Tour credits, a 50/50 raffle, and a "lucky basket" auction. The creative team also includes her mentors Michael Baker of The Gateway Playhouse, Virginia Mesiano of Backyard Theatre, and colleague/friend Ethan Eisenberg.

The Pediatric Orthopedic Research Fund at Columbia University, spearheaded by Dr. Michael G. Vitale, has been an integral part of many Pediatric Scoliosis breakthroughs including the use of a magnetic spine lengthening device (called MAGEC) for growing children. All of the proceeds from the event will go towards researching new scoliosis treatments.

Buy tickets at Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-artist-alignment-shine-for-the-spines-tickets-59247228054?aff=ebdshpsearchautocomplete