Local youth performers took the stage Tuesday night at Heartwood Soundstage for Theatre Connect’s Student Showcase, fueled by laughter and audience participation as the students helped raise money for the Pride Community Center of North Central Florida.
Theatre Connect is a nonprofit organization based in Gainesville that hosts events year-round to provide LGBTQIA+ youth and adults with a safe space to embrace their creativity and nurture their mental health. The showcase gave students the opportunity to perform original work while supporting PCCNCF’s move into a new facility.
The event began with a play, “Life: A Parable of Sorts,” written by student Xavier Ernst. Within this play, the student performers explored the meaning of life through humor, audience participation, and improvisation.
"After watching it and hearing people laugh about all the jokes and all the cameos and all the scenes, I loved it,” Ernst said.
Ernst said seeing the audience react made the year-long process feel worthwhile.
The production underwent multiple revisions over the course of more than a yearthat time. The cast changed several times, and the showcase was postponed repeatedly before reaching the stage Tuesday night.
"We had multiple different fake scripts that we thought were going to be the final product. News flash, they weren't,” Ernst said. “We delayed the show like three times.”
For Brayden Onorio, 17, Theatre Connect provided more than just an acting experience. During the showcase, he played Miss Piggles, a chaotic villain who served as the catalyst for the story.
While acting doesn't always come naturally to him, Onorio said the program has become a place where he can be himself.
"I think that's what I enjoy most about Theatre Connect, is my ability to just have fun,” Onorio said.
Beyond performing, Onorio said the program has also helped him grow personally.
"It taught me to love myself more,” Onorio said.
The impact of Theatre Connect extends beyond the stage.
Cat Diaz, whose daughter Isla performed in the showcase, said Theatre Connect has created a community where her daughter feels safe and comfortable being herself.
Diaz said she has watched her daughter's confidence grow through her involvement with the program.
"Every time I pick her up from Theatre Connect, she's just bubbly and excited," Diaz said.
Nelida Jean-Baptiste Pellot, a director at PCCNCF and the self-proclaimed “chaos coordinator” for Theatre Connect, said Tuesday's showcase highlighted the importance of creating spaces where young people can be seen and heard.
"It's letting the most marginalized of us, children who don't have any type of say, any type of way to advocate for themselves, showcase their work and use their voices in public spaces," Jean-Baptiste Pellot said.
Jean-Baptiste Pellot said events like Tuesday’s showcase allow young people to express themselves while connecting to the community.
Camilo Reina Munoz, executive director of Theatre Connect, said fostering creativity and connection is the core to the organization’s mission.
“All of these people come together to create a very safe space for these kids, somewhere where they can be really creative, where they can connect with one another, where we really celebrate who they are,” Munoz said.
Munoz said Theatre Connect has worked with local youth for nearly a decade, providing opportunities for students to explore theater and build connections with one another.
The program combines theater educators, volunteers and mental health professionals to help create an environment where students can express themselves while building confidence and community.
The showcase also served as a fundraiser for PCCNCF’s move into a new facility. Proceeds from the event will help support the organization’s new home, which will continue to serve LGBTQIA+ individuals and families throughout North Central Florida.
Munoz said the success of Tuesday night’s showcase was measured by more than donations or attendance.
"Success looks like laughter, looks like high fives, looks like hugs, looks like smiles," he said.