Entertaining seniors is troupe's tradition
BY TALI ISRAELI
Staff Writer

Youngsters who perform with Stars on Stage enjoy singing for residents of local nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

Senior citizens Tillie Shapses and Gertrude Young said every song the youngsters with Stars on Stage performed sparked a memory from their adolescence.

Stars on Stage, organized by Marlboro teacher Donna Ogle, is a group of fifth- through 12th-grade pupils who attend school in the Marlboro K-8 School District and the Freehold Regional High School District. They perform song and dance routines for residents of local nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

The youngsters have recently performed for residents at The Manor nursing home, at the Applewood Estates lifecare retirement community and at the Monmouth Crossings assisted living facility, all in Freehold Township.

Following the group's performance at Applewood Estates on Feb. 8, residents Shapses and Young praised the efforts of the youngsters.

As a former teacher, Shapses said she appreciated the performance, which brought her closer to the students. Since visits from children are rare for some residents of Applewood Estates, Shapses said watching the students' routine made them feel young again.

"It was very generous of these children to come visit senior citizens. It was a very thoughtful event," she said.

Young agreed with her friend and said, "Every song gave us a memory. It was a wonderful choice of music."

The senior citizens were not the only people to feel moved by the group's effort.

Many of the students involved in Stars on Stage said they enjoy making the senior citizens smile.

Julianna Lorenzetti, 10, and Jennifer Weiss, 10, said they like to watch the audience members sing along.

Carly Jacobs, 12, said she joined the ensemble because many of the nursing home residents do not get visitors and they look forward to the group's performance.

"They remember when they were younger and they used to listen to these songs," Carly said.

Jake Shatsky, 13, who has been performing with Stars on Stage since the group's inception, said he is glad the group can put on a memorable performance for the seniors.

Shayna Jast, 12, recalled a conversation she had with one resident of Applewood Estates. The resident told Shayna that the group's performance brought back memories of when she used to sing and dance.

"It made me feel really special that we brought back her childhood memories," Shayna said.

Kayla Carney, 13, said this performance was the most memorable for her because when she looked out in the audience she saw her grandmother and her father with tears in their eyes.

"It made me so happy to see them smiling," she added.

Natalie Farah, 16, a Colts Neck High School student who has been dancing since she was 3, performed a ballet solo during the show on Feb. 8.

"It's satisfying to touch people's lives. It's enjoyable and I love it," Natalie said.

Ogle's inspiration for creating the performance group was seeing how happy her mother was when Ogle's daughter visited her at a nursing home. Ogle said her daughter used to sing for her grandmother and perform for other residents of the home as well.

Ogle's mother, who had Alzheimer's disease, died three years ago; Stars on Stage was organized the year before she died.

"It's really important for all of us to give back, especially to our senior citizens. The residents would cry sometimes just to have a visitor or someone to talk to," Ogle said about her visits to the nursing homes. "There are so many forgotten seniors that anything these kids can do is important."

In addition to her work with Stars on Stage, Ogle is a member of the board of directors for the Marlboro Players, a community theater group; she also runs the musical theater program for the Marlboro Recreation Community Center.

Through her work with these groups, Ogle said she comes across many talented youngsters who are then invited to audition for Stars on Stage. There are currently 22 members in the ensemble.

"I feel so blessed to have these kids and their parents in my life. They really are such great kids and they give up so much of their time and they're really great with the elderly individuals," Ogle said.

The group practices once a week from October through December. Their performance season begins in January and ends in May when they host a benefit in memory of Ogle's mother.

Ogle is assisted by Susan Miller, choreographer, Beth Wein, musical director, and Rebecca Glassman, dance captain. Glass-man is a third level dance major at Howell High School.

As for the group's routine, Ogle said she buys a premade show which includes a 30-minute to one-hour medley program, pretaped music and lyric books for the students.

This year's program is a celebration of American music called "Made in the USA." The song genres included a tribute to the jazzy sounds of New Orleans, rock and roll, country music, and Broadway musicals.

The song list includes "When the Saints Go Marching In," "Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay," "Leader of the Pack," "Your Cheatin' Heart," "God Bless the USA," "America the Beautiful" and songs from Broadway hits such as "Give My Regards to Broadway," "Oklahoma!," "Dreamgirls," "The Phantom of the Opera," "The Sound of Music" and "Annie."