At the annual Tony Awards, where the best and brightest Broadway and theater stars are recognized, there was a special performance from the students of Stoneman Douglas drama club. They performed after their drama teacher, Melody Herzfeld, received an award for excellence in theater education. From NPR:
When gunfire broke out at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., in February, teacher Melody Herzfeld rushed into action. As shooting went off, she closed the door to her drama classroom, shouted instructions to students on what to do and waited for the rampage to end.
"I was just literally at the door just saying, 'Come on, come on, come on, move, move, move,' " she says.
Over the next few hours, Herzfeld and 65 students sheltered in place before authorities determined it was safe for them to come out. In all, 17 students and teachers were killed in the massacre, one of the deadliest mass school shootings in recent history.
On Sunday, Herzfeld will be recognized for her work on theater's biggest night at the 72nd annual Tony Awards at Radio City in New York, where she'll receive this year's award for excellence in theater education. The honor, bestowed by the Tony Awards and Carnegie Mellon University, is given each year to a K-12 theater educator "who has demonstrated monumental impact on the lives of students." It comes with a $10,000 prize for the winner's theater program.
The students performed “Seasons of Love” from the 1996 musical, Rent, which featured a cast of characters struggling to survive in NYC’s East Village during the HIV/AIDS crisis. That crisis was ignored as thousands died in the epidemic. Quite fitting that these students performed this song today. Despite everything they’ve been through, they are still spreading the message of love.
This will probably the most heartfelt two minutes of good news today.