ZCA Annual Children’s Introduction to Theater Held at Secrest Auditorium

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – The Zanesville Concert Association opened the doors to the Secrest Auditorium this morning, where more than 1,000 area Fourth graders were enlightened to theater etiquette by world-class performers.

Sir Franc D’Ambrosio, Cavaliere O.S.I. gave a paid performance of his show ‘Back to Broadway’ on Sunday but stayed overnight to demonstrate his fun and fascinating perspective of theater to the elementary school audience.  

“What drives me to come here and do this for the children in the county is: I have a large passion to share  the love and the magic of theater,” D’Ambrosio said. “It’s something that changed my life, gave me a different direction. I grew up in New York and the New York City area and there were many other options in my life but I’m very glad I took theater as my course of living and I enjoy giving back.” 

D’Ambrosio, who has been Knighted by the President of Italy, is credited for holding the title of the longest running phantom in the Tony Award winning musical, ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ and is also known for his emotional portrayal of Anthony Corleone in the movie ‘The Godfather, Part III.’ 

“(Hopefully,) We’re going to be able to inspire a bunch of fourth graders in order to enjoy their experiences in the theater and hopefully inspire them to consider theater and music as a career in their lives,” D’Ambrosio said.

This morning, students got to see many ‘behind the scenes’ aspects that go into a staged performance, such as: acoustics, sound, stage presence, lighting, along with curtains and backdrops.

D’Ambrosio was accompanied by World Class Concert Pianist Ryan Shirar, who demonstrated on a huge, concert, Grand piano how music plays a large role in live performances.