What We Do For Love

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By Shayna Ronen, Co-founder/Theatrical Producer, I Can Do That Theatre

On a winter night in 1974 Michael Bennet, a Broadway choreographer, gathered 22 dancers into a room. He wanted to talk about what it was like to live the life of a dancer. He believed that their stories could be woven together to create something new, something that had never done before; a new musical. It would be called, A Chorus Line.

Those dancers were recorded for hours upon hours talking about when they first began dancing and the personal trials and tribulations which finally brought them to Broadway. But Michael wanted more than that, he wanted to hear their real stories. He went first, telling about one of his most transformational and intimate moments. Once he had created this open space, the dancers began talking about their childhood and adolescent years. Some stories were inspiring and uplifting, others painful. They talked about their insecurities growing up, watching their parents fight, and even their first kiss.

From these stories, Michael Bennett and his team built one of the greatest musicals of all time. Only one and a half years later, A Chorus Line opened on Broadway and ran for a record breaking 15 years. It was so well received, it won 9 Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Abby Primm, Courtney Cawog, Ryne Styne, Morgan Rountree, Sean Gin, Sofia Camacho, Lily Esformes and Kylie Rashkin performing “Steam Heat” from The Pajama Game.

To this day, four decades after A Chorus Line premiered on Broadway, the songs and the story still ring true. I believe this is because the show dared to do something most musicals at that time did not: show the beauty and also the pain of life. Each dancer had gone down their own path to become a Broadway dancer but what they all had in common was that they were following their dream. A Chorus Line tells the story of what it means to go after your dreams without hesitation or apology. To live your joy out loud for as long as you can.

We are all searching for what brings meaning to our lives. For some of us it means finding a job where we believe we can make a difference, it can be raising a family, belonging to a team, or fighting for a cause. Finding that which brings us joy makes us feel alive and connected to our authentic selves.

A Chorus Line is especially near and dear to our hearts as our company is named for one of its most iconic songs: I Can Do That. It was three and a half years ago when we decided to go for our dream and start a youth theatre company. We were inspired by the documentary Every Little Step, which documents the casting of the Broadway revival of A Chorus Line.

Cortney Cawog (left) and Kiernan Hanson (right) in ICDT’s 2018 production of Pippin.

The primary goal of our company is to empower our youth performers through the art of musical theatre. It is through this art that they discover their worth, grow their confidence, and realize they are capable of pursuing their dreams whatever they may be. By telling the story of A Chorus Line we are reminded that life is about finding what you love, whatever that may be, and going for it.

We are happy to announce I Can Do That Theatre Company’s production of A Chorus Line at the Danville Village Theatre June 14th - 23rd, 2019. Please join us in the audience to experience the excitement, heart, and beauty of this classic Broadway musical!