La Salle Academy

mc kenery arts center celebrates 15th season continued from previous page
Kate Ryan ’08, has performed as a professional actress in
Washington, D.C. for the past three years, and has combined her
love of theater with community service. “La Salle’s PEGASUS
program (now the La Salle Scholars Program) and Arts Alive!
enabled me to combine my love of theater, community building,
and human rights advocacy,” said Kate. “Since graduating,
I have traveled to Rwanda and Uganda to research arts-based
peace and conflict resolution practices and served as the director
of outreach and education at Theater Alliance, a company
I love most about these classes is the growth and development
in confidence and life skills the students take with them,
regardless of what profession they choose.”
During the center’s 15 years, improvements have been
made to ensure a quality audience experience. Online ticketing
was implemented, as was assigned seating. The “orchestra
pit” is now located in a specially outfitted sound room and
the orchestra is shown on a screen in the theater. “This past
summer we upgraded the sound system so that students are
dedicated to producing socially conscious work that engages
our community in active dialogue. My La Salle experience is at
the core of the work I do each day. I am forever grateful.”
La Salle encourages arts as a community builder through
Arts Alive! La Salle arts students meet on Saturdays with children
from disadvantaged communities to explore different
aspects of theater. The program is directed by Elissa Cerros,
fine arts teacher. “I am especially blessed to have the opportunity
to coordinate our Arts Alive! outreach program,” said
Elissa. “The program encourages countless students to use
their artistic talents in service to others.”
“The performing arts curriculum has grown tremendously
over the past 20 years,” said Margaret Hayes ’85, chair of the
Arts Department. “We started with introduction to drama and
acting classes, and now offer a performing arts class and theater
production class. Students in the arts track can now take
a performing arts elective all four years of high school. What
working on equipment that is being used in today’s professional
theaters,” said Tom.
Ryan Sweeney ’11, studied stage and production management
at Emerson College and is currently the company manager
of American Repertory Theater, Cambridge, Mass. “The
people I met in college were surprised at the depth of the training
I received in high school,” said Ryan. “Brother Michael,
Tom Haynes and Elissa Cerros fostered student curiosity and
encouraged us to assume as much responsibility as we were
willing to take; I was very involved in the upgrading of the box
office to the electronic ticketing system. My La Salle training
continues to be instrumental in my current job. The ability
to work under pressure, coordinate logistics and work with a
variety of personalities are skills I learned at La Salle and I use
them every day.”
For this year’s scheduled performances, see page 32, and
visit www.lasalle-academy.org to order your tickets today!
It was such an exciting time to be at La Salle when the new theater was built and to perform
in the first few shows there. La Salle’s theater program was an incredible foundation upon
which to build a career in the arts, and I still benefit from the lessons I learned and the
amazing teachers I had while I was there.” kevin broccoli ’02 y writer y providence, rhode island
2015 z la salle academy alumni magazine | 9