Director Carlos Laboy is not letting a little thing like money stop him from putting on his eighth annual theater performance with Stagekids, a program he created and runs out of the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (MMCC) in Norwood.

As they say in the business: The show must go on!

In December, when he heard that a chunk of his program’s budget was being cut — just one of several painful cuts MMCC is being forced to make due to a recent drop in funding — Laboy took to the streets and raised over $800 in donations to put on his 2010 spring play.

So far, Laboy has raised enough money to buy scripts and put the show in motion. But he still needs another $800 for costumes and scenery. “We just want to have enough money to present the play,” Laboy said.

With 30 years of drama and dance experience under his belt, Laboy started the Stagekids program eight years ago at MMCC to give kids a way to express themselves. “My favorite part is seeing [the kids] get into the arts,” Laboy said, adding that several of his students have gone on to work in the industry. 

Michael Shanley’s 14-year-old son Tiernan joined the program in October. For him, the program is not just about learning how to act.

“It’s giving Tiernan the experience of getting up in front of a group, and public speaking,” Shanley said. “So many different skills are incorporated into this theater program.”

Laboy has become more than just a teacher for many of the students. “Carlos has been very supportive, even in other things,” said parent Diana Velez. “He calls my son ‘Matthew DeNiro,’ but he always tells him that he needs a backup plan: take up other interests, go to school. He’s really a family member to us.”

Youth who participate in the Stagekids program spend one afternoon a week, from September to May, learning the ins and outs of a theater production.

During the first half of the program, Laboy teaches his students, whose ages range from 10 to 17, different acting methods. Halfway through, the class picks a play to perform in the spring.

This year, the class of 30 students chose “Guys and Dolls Junior,” the youth version of this classic Broadway musical. On Fridays, Laboy volunteers his time, working on building scenery and costumes with the kids.

In addition to soliciting contributions from his students’ families and the local community, several parents wrote letters asking for donations from Bronx politicians.

If Laboy keeps raising money, as he plans to, “Guys and Dolls Junior” will be performed on May 28 and 29 of this year.

Parents said they had tried other paid acting programs, but they became too expensive and weren’t as good or as inclusive as Stagekids. “It’s a great group,” Shanley said. “Carlos cares so much about the kids, and everyone cares about each other.”

Ed. Note: Stagekids is still enrolling kids to participate. For more information or to enroll, call the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, (718) 882-4000, e-mail carloslaboy@optimum.net or visit www.stagekids.cityslide.com.
—Additional reporting by Amber Rodriguez and Alex Kratz