DETROIT (WXYZ) — Hundreds of young people from more than 50 schools have been a part of the Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit.
It has been bringing out the best in young people for more than 30 years, but the coronavirus pandemic put that on pause.
They are now getting ready to bring a better experience to audiences.
7 Action News was there as talented teens did a full dress rehearsal for a unique performance that the group is planning.
“We are going to nine different neighborhoods. We already opened at Waldorf, so we've also connected with Brilliant Detroit, and we'll be at five neighborhood hubs,” Asia Mark, show director at Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, said.
They are getting ready for their "Mwindo" tour.
“The feedback has been great,” Mark said. “It was really cool being in the audience and just hearing people just acknowledge how many life lessons are in this play. I think no matter how old you are, you can really take something away from this play.”
Mark says the play talks about compassion, forgiveness and parent-child relationships.
Each of these young performers is excited as well. This is their first time off Zoom and on stage in front of a live audience since 2019.
“I can’t explain enough how excited I am to be performing in front of people again,” one performer said. "When the pandemic hit, I wasn’t really involved. We had to be away and virtual and other means. It’s definitely a great experience being back in the community again seeing so many faces and engaging with so many people. It's always amazing."
As a viewer, it's truly amazing to see it all come together.
“I feel like this experience has really let me get out of my shell because of course, I’m still shy sometimes, but this experience has really showed me to give your shyness a break, push it to the side and just go for what you want to do,” another student said.
Performances, which will be interactive with the audience, are fit for the whole family.
The next performance is May 14. A complete list of where the group is headed this summer can be found on mosaicdetroit.org.
