On Friday, May 10, 50 ESOL students got the opportunity to see Fame: A School for Dreamers live at the GALA Hispanic Theatre in Washington D.C.

Fame: A School for Dreamers is based on the 1980 film with the same name. The story revolves around students at a performing arts high school showcasing the triumphs and struggles that they face as musicians, actors, and dancers. The school was changed to Fiorello LaGuardia High School and it still exists today.

“Since [Fame: A School for Dreamers] was at the GALA Hispanic Theatre, I just saw this as a great opportunity,” ESOL Theatre teacher Sharon Faber said. The musical was performed in English and Spanish, providing live captions in both languages. Faber has planned similar trips, but this was a new experience since many students had not seen a musical before.

Most of the students that attended the field trip are in Faber’s theatre class or ESOL 3, but there where other levels of ESOL classes that joined in on the trip. There were a total of five chaperones, including Faber, present during the trip.

Throughout the musical, Fame: A School for Dreamers tackles many different themes including love, identity, growing up, and drugs. “The message was done well. The fact that [the musical] was bilingual was even better,” paraeducator Maria Duran said, who was one of the chaperones on the trip.

Sophomores Diego Lara and Briseyda Samayoa liked the character Tyrone because of his attitude. “He didn’t care what people said about him,” Samayoa said.

Because of time constraints, the students and chaperones couldn’t stay for the talkback. Therefore, the class decided to write a reflection on who their favorite character was in the play, translate it from Spanish to English, and send it to the theatre as a thank you on how they all connected with the play.