While the most common use of an automobile showroom has to be to show automobiles, trucks and the like, last Friday evening the Coastal Mountain GM showroom was the site of something a little different. Bucks for Broadway is a fundraising group for a trip to New York for musical theater and drama classes at Smithers Secondary to watch professional theatre and do some workshops.
A popular activity has been the group’s Paint Project in which they are asked to paint a picture beforehand then help participants learn about the process of creating a painting firsthand.
Organizer Shannon Finnegan said that the artists have been very gracious in lending their efforts and time towards the project. This one in particular has been special as a grandmother-granddaughter pairing, Edith and Katalin Illes, are the featured artists. Edith is a well known local artist while Katalin is a student at Smithers Secondary.
The trip to Broadway has been a feature of the school’s drama program for a number of years.
“This is a great experience for these small town northern kids. For some of them, it’s the first time traveling out of the country to a large city,” Finnegan said.
According to her, the event last Friday evening was a sellout with 37 aspiring artists. It was the fourth workshop in the series with the next one probably in January. Finnegan said that if people are interested in knowing about upcoming nights, they can join the group Smithers Secondary Paint Project on Facebook.
