LYNN — To Carla Rose, it’s a New York story imitating a Lynn life. The Lynn English High School teacher wants her ESL students to see that story told on stage.
Rose plans to take 41 students to a Connecticut production of “In The Heights,” the smash hit musical written by Lin-Manuel Miranda years before he penned “Hamilton.” The tickets were part of a generous donation from Karen Olivo, who originated the role of Vanessa in the show’s 2008 Broadway debut.
The musical is set over the course of three days and involves characters from the largely Hispanic-American neighborhood of Washington Heights in New York City.
“It is all so relatable to (the students),” said Rose. “‘In The Heights’ is all about immigration and the struggles, triumphs, and beauty of it. This is their story, so if anyone deserves to see this show, it’s these kids.”
Rose, a longtime fan of Olivo, became acquainted with the Tony Award-winning actress last summer after her work in “Moulin Rouge!” at Boston’s Emerson Colonial Theatre. Rose said she and Olivo have stayed in touch over social media ever since.
The ESL teacher paired some of the songs from the musical to her planned curriculum and the kids loved it, she said. Many of them came into class the next day with the entire soundtrack downloaded on their phones.
In an effort to explore fundraising suggestions, Rose, the fan-turned-friend, reached back out to Olivo. The former Broadway star felt moved by Rose’s motivation to give her students the full theater experience, so she volunteered to pay for every ticket.
“She is just an amazing human being and so talented,” Rose said. “The kids, on their own, made a video thanking her and explaining how much it means to them and how much they love her. They sent it to her and she reached back out to me and said her heart was bursting.”
Rose said, while she was jumping up and down after Olivo’s generous offer, she knew there was still a lot of work to do. She needed to raise money for their transportation to the Westport Country Playhouse Connecticut and make sure there was enough cash to feed them dinner.
She went around to her fellow teachers and asked them to “sponsor a student” and she played cash squares around the school. The Lynn Teachers Union and Lynn English principal Thomas Strangie also donated.
“It was a whole community effort to get these kids to this show,” said Rose. “On top of going to school, these kids work 40-hour-a-week jobs, so I was very adamant they wouldn’t pay for anything. I want them to enjoy the whole experience of dinner and show.”
An idea was born and it kind of took off on its own, Rose said. If Olivo never offered the donation, Rose said she isn’t sure if she would have had the “gumption” to follow through with it.
Strangie, a longtime fan of live theater, said he applauds Rose’s efforts in taking it on and following through.
“There is nothing like seeing live theater,” Strangie said. “Any kid being able to experience doing that is well worth the investment. I applaud her for taking this on and I think the kids are going to come away with a great experience.”
