I volunteered to help and ended up writing and directing a show.

I’ve been an on-stage participant in the CYP Club’s auction-for-charity event, A Date 2 Remember (D2R), twice. Initially, we were called bachelors and bachelorettes, and we were the faces of unique Columbus-experience packages that audience members could bid on.

The format of the auction changed over the years. On-stage participants were part of a date auction, then a talent show, and then a variety show. I volunteered to help for the last-ever D2R event in February 2017 at the Hollywood Casino, and the format changed again.

We created a theater production.

Classic Hollywood was the theme for the event. Legends such as James Dean and Marilyn Monroe come to mind, as well as movies like Casablanca, Gone with the Wind, and The Wizard of Oz.

We had a lot of ideas on how to weave a classic Hollywood theme through the event. We didn’t have one major piece though… actors.

I volunteered with four others to work with the on-stage participants, and we were tasked to create the show. Fortunately, we all had stage or theater experience. Eric, Marsha and I were all in SNAP! Performance Productions, and Beth was a dancer.

The on-stage participants were CYP members who wanted to raise money for two great causes: Make-A-Wish and Columbus Inspires. They all had various talents, and they all had favorites for Hollywood legends and films. But none could pull off a great impression of any actor or a memorable movie scene. (We asked them during their interviews.)

We, the volunteers, held a creative night with the participants at Yats in Grandview. It was a brainstorming session. Not everyone showed up, but those who did had a lot of influence over the direction of the show.

We presented an initial idea of how the Hollywood-theme show would weave through the auctions. And we got feedback on the on-stage participants’ interest.

One thing was a must though: we had to use the talents of the people that we were working with.

We didn’t want to make anyone look bad on stage. We didn’t want anyone to feel ridiculous, embarrassed, or uncomfortable with what we were asking them to do. They were volunteering as well. They had to look good.

We created a show with the following three movies in mind: The Producers, Tropic Thunder, and Bowfinger. In each, there is a director with a big idea and nothing else.

We trolled the common movie tropes. There was action, romance, sports, and a big ending. And the soundtrack was old school and early 2000s rap and hip hop music.

We only had six rehearsals with the on-stage participants before our dress rehearsal, and we made the most of everyone’s time. We did a run-through in front of a select group of people who provided constructive feedback.

Over 600 people attended the event, and $35,000 was raised.

The on-stage participants kicked ass in the one and only performance of the show that we dubbed, “The Production.” They loved what they were doing. They were excited to be in the show and to be on stage.

Photo by Commons Studio

We recorded the show and had a cast party a few weeks after the show. The participants enjoyed watching themselves on stage and reminisced about the experience. Overall, it was a success, and it was definitely a date to remember.