The weekend heat wave is cooling down this morning but Paramount Proud led Sunday’s first ever, history-making Aurora Pride Parade participating with over 300 marchers in our own ranks! I still haven’t come down from riding that wave, the tsunami of love, that lifted the hearts of everyone there! Tim Rater and his beautiful family was joined by our office staff, production and box office teams, our many casts of actors, musicians, designers, technicians, ushers, families of Paramount patrons, subscribers and friends, all organized by Artistic Associate and Casting Director Trent Stork with our Director of Education and Community Engagement Shannon Cameron. Indivisible Aurora’s initiative led by Chuck and Kimberly Adams and Gwyn Ciesla with The City of Aurora’s Mike Nelson, brought our city and Pride Parade together. The sweltering almost 100 degree heat in no way discouraged these crowds to cheer all of the representatives marching from churches, high schools, colleges, community activists, hospitals, counseling and law offices, and professional and commercial businesses. You had to be there to really grasp the incredible sensation, the thrill, of seeing masses of people living up to Mayor Irvin’s mantra, “One Aurora”!
The sight of over 5,000 culturally diverse families and individuals of all ages and colors celebrating as one voice felt like some kind of intense, wildly vivid dream full of heart-racing joy, peace and prosperity!
The crowd’s roar lifted up the shy and quiet, the bullied, the young people struggling with feeling depressed, shamed and marginalized and were embraced by our parents and pastors and political leaders of our loving community that danced in the streets of The City of Aurora where everyone is included!
Ever grateful to have lived in this moment of civic pride, optimism and hope for our future together! It really happened!
So imagine what it was like walking ten feet off the ground into auditions yesterday morning! Paramount’s The Producers‘ choreographer Brenda Didier gave us even more reason to dance: Ensemble dance callbacks! Tap dancing, jazzy, balletic, Broadway razzmatazz! Another long day into a late night but full of gut-busting laughs from a gathering of superbly talented musical comedy artists! Gotta make a run for it right now for Day Two!
Love & thanks,
Jim
