Delta Community Choir's concert to benefit survivors of sexual abuse, sex trafficking

Act I: Choir sings to help sex abuse victims heal

Delta Community Choir continues its tradition of performing concerts that benefit organizations in the community.

This month, they'll sing to benefit The House of Promise, a nonprofit that offers healing and help to survivors of severe sexual abuse or sex trafficking.

The concert is titled, “Spring to Life: Songs of Strength, Hope and Joy,” and will be performed at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Delta Township at 3 p.m. May 19. It is the first concert under the leadership of new director Zach Everly. Founding artistic director Ellen McKenzie retired in January.

Everly also directs the seventh thorugh 12^th grade choirs at Charlotte Public Schools, where he is the director of vocal music. He is also a member of the Capital City Music Collective’s Riverbed Voices, which held its spring concert late last month.

The free concert includes music that reflects the journey from the pain and struggle of marginalized people to the hope, light and joy that can be found when people support and uplift each other. The choir will sing music from a wide range of genres including folk, gospel, show tunes and pop anthems.

“We have had a fantastic season making music together. It has been such a joy working with such wonderful, talented individuals,” Everly said. “We are very excited to showcase what we’ve been working on and to honor The House of Promise and the wonderful work they do.”

The House of Promise was founded in 2013 by Shari Montgomery, the former owner and CEO of Pollack Glass Co., to provide a live-in home for survivors of human trafficking and help them break destructive habits and re-integrate into society.

Act II: Summer Circle ready to launch new season at Michigan State

Summer Circle Theatre will celebrate its 62^nd season this year with three very different works — a drama, a musical and a comedy.

The season kicks off June 6-9 with Laura Shellhardt’s “Digging Up Dessa,” directed by Dionne O’Dell. A drama for all ages, the play features Dessa, a 21^st century 12-year-old girl with plenty of secrets and mysteries to solve. She encounters a 19^th-century paleontologist, Mary Anning, whose legacy has been buried because she was a woman and lacked formal education. Dessa is determined that she get the long-overdue credit for her work.

The following week will bring to stage the Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell musical, "[title of show](clean version)," directed by Adam Yankowy and music directed by Dave Wendelberger. Running from June 13-16, it follows the journey of two struggling writers —Jeff and Hunter— who decide to create a work for an upcoming new musical theater festival that is only three weeks away.

The season concludes with Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield’s “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again],” directed by Alexis Black. This popular work was born in 1987 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with the three authors performing all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays in 97 minutes. This latest version includes changes that celebrate and encourage greater diversity and inclusivity in today’s theater. The show runs June 20-23.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday shows are at 7 p.m.; Sunday shows are at 4 p.m. and will be preceded by the Greater Lansing Ballet Company performing from 3:30 to 4 p.m.

The performances are free; so is the parking across the street from the Auditorium Building in Lot 9.

Audience members are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets. Concessions are available but guests are also welcome to bring their own food or picnics. If there is heavy rain, the show will move into the Auditorium Building.

Encore!

• The Repertory Theater Troupe will be performing “Venturing Home” at East Lansing’s Hannah Center in Classroom 235. The family-friendly show will be at 6:30 p.m. May 18.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Delta Community Choir concert; MSU's Summer Circle Theatre shows