Signed, Sealed, Delivered

On Broadway Dancers to host drive-in Christmas show to benefit families in need

Courtesy photo
THE ON BROADWAY Dancers from Broadway Dance Center in Coal City will present the company’s 8th annual Christmas show this weekend. Due to the on-going pandemic, the dance company filmed the production and invite the community to drive-in to see the show on their big screen located in the Ace Hardware parking lot at 2025 E. Division St. Ticket information can be found at showtix4u.com/event-details/42677. The show was filmed at various locations in the villages of Coal City and Diamond.

THE LETTERS ARE ready to be delivered, but it will take a visit from Santa’s elves—Jake Scerine [pictured] and Caleb Swick—to ensure they arrive to Santa in time for Christmas. On Broadway Dancers annual Christmas show “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” will be presented Nov. 28 at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.

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STAFF REPORT

The letters are signed, sealed and ready to be delivered, but it will take a visit from Santa’s elves to ensure the jolly old elf gets his letters on time.
As a kick-off to the holiday season, the On Broadway Dancers are taking their annual Christmas show to the screen to share a story of coming together as a community.
“Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” is an original production that puts a spotlight on the community as two elves arrive in town to pickup the letters addressed to their boss who has been deemed non-essential due to the pandemic.
The tale they tell makes it clear their boss—a key symbol of the season—is essential.
Determined to get the message of Christmas out and do their part to spread a bit of holiday cheer, the On Broadway Dancers are taking a new direction by presenting their annual Christmas show as a drive-in movie.
As a result of the on-going pandemic, the dancers were unable to have live audiences in the Coal City Performing Arts Center. So with the guidance of studio owner and artistic director Kim Scerine, they set out to put their show, “on film.”
“It’s something different and allows people to get out and do something while still remaining safe,” she said.
The dancers and actors that narrate and help tell the story have been filming scenes throughout the community since mid-Octobe. The final touches were being added this week ahead of the show set for Saturday, Nov. 28.
The dancers will appear throughout the 60-plus minute show that highlights a number of local businesses, as well as a few surprise cameo appearances.
Area residents have likely seen a couple of elves roaming the streets and playing in the Hope Helps All-inclusive Park, or maybe Snoopy and Olaf fighting in front of Campbell Memorial Park. The process to put the show together has found the dancers visiting area businesses after hours and even shutting down a portion of South Broadway Street for an evening.
When traditional plans are no longer an option, Scerine said, “you look for other opportunities, and find a way to do it.”
It took a village to get the show from page to screen, and everyone involved in the dance company notes how grateful they are to the business and community leaders who helped make it happen over the past eight weeks.
“Everyone has been so wonderful providing access to their facilities, and being workable. What we all have in common is that we are all in this together,” Scerine said.
Even when changes come at the last minute, you adjust and move forward and that’s just what she did when the state’s new Tier 3 Resurgence Mitigation’s went into effect and forced her to move the drive-in from the high school parking lot.
The drive-in will be held in the parking lot of Ace Hardware, 2025 E. Division St., located directly behind the dance studio. Shows are at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. and tickets can be obtained at showtix4u.com/event-details/42677, a link to the site is also available on the studio’s social media page at Broadway Dance Center. A limited number of tickets are still available.
All proceeds from this year’s Christmas show, along with any donations received will go to support local families in need this holiday season. To date, the shows have generated over $37,000 that has been put toward food, clothing and gifts assistance to area residents.
Scerine said the annual Christmas show is always a highlight of the year for the dancers and studio staff, and seeing first had the impact the shows have on those who come to watch and those who benefit from the generosity of audience members.