Watch the Marjory Stoneman Douglas theater department get a standing ovation at the Tonys with a beautiful ‘Rent’ performance.
In today’s “I’m not crying, you’re crying” news… the theater department from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School made a special appearance at the 2018 Tony Awards to sing the Rent classic “Seasons of Love”. That song is always a tearjerker, but seeing the brave children who survived a mass shooting and so much hatred sing it was an entirely different level of emotion. The audience full of Broadway greats was visibly moved by the moment. And you could see stars like Tina Fey, and Tony winners Nathan Lane and Katrina Lenk trying to contain their tears when the cameras panned to the crowd.
As the kids finished their truly exceptional performance (those kids are talented), presented by Glee ‘s Matthew Morrison, they got a standing ovation. In a night full of wondrous performances from musicals like Mean Girls, Once on This Island, The Band’s Visit, and Spongebob Squarepants, the Stoneman Douglas kids will go down as the one to remember. It wasn’t the only tribute to Stoneman Douglas theater that night, either. Their drama teacher, Melody Herzfeld, was honored with a Tony Award for excellence in theater education from the Tonys and Carnegie Mellon University at the Sunday ceremony.
During the shooting at the high school on February 14, Melody shielded 65 students in her classroom for two hours. “I remember on February 7th, sharing a circle with my beloved students, and encouraging them to be good to each other when times were trying, and to keep the family together,” she said in her acceptance speech.
