A trip to New York City more than 30 years ago inspired Pensacola musician Ross Orenstein to jot down some notes about an idea for a musical and he wrote about a dozen songs to go with it. He put the songs and the one sheet outline in the seat of his piano bench with plans to work on it later.
Later turned out to be 36 years, but the idea that sat in Orenstein’s piano bench for so many years is now a full-fledged musical theater production.
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“Somewhere I came up with the idea of a diner and then I don’t know what spurred this, but I said, ‘What if there was a famous Broadway star who didn’t want to be famous anymore and she just wanted to be a waitress,’” said Orenstein. “The musical is a play on that, you come to New York to wait tables and then you’re going to be famous. This is the complete reversal of that.”
“Waiting to be a Waitress” is the name of the one-act musical comedy and it’s set to take the stage in Pensacola as a benefit for the children’s advocacy center, Gulf Coast Kid’s House.
Orenstein dusted off the pages about two years ago at the urging of a friend to finish what he started. Experienced only with writing songs, he took to social media to find a playwright to help him with the script and soon connected with Jerome Elliot Moskowitz in California.
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“He had the whole play done in three months,” said Orenstein. “He’s got a great sense of humor and it’s a musical comedy, guaranteed to go out laughing and clapping your hands to the music.”
Soon after the play was finished, Orenstein had a chance encounter with a friend from college who worked at Gulf Coast Kid’s House. Orenstein’s play came up in conversation and he suggested they perform the production as a benefit for the nonprofit organization.
Orenstein has long put his musical talents to use to help children.
He’s written songs especially for children who suffer from debilitating and sometimes fatal illnesses, as well as productions that teach them the importance of the environment.
He was thrilled with the chance to showcase his latest project in a way that benefits GCKH’s work to help abused children.
“You can’t have a better cause than Gulf Coast Kid’s House,” Orenstein emphasized. “It’s amazing that we’ve gotten the reception that we have.”
The special three-night dinner theater fundraiser will be held Aug. 25 – 27 at The Gordon. The shows have already sold out, so they’ve added a Saturday “dessert” matinee serving New York cheesecake in a nod to the storyline of the play.
“We are excited to benefit from such a fun and unique experience,” said Gulf Coast Kid’s House Executive Director Stacey Kostevicki. “We hope the community loves the play as much as we do and that we can continue to collaborate in the future.”
The production is an all-volunteer effort, including the actors and the director, Sara Schoch. Schoch is an actor and professor at the University of West Florida. She teaches a full load of courses, including singing and acting.
She has directed many plays and musicals, but this is the first new musical she has directed. Directing a new production gave her the unique opportunity to help the creators shape the script and the songs in a way that translates smoothly to musical theater.
She also selected the cast, recruiting many current and past UWF students.
“I signed on without actually ever reading the script because I love the concept so much,” Schoch explained. “Just being an actress myself and just being like, ‘Why can’t I have a normal life’ when most people are like, ‘Why can’t I have a bigger life?’”
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Schoch can relate to wanting a “normal” life for several reasons. She also has multiple sclerosis, a disease that impacts the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. She does her best not to let it interfere with her daily life, but she walks and works with a cane, even on stage.
“For me, it’s about inclusion of others. How many people do you see on stage with the cane? Why shouldn’t a girl be able to fall in love just because she has a cane? I want to change the perspective of how we see disabilities on stage because kind of our motto as actors is we ‘hold the mirror to nature,’” she said, quoting Shakespeare.
As director of “Waiting to be a Waitress,” Schoch said she’s glad to lend her talents and perspective on an uplifting project and bring Orienstein’s piano bench musical to the stage for others to enjoy.
“To be able to share that joy as it’s really a blessing for me and to work outside the community,” Schoch said. “Ross is just such a kind soul who has done so many songs of love for others.”
Orenstein is delighted the response has been positive. He said Gulf Coast Kid’s House may host the dinner musical theater fundraiser again next year. Long term he’s like to bring “Waiting to be a Waitress” to regional theaters and, who knows, maybe one day to Broadway, the place that originally inspired the idea.
“It’s going to be a fun, upbeat ending,” Orenstein said. “So, they’re going to go out hopefully clapping their hands with a smile on their face and knowing that they gave to a good cause, the Gulf Coast Kid’s House.”
For more information about the event or how to support the GCKH, visit gulfcoastkidshouse.org and select the “events” tab.
