HFC Theatre presents “Torn Apart, Together,” exploring the theme of love
HFC Theatre will present Torn Apart, Together February 15-16 in the Adray Auditorium (Room F-100) in the MacKenzie Fine Arts Center (Building F on the main campus):
- Saturday, February 15, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Sunday, February 16, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Drawing from musicals with love as the central theme
Torn Apart, Together is a musical theatre showcase that director Vanessa El-Zein created and curated. It draws on pieces from various musicals and ties them together with a central theme: love.
“The multi-faceted topic of love can take on many forms, including relationships with friends, family, and ourselves. With love comes joy, sorrow, longing, and loss. We will weave that together to tell a unique story,” said El-Zein. “We'll be performing music from Spring's Awakening, Hadestown, Dear Evan Hanson, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and much more. Torn Apart, Together gives us the opportunity to learn that musical theatre can come in many forms, from many genres, and bring us together to create a cohesive and wonderful showcase.”
The cast includes students from HFC and the University of Michigan-Dearborn. El-Zein pointed out that there isn’t a main role in Torn Apart, Together, because it’s a showcase.
“Each performer has their moment to shine in a solo number or in a group number,” she said.
Veteran musical director makes directorial debut at HFC
Torn Apart, Together also marks El-Zein’s directorial debut at HFC. After hearing about her work as music director for In The Heights at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn, HFC Director of Theatre Dr. John-Michael Sefel contacted El-Zein about working on a new showcase idea, which turned into Torn Apart, Together.
“I had the privilege of seeing Dr. Sefel’s work on Leo's Big Day Out and The Detroit Wall Project at HFC,” recalled El-Zein. “He was like, ‘Hey! Let's do a thing!’ And I was like, ‘Okay! let's do it!’ And here we are! It’s been an exciting ride.”
El-Zein has directed more than 15 musicals with the Dearborn Theatre Collective and has directed productions at Allen Park High School, Crestwood High School (her alma mater) in Dearborn Heights, and Annapolis High School in Dearborn Heights. El-Zein is also the director of two youth choirs: Dearborn Voices and Voices of the Young.
After graduating from Crestwood, El-Zein attended HFC and earned her associate degree in business administration. She later transferred to Eastern Michigan University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in music.
“Directing at HFC has been an incredible experience!” said El-Zein. “The support from students and faculty has been overwhelming. The process has been inspiring, and I’m thrilled to bring this unique vision to life with such talented performers.”
Tickets prices for Torn Apart, Together are:
- $10 for general admission
- $5 for students with a valid photo ID
For questions or more information about Torn Apart, Together, contact El-Zein at velzein99@gmail.com.