The Bennington Community Theatre (BCT) transformed Valentine’s Day into a celebration of Disney enchantment with its annual Disney Dazzle Valentine’s Variety Show, held on Saturday, February 7 at Ridgewood Senior Living. The public event welcomed audiences with a suggested donation and featured an evening of beloved Disney songs, dances, and group performances showcasing talent from across the community.

BCT President and show director Blake Thompson described the production as both a gesture of appreciation and a lighter offering between major shows. He explained that one key goal was “to give back to Ridgewood for always being so gracious to let us use their space for rehearsals over the year,” while the format also provided “a simple production to be staged in between our larger productions.”

The idea itself was borrowed and adapted from a successful long-running fundraiser. “This was initially inspired by a variety show that Donna had done in Hastings as a fundraiser for many years,” Thompson said. “It was very successful and she brought the idea to us and we simplified it a bit for our needs.”

Each year the show weaves in themes of love and Valentine’s Day, creating a shared festive experience. “We always theme valentines day and love into the show, so it’s an opportunity to share that piece together,” Thompson noted. He particularly enjoys watching performers choose their own material, adding, “It’s always fun to see the talent select their songs of choice. It’s nice to have a variety of ages and talents come together to perform!”

The diverse lineup included solo numbers, duets, family acts, and group dances drawn from classic and modern Disney favorites:

• Trevor Kern: “Be Our Guest”
• Lance Sindelar: “In Summer” (from Frozen)
• Prise Yates and Katherine Sukraw: “Minnie’s Mysterious Valentine” and “I See the Light”
• Ruby Blue group dance “Colors of the Wind”
• Gabi and Preston Nocita: “Valentine’s Day in Neverland”
• Anna Thompson: “A Whole New World”
• Gabi Nocita: “Let It Go”
• Preston Nocita: “Evermore”
• Blake and Owen Thompson: “The Rainbow Connection”
• Chentel and Edison Wanek and Anna Thompson: “Tidying Up the Mary Poppins Way”
• Chentel Wanek: “A Spoonful of Sugar”
• Ruby Blue group dance: “U Know What’s Up”
• Lennon Halski: “Under the Sea”
• Gayle Goetz, Edison Wanek, Blake, Anna, Owen, and Lucy Thompson: “Cruella De Vil”
• Full cast: “Mickey Mouse”

Behind the scenes, Blake Thompson directed and played piano, Donna Dahlsten handled producing and props, Preston Nocita contributed to percussion, and Eric Rothell managed lights and sound.

Performer Lance Sindelar chose “In Summer” for its lighthearted appeal. “I personally find the song very funny and enjoyable due to the character of Olaf being optimistically naive,” he said. He appreciated the variety show’s quicker preparation compared to full productions. “For the variety show, I picked a piece that I was familiar with that didn’t take too much time to prepare for the show,” Sindelar explained. “With a full scale musical or play, it takes a lot of time and energy to memorize lines and practice any choreography or stage movement that you may have to do.”

He also highlighted the event’s community spirit. “While the variety show involves lots of people working together to get the logistics lined up, it really is more of a showcase of all the talent that is in our community and it’s fun to get to celebrate all the diverse talents Bennington has to offer,” he said. “Both are a ton of fun to be involved in!”

Sindelar hoped the performance stirred fond memories for families. “I hope the audience was able to enjoy the song either for the first time, or with family that may have watched the movie together,” he reflected. “For me, it was a little nostalgic as I remember watching that movie with my daughter when she was 3 years old. I hope others maybe got a sense of that too if they experienced the movie and song with their children.”

He emphasized the broader value of local theater. “Live community theatre is such an amazing way to connect with others in your community that you may not normally connect with,” Sindelar said. “I have met so many new amazing people since joining various productions with the Bennington Community Theatre and can’t tell you enough how thankful I have been to now have an outlet for performing and watching others do the same.” He added that having such opportunities “exposes others to new experiences, stories, and opportunities to engage with other to showcase the talents that our community has to offer,” with the hope of inspiring younger generations “to explore the arts as an outlet for creativity and community building.”

Thompson echoed the alignment with BCT’s mission, calling the variety show “another performing opportunity for all ages to perform in which directly supports our mission!” He expressed hope that audiences “were able to connect to the magic of Disney and to laugh and smile at the various talents and of the performers,” and noted that the collaboration with Ridgewood remains a highlight each year.

Through song, dance, and shared Disney nostalgia, the Valentine’s Variety Show once again demonstrated the power of community theater to entertain, unite, and inspire right here in Bennington.