Seniors Will Show Off Talents at Robins Theatre

WARREN, Ohio – The Senior Showcase production company has been finding talented local senior citizens – and honing their talents – for the past year.

On Saturday, Jan. 6, the Mahoning Valley will get a chance to see them perform. The inaugural Senior Showcase talent show will take place at 2 p.m. that day at the Robins Theatre.

The show will feature 28 acts and over 70 performers ranging in age from 55 to 93. The performances will include singers, comedy skits, musicians, magicians and dancers of all types.

“It’s a platform for people 55 and older to showcase their talents,” said Jennifer Dagati, founder and director of Senior Showcase.

A senior herself, Dagati has been involved in the fitness industry her entire career. She teaches fitness for Shepherd of the Valley facilities and at other senior living centers and gathering spots.

Performing is a relatively new undertaking for her.

“I also have this love for dancing, but I didn’t start until I was 55,” she said.

She had been involved with another local senior production company that has presented talent shows but wanted to reach more people.

“I thought it could be bigger,” she said. “There were more seniors who wanted to be involved, so I took that leap of faith, and it worked out every step of the way.”

She founded Senior Showcase a year ago as a nonprofit.

As work on the show began, people “were coming out of the woodwork” to be in it, she said.

“Most of the people, I had never met,” she said. “It was friends telling their friends.”

After two days of auditions, Dagati and her panel of judges selected the acts and then worked with them to enhance their skills.

Rehearsals took place at the Warren Scope Center.

Dagati felt fortunate to be able to secure the spacious and ornate Robins Theatre for the first show.

“We had a dress rehearsal [two weeks ago],” she said. “It was an eye-opener for many of the performers who had never been on a stage before.”

Tickets for the show range from $22 to $15 and can be purchased at robinstheatre.com.

Pictured at top: A dance act composed of Roe Ragozine, Debbie Mechling, Janice Ruggiero, Sandra Miles, Lupe Cohen and Ronile Bonner is one of many that will perform in Saturday’s Senior Showcase.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.