Patel Conservatory instructors present We Are ONE

Take a glimpse at what some of our Patel Conservatory instructors are up to this weekend in the TECO Theater here at the Straz Center.

Paulette Rolle-Alesnik, hip hop dance instructor, and Nicki Wright, musical theater instructor, have teamed up for a musical called We Are ONE, featuring local talent.

Produced and written by Rolle-Alesnik and directed by Wright, the show is about prejudice and discrimination against all types of people.

“We’re all connected, and we’re all God’s children,” said Rolle-Alesnik, “We don’t have to agree with others, or even be next to them, but we can love them.”

The play covers everything from obesity to the elderly, race, religion, sexual orientation and socio-economic status.

Rolle-Alesnik says she was inspired by how the country came together for Haiti relief after the earthquake. A native of the Bahamas, she’d taken several mission trips to Haiti prior to the earthquake.

“It’s been there all along and they’ve been poor for so long, but the world has not paid attention,” she said.

All of the proceeds from the show will be used to purchase tents for Haitians residents in need.

Though written by Rolle-Alesnik, she looks at it as more of a collaborative effort. For the script, she interviewed people from all walks of life, and even some of the cast members, about their own personal experiences with discrimination.

She tried to approach real life anecdotes with a sense of humor in order to bring awareness.

“These are recent events, not something that happened in the 60’s,” she said. “We have to co-exist in this world...let’s paint the world with love.”

You can see We Are ONE this Sunday, July 11 at 4 and 7 p.m. in the TECO Theater.

The cast and crew of We Are ONE playing this weekend in TECO Theater. Producer Paulette Rolle-Alesnik back row, second from left.