Palm Harbor Dancer Debuts in 'The Music Man' at Ruth Eckerd Hall

She's been acting and dancing since she was a kid, now Palm Harbor's Brooke Wendt will make her debut in the City Players Inc. production of Meredith Wilson’s The Music Man this weekend at Ruth Eckerd Hall.

Wendt is a theatre student at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). She started taking dance lessons when she was only three years-old and really became serious about the art of dance when she was ten. At 14, Wendt began developing her singing talents as well.

“I love dancing and singing, but acting is my true passion,” admitted Wendt. “Theatre gives me the chance to experience different lives other than my own. It communicates to the public what they fail to see in their own lives. Theatre provides me with the ability to make other’s lives better.”

While Wendt has appeared in numerous productions including FGCU’s production of Agamemnon, and Palm Harbor University High School’s productions of All Shook Up, Bye Bye Birdie, The House of Bernarda Alba, Funeral Tea and Barnum, The Music Man will be her first show with City Players, Inc.

City Players, Inc. is a non-profit community theatre that has produced a summer musical at Ruth Eckerd Hall since 1984. According to Wendt, they are also the only community theatre in the Tampa Bay area that has a deaf interpreter at every performance.

Appearing as an ensemble member and main dancer in The Music Man, Wendt is very excited to be part of the cast which rehearses 15 to 17 hours each week in order to prepare for show. “I love to entertain people and the sound of applause is the most gratifying sound in the world to me,” she admits.

While Wendt is still developing her theatre skills, she knows she would like to specialize in Shakespearean acting and dance. She is currently considering transferring to a larger program at the New World School of the Arts in Miami for her junior and senior years and is intending to graduate in the spring of 2014.

“I would like to go to graduate school and receive my master’s degree along with an Actors Equity Card,” Wendt explained. “I see myself in regional professional theatre. I just want to act. I would also like to open my own theatre company further down the line. As long as I’m part of the theatre community and culture I’ll be happy.”