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SCHENECTADY
‘Mamma Mia’ cast members come back to their roots
BY JESSICA HARDING Gazette Reporter

    When Anthony CeFala performs on the Proctors stage this week as Eddie in “Mamma Mia,” he bets there will be at least one person in the audience he knows.
    CeFala, a Mohonasen High School graduate, will be performing for the first time at Proctors and “the whole world” is coming to see him, he said, referring to his friends and family members.
    “I’ve been feeling kind of nervous about it,” he said.
    CeFala said he got his start in theater in high school under the tutelage of Mohonasen High School’s theater director Margaret Gray, whose been directing the school’s Mohon Masque and ‘Lil Masque programs for years.
    After years performing in the Capital Region’s playhouses like the Schenectady Light Opera Company, CeFala has made it to the professional stage in the touring production of the Broadway hit “Mamma Mia.”
    CeFala isn’t the only hometown boy to be performing in this week’s production of “Mamma Mia” either.
    Donell James Foreman, an Albany High School graduate, will be joining him in the ensemble.
    “My family is definitely coming, which is great,” Foreman said. “And, I’m living at home while I’m here.”
    Foreman said he wanted to give a “shout out” to the Schenectady Light Opera, the Park Playhouse and the New York State Theater Institute where he got his start as an actor before moving to New York City.
    “I knew I wanted to do this after high school. I’ve always had that in mind and here we are,” he said.
    Both CeFala and Foreman worked as interns during their senior years of high school for NYSTI.
Patricia Snyder, producing artistic director at NYSTI, said it’s one of the greatest compliments to have former interns go on to work in the professional theater world.
“It’s what being a teacher is all about,” Snyder said. “You dream that you’re going to motivate and inspire your student to go on further. We’re very proud that former interns are taking their place in the professional theater world.”
    Michelle Dawson, of Vermont, was initiated into the Capital Region when she started playing roles in NYSTI productions. “NYSTI is close to my heart. It’s been really wonderful to me,” she said.
    So close in fact, that Dawson is staying with Snyder while she is in the Capital Region. Dawson plays Tanya, one of Donna, the main character’s, girlfriends. She said its a sizable role. Dawson said she also has friends and family coming to the show.
    “I’ve been with the show for eight months and this is the first time my family is coming to see me. It’s very exciting actually,” she said.
Dawson said “Mamma Mia” is like a big party with relatable characters. “There is always someone in the show, some character that the audience can relate to,” Dawson said. “Mamma Mia” is opening at Proctors Tuesday and will play eight shows, ending Sunday afternoon.