🎠August Magic: Garden Players Live at MacDonald Park + Fall News!
Summer’s not over yet—and the magic is still unfolding!
Join us TODAY, August 5th at 6:45 PM for a joyful Garden Players performance at MacDonald Park as part of National Night Out. We’ll be sharing songs from our original musical Magic It Up, written and directed by Betina Hershey (also lead singer of The Scooches). We may even spark a neighborhood sing-along of her heartwarming anthem, “All Friends.”
🎩✨ Come early for a 6:00 PM magic show
🎉 Stay for BBQ, a DJ, games, and family fun — all free and open to the community
Here’s the flyer.
🎬 Behind the Scenes of Magic It Up
Ever wondered how our musicals come to life?
Watch this short video where Betina Hershey, director and lyricist of Magic It Up, shares the inspiration behind the show — along with magical moments from our student performances.
👉 Watch: Creating Magic It Up – Behind the Scenes with Betina Hershey
🌟 Want to See the Full Show?
Catch the full Blue Cast performance of Magic It Up, complete with costumes, sets, props, and our live NYC band. This show was created by Garden Players and performed by local students in grades K–8 — and it’s bursting with creativity, humor, and heart.
👉 Watch: Magic It Up – Full Show (Blue Cast)
📸 And scroll down for some of our favorite show photos!
🌟 More Magic Ahead…
🎤 Betina Performs at Jillith Fair – August 8th
This week, Betina heads to Albany, CA to perform her original songs Houdini’s Box and Bitter at Jillith Fair – Loving Jill Sobule, alongside her husband and guitarist Nick Russo, Jill’s music director Julie Wolf, and drummer Vicki Randle.
📸 Here’s Betina & Nick with the Jillith Fair flier, ready to take the West Coast stage!
🎉 Fall Registration is OPEN!
Our musical theater classes (grades K–8) begin in late September or early October, and lead to a fully staged original musical in May 2026 — complete with costumes, sets, props, and a live professional NYC band.
We also welcome volunteers (ages 14–100) to join our creative team behind the scenes!
đź“ť Register now: http://tiny.cc/GardenPlayersRegistration
đź“… View our schedule and more info at GardenPlayers.com
🎵 Free Band Workshop Coming This Fall!
Thanks to a generous grant from the Mockingbird Foundation (funded by fans of the band Phish!), Garden Players will be offering a free band workshop for local students this fall. Led by Betina Hershey and Nick Russo, this workshop will explore improvisation, ensemble performance, and will culminate in a January concert appearance.
Stay tuned — details coming soon!
📸 Here’s a photo of Nick Russo, members of The Scooches, and members of our band class in our January 2020 concert (photo by JulenPhoto)!
Whether you’re clapping along at MacDougal Park, cheering from California, or gearing up to join our fall classes — thank you for being part of the Garden Players family.
Let’s keep creating magic together.
đź’›
Betina Hershey & The Garden Players Team
#MagicItUp #GardenPlayers #ForestHills #FreeConcert #FamilyTheater #BetinaHershey #TheScooches #JillSobule #MockingbirdFoundation #MusicalTheater #RegisterNow