A young performer sings at an All Stars Talent Show audition in Boston."

This summer, Boston All Stars had its third-ever All Stars talent show. In addition to volunteers doing outreach on the street to recruit young people into the show, speaking engagements were organized at local schools by supportive teachers, like Desser Allen, who want to help their students grow and develop through performance.

On the day of the show, performers first participated in a workshop where they wrote poems and created skits around the theme: "What a positive community looks like to me." Some of the responses were powerful:

No teddy bears and pictures on poles from the death of an innocent person or a person who made a mistake.  A park well built where no one will be scared to enter.  Where you hear no gun shots, crashes, loud noises at night, when you would love peace.  
        – Ambar, age 11, Diversity Sisters

All communities will have fronts and ends
But this world would be nothing without friends
At some point in life we will all die
And we will go to a world past the sky
But with the help of people you love
You might be able to steer away from life from above
        – David, age 13

When it came time for the show, eight acts performed in front of dozens of friends and family members.  Highlights of the show included a new performer, David, singing the National Anthem and a new Krump duo, Revelations: The Final Chapter. An added treat was the screening of a video produced by Cathy Coleman consisting of acts from the previous show, including veteran acts Tejada and Diversity Sisters.

Boston All Stars executive director Evelyn Dougherty reports, “It was a great show. We want to grow. We're spending the next months out on the street and on the phones organizing support to reach more young people.”

The Boston All Stars will also be holding its first benefit dinner, “A Starry Night,” on Thursday, November 8 at Club Cafe in the Back Bay.  Led by chair Joan DeCollibus, this event will bring together all the partners who make the All Stars possible: donors, volunteers and young people.  Honorees that evening will include a producer, Dr. Raquell Holmes, a donor, Desser Lewis-Allen, and volunteer, Julia Wald.

To attend or sponsor a youth ticket, contact Joan DeCollibus at benefit@bostonallstars.com.