Y-Arts not only helps people discover their talents with arts-focused classes, it’s staffed and run by a lot of very talented people. Those gifts were on display last week with a staged reading of “Call Me Cass,” a “jukebox musical” (using familiar songs versus an original score) about Cass Elliot of The Mamas and The Papas written by Margaret Edwartowski, director of Y-Arts.
Several members of the Y-Arts staff staged a reading of the musical last weekend as a fundraiser for Y-Arts programming. It was very successful, raising more than $1,500. Margaret played Cass Elliott; Kelli Rossi, outreach director, played Michelle Philips; and Mikey Brown and Jamen Spritzer, who are both program instructors, played John Phillips, and Denny Doherty respectively.
“It’s the first time I brought my own creative life into my job,” Margaret says. “It was a kind of cool and interesting experience.”
Margaret got interested in Cass Elliot as a little girl. Her parents and older sisters listened to The Mamas and The Papas and folk music, and she was often told how much she resembled Cass.
“Once I started doing research for the piece, a lot of stuff rang true about being a large woman in the entertainment industry and how that played out,” Margaret says. “And this was a different era, when people did not hold back.”
Sh discovered some interesting things about Cass Elliott while she was researching the role. Elliot came from a musical family, always singing in her home; she also had a charismatic, fun personality with something of a dark, depressive side in private.
Reaction to the show was really positive, Margaret says. People were excited about hearing the music they knew and also learning more about Elliot. The success of the event meant there will be more chances to support Y-Arts and see their talented staff in the future, she says.
“This was a good indicator for us that this could be a nice way to do this once or twice a year, showcasing different artists on our staff for fundraising events.”