Students, Alums Fundraising Through Song for LI Charities
When Juliana Becker and a handful of close friends graduated from Hicksville High School, college and life after the 12th grade wasn’t enough to come between the group and its shared interest of the performing arts.
LIACTS boasts an impressive résumé for a group with only a year’s worth of experience. They have raised money to benefit several Long Island charities, most recently on Oct. 24 as they performed to raise awareness for Down Syndrome during Alexander’s Angels Buddy Walk at Heckscher State Park.
“In the spring of 2009, me and three other Hicksville people wanted to think of a way to do theater outside of high school, and we knew we were going to college, but we really wanted to do something with the same people we had went to high school with.
“We held auditions with one of the girls in the show who owned a dance studio. About 10 or 15 people showed up, and we cast everybody that auditioned,” said Becker.
The group soon adopted a few songs from Broadway musicals and held their first performance in August 2009 at St. Stephens Church in Hicksville, and in its first of many forthcoming philanthropic events, raised over $500 for a Hicksville-based charity, the Michael Magro Foundation.
A year later, the group doubled in size and collaborated on a musical revue called A Step in Time, which ranged from hip-hop to dance and included an eclectic range of songs from various genres and again benefited the Magro Foundation.
Hicksville High School, along with Becker, is helping the LI Acts become an official group, which Becker is hoping will lead to more than just a handful of summer performances each year.
“We want to continue throughout the school year, not just do summer shows, we want to fundraise, we want to do car washes, we want to do talent shows. We want to do it all.”
Photographer Katie Burnett was present at the Buddy Walk and described LIACTS as “wonderful” and “something Hicksville should be very proud of” in an email she sent to The Hicksville Illustrated News.
“It’s awesome, it’s 30 best friends and everyone who tries out makes it. It’s great because we get to raise money and sing. We hope to expand and hope to become more recognized throughout Long Island,” Becker said.
And as the group continues to grow and donate their time and talent throughout Long Island, it seems likely Becker will get her wish.
