Last week, Buffalo State’s theater department went downtown to Buffalo’s Theater District to participate in “Curtain Up!”, an annual celebration kicking off the season of professional theater.

Students had the opportunity to see “Dreamgirls,” performed at Shea’s 710 Theatre. “Dreamgirls” is a powerful story about ambition, identity, and the cost of fame against family. With an extremely talented cast, phenomenal singing ability, and a story to remember, the performance was met with a well-deserved standing ovation by the entire audience of sold-out seats.

After the show, street vendors and performers lined the streets to offer an art-loving community lots to enjoy.

Holli Simme was out that night playing with fire.

Simme is a part of the professional fire troupe Pyromancy, which specializes in flow dancing with fire. They perform at many events in the Western New York area to share their art and have fun doing what they love. Simme credits their background in dancing and love for performing arts for where they are today, dancing in a blaze through the night.

But the festival held even more than street performers and food trucks. Ghostbusters of Western New York, a nonprofit organization, came out to celebrate and raise money for charity. Daniel Keith Barone, ambassador for the group, was dressed fully in a Ghostbusters uniform and was standing outside his fancy Ghostbusters car when he told me about the organization.

“They show up to create smiles,” Barone explained. “That’s what the real goal is.”

But the Ghostbusters of Western New York do a lot more than that. The organization has helped raise funds for many other charitable organizations, such as Mercy Flight, an independent provider of emergency transport based out of Western New York. Other charities they’ve helped raise money for are the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and the Summit Center, a provider of services relating to behavioral health and autism.

Barone shared that the experience of dressing up, acting as a character, and making a positive impact in any way is a true privilege.

Jamie Nablo, executive director of “The Francis Bacon Experiment Rocky Horror Picture Show,” explained the will to perform in this way:
“Don’t do this if there’s anything else you want to do,” she said.

But there wasn’t anything else. For many people, performing arts are what they love, and there is a beautiful, powerful passion in chasing that dream. This advice isn’t only for performers or artists. It’s a reminder for everyone to commit to what you love and pursue your passion.