![A Look Back At "West Side Story" at The Performing Arts School at bergenPAC](https://www.newjerseystage.com/events2017/West1.jpg "A Look Back At "West Side Story" at The Performing Arts School at bergenPAC")
(ENGLEWOOD, NJ) -- The Performing Arts School (PAS) at bergenPAC presented its eighth summer musical, West Side Story, to its biggest audience yet. More than 80 talented teenagers from across the region put on three performances Aug. 4-6 on the bergenPAC stage. The production was directed by Alexander Diaz, the PAS’s Creative Director, with music direction by Glenn Gordon and choreography by Rebecca Sonia, an alumnus of the PAS beyondDance program.
The tragic story about Tony (Joshua Zonenashvilli of Paramus) and Maria (Rachel Zegler of Clifton), lovers caught between competing communities, was brought to life in vivid style thanks to the talented cast and crew, which rehearsed this summer with the full-time schedule of a professional theatre company. The crew members worked alongside bergenPAC’s professional theater technicians.
![A Look Back At "West Side Story" at The Performing Arts School at bergenPAC](https://www.newjerseystage.com/events2017/West2.jpg "A Look Back At "West Side Story" at The Performing Arts School at bergenPAC")
“Being in the PAS’s summer show is my favorite time of the year because I get to see my second family again!” says Haley Karlich, a Paramus resident who appeared as Consuela. “The PAS is a seriously special place where theatre is not just something people do to pass time. We do it because we’re passionate, and we get to work with others who are just as passionate.”
The cast helped promote the show by singing at the Englewood Night Market festival and doing two flash mob-style performances at malls in Hackensack and Paramus. Those efforts paid off with packed houses for every performance.
“West Side Story is a beloved musical, but you could see from the audience response that this production really resonated with people,” says Dominic Roncace, CEO and President of bergenPAC. “The way they continue to raise the artistic quality of these performances every summer truly shows the talent level and commitment to excellence in these students.”
bergenPAC is located at 30 North Van Brunt Street in Englewood, New Jersey.
![A Look Back At "West Side Story" at The Performing Arts School at bergenPAC](https://www.newjerseystage.com/events2017/West3.jpg "A Look Back At "West Side Story" at The Performing Arts School at bergenPAC")
