Opportunity Center, college students have 'oceans of fun'

TIFFIN — Students from the Seneca County Opportunity Center collaborated with members of the Heidelberg University Theater Department for their musical production of "Oceans of Fun" Saturday. The show was co-directed by SCOC Educational Activities Director Sandy Kimmel and Zaria Keys, a Heidelberg senior majoring in psychology and musical theater. For Keys, the show also served as part of a student research project while allowing her to see another part of the theater world. She is typically on stage performing herself. "The students at the opportunity center have been such a joy to work with," said Keys after the performance. Kimmel added to Keys' remarks, saying the idea was originally sparked by a previous collaboration between the two schools. "The theater directors at Heidelberg were having a conversation with a woman in our adult services department and it came together," said Kimmel. "This show is broken down into seven segments, which was perfect for us because we have seven classrooms." Keys said that in order to put the show together, it took a lot of coordination, over several months. "We started by putting the music together, and then we did choreography before allowing it to all begin to come together," said Keys. She noted the students all made their own costumes — students were dressed as jellyfish, turtles, a lobster and other sea creatures. Additionally, set pieces were created by Preferred Pathways adults and staff, something members of the SCOC are extremely grateful for. Following the show, some of the participants were eager to share their experiences. Ryan Herr, a student at the opportunity center, said that he loved to be in the show and that he would happily do another show in the future. "I was so happy for something to do, and my parents came to watch and support me," he said. Another student, Seth Huff, said his favorite part of the show was the dancing. "I really enjoy dancing, so it was nice to dance with my friends on stage," he said.