Florida shooting survivors get standing ovation
NEW YORK: Student survivors of a Florida school shooting in February gave an emotional performance at the annual Tony Awards on Sunday, bringing the audience of Broadway stars to their feet.
There was scarcely a dry eye in the house at Radio City Music Hall in New York as members of the drama department at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School sang “Seasons of Love” from the popular musical “Rent” at the annual ceremony celebrating the best in Broadway theatre.
Some 17 students and educators were shot dead when a former student opened fire on Feb 14 at the school in Parkland, Florida.
“What a thrill to be in the same house as those amazing children. Weren’t they marvellous?” said British actress Glenda Jackson, 82, accepting a best actress Tony award moments later.
Several of the surviving students, most of them from the school’s drama department, later spearheaded a national movement
What a thrill to be in the same house as those amazing children.
to end gun violence, including a “March for our Lives” nationwide event in March that attracted tens of thousands of people.
Drama teacher Melody Herzfeld, who sheltered scores of students in the school’s drama room for more than two hours during the February shooting, was also in the audience to accept a special Tony award for educators.— Reuters
Glenda Jackson, winner of best actress award