I learned a couple of things about Tina Fey last night.
She remains revered in Upper Darby.
Nowhere is that more true than with the folks who run the Upper Darby Summer Stage.
We took our live-stream show, 'Live From the Internet,' to Upper Darby High last night to talk to some of the people who knew Fey was she was still an admitted 'nerd.' If you missed the show, you can catch the replay here.
This weekend Fey will be back in her hometown, doing a special fundraiser at the Upper Darby Performing Arts Center to raise money for a new sound system for the Summer Stage program where she got her start.
My thanks to Harry Dietzler, who started the program back in 1976 and still runs the operation, as well as the Performing Arts Center.
We also were joined by two people who had first-hand experience working with Fey back when she directed a couple of shows there in the early '90s. Brian Dietzler and Bethany Paxson spoke glowingly about both Fey and the program, and how Summer Stage managed to make "nerdy" cool.
That was a theme also sounded by Devon Fields, a Penn State student and Summer Stage alum who just finished up as the lead in their production of "Shrek the Musical."v
In the melting pot that is Upper Darby, where more than 70 languages are spoken in the school district, Upper Darby Summer Stage is part of the proud heritage and glue that holds this community together.
Just how strong is that bond. Local and state officials learned that first-hand a few years back when budget cuts threatened the prize music and arts programs in the schools. The community rallied, galvanized in their opposition to the cuts. The money was found and the programs remain unscathed.
Upper Darby Summer Stage is a a Delaware County treasure, just as one its brightest alums - none other than Tina Fey - is as well.
Here's our editorial on what this treasure really means to the community.
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