The Daily Times

Editor’s Note: In honor of The Gate and New Hope’s April Foolies talent show at 7 p.m. March 30 at the Clayton Center for the Arts, The Daily Times is running a weekly special feature on each of the six acts performing in the self-proclaimed “Talent Show with a Twist.”

The Gatecrashers know how to bring down a house.

The brainchild of Pistol Creek Catch of the Day’s Edward Harper, the Gatecrashers is a choir comprised of participants from The Gate, the nonprofit organization that assists individuals with disabilities to achieve independence by providing social and vocational activities.

Christy Walsh, executive director for The Gate, said that nothing exemplifies the Gate’s mission more than the Gatecrashers, and performing at the Clayton Center for the Arts is the highlight of the year for her participants.

Walsh said, “We celebrate the opportunity to come together with the community at large and to demonstrate what The Gate is all about — a group of young people who help each other and work together on their performance, find joy in being part of a special community, and share the pride they have at what they can accomplish.”

Changing act

With this being the fourth year of the Gatecrashers performing at April Foolies, Walsh said they are changing things up a bit.

“This year, for the first time, we have divided our act into two separate performance groups,” Walsh said. “The first performance will feature our participant Owen singing “Pretty Woman” with his backup group and a very special “pretty woman.” The second is the larger group (and we want to keep their performance a surprise), but we believe it will have the audience smiling and singing along with us.”

Tickets for April Foolies are available at New Hope, The Gate, the Clayton Center Box Office, and from committee members. Tickets are $15 general admission or $30 for VIP tickets, which includes general admission and a post-show reception with beverages and heavy hors d’oeuvres. Like April Foolies on Facebook for more information.