PJs for a good cause

Pajamas, plays and philanthropy. They’ve got it all at Siena College in Loudonville. 

On Nov. 14, the Franciscan college kicked off production of its annual fall play. This year students performed the classic American musical, “The Pajama Game,” about a strike at the Sleep-Tite pajama factory. 

To celebrate the production, cast members have been collecting kid’s pajamas for donation to St. Catherine’s Center for Children in Albany. 

“We’re here to use what we do in the theater to shine a spotlight on someone else,” said Krysta Dennis, Ph.D., producer of creative arts at Siena. “These (students) have spotlights shined on them every night, so it’s nice to use our visibility to create visibility for a site that really deserves to be known, to be seen.”

Sharon Paluch, play director and founder/ artistic director for Consortium Actors, said that the idea to start a collection came from one of their production meetings.

“Based on (Siena’s) Franciscan values, we talked about how to represent that in the show. And as we were talking about it, it came up in discussion about outreach,” she said.

The pajama collection bin has been stationed inside Beaudoin Theatre on campus — where the musical is performed — since opening night. Donations have come from students, faculty, staff and audience members. 

“That’s one of the reasons I choose Siena, was the Franciscan values,” said William Curley, senior, who portrays Hines in “The Pajama Game.” 

“To be collecting pajamas, it feels like a normal everyday thing for Siena. I’m thrilled to even have a small part in something like that.”

“This is certainly one of the most rewarding projects I’ve ever worked on,” said Connor Rock, junior, who portrays Sid. “We’re making such a huge difference in our community and we’re just having fun while we’re doing it.”

Production of “The Pajama Game” ran until Saturday, Nov. 23. The collection bin for St. Catherine’s will remain inside Beaudoin Theatre for a week following the end of production.