50th anniversary presentation. (Photo by Mike McCarthy/ Special for Times of San Diego)
For the past 50 years, there’s one thing that over 3,000 Point Loma High alumni have in common: They all played some part in the musical production of “Gotta Sing-Gotta Dance.”
On May 21, the Ocean Beach Historical Society honored the program’s 50th anniversary at
OB Joyful, formally known as Water’s Edge Community Center.
Guests included several Point Loma High alumni, along with award-winning teacher Larry Zeiger, who presented a video history of the program’s past 50 years.
In 1976, one of Point Loma’s senior English classes started working together to create an
original musical production. Under the direction of Zeiger, the students learned to sing,
dance, direct, and market a major production performed at the end of the school year.
Zeiger claimed that most of his students had never performed on stage before this
experience. His basic premise was, “If you can talk, you can sing. If you can walk, you can
dance.”
Over the years, many of Zeiger’s students went on to a life of stage and screen in Hollywood
and Broadway. Several won Academy Awards and Tony Awards. Others became
successful within the numerous vocational positions of the entertainment industry.
Even the alumni not in the entertainment industry claim that “Gotta Sing-Gotta Dance” inspired them to lead a successful life.
