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A Step Above: Andrew Wright
By Callie Thomas
“There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done…. All you need is love, love; love is all you need.”
– John Lennon/Paul McCartney
“I love my job!” exclaims resident Andrew Wright. He has good reason, working directly with the six Liverpool Lads of the popular Cirque du Soleil show LOVE at the Mirage. After all, in Wright’s world, it’s totally commonplace to have someone walk on their hands past your dressing room door. The concept of the LOVE show is perhaps the epitome of what makes Andrew Wright tick. In addition to a passion for the arts and sharing them with everyone, even those who are not able to afford to witness the magic of live performance, Wright is an optimist. If there’s a will there’s a way. And that will has grown into the formation of a nonprofit group called RagTag Entertainment, which reaches out to help those in need in our community.
The eight year resident’s love of the arts started at an early age. “I saw The Phantom of the Opera when I was in middle school and immediately turned to the chaperone and said, ‘This is what I’m going to do for the rest of my life.’” If his parents had not sent Andrew on that fateful trip, he would never have imagined the possibilities. RagTag ensures that other kids have the same opportunity as Wright. The organization was conceived nearly ten years ago while Andrew was choreographing The Wizard of Oz in New York. “The director and I were close friends and created this vision together. While she tragically passed away later that year, I vowed to keep this dream alive. With RagTag, we do our best to make sure as many kids as possible are introduced to the arts.”
RagTag puts on full scale production musicals and plays bringing all different types of performance art to our schools for free. It’s taken on sort of a pied piper effect, gathering others who have a yearning to perform and share it with the community. “In our shows at schools, we not only bring in working performers, but use local kids of all ages and local adults. One show had the school principal playing piano for our singers,” says Wright, admitting his extreme gratitude for the artists who do the show. “Not every style will speak to every kid, so we bring a little of everything–jazz, opera, plays, musical theater, dance, puppetry, you name it.”
RagTag has also assisted local charities as well as families in need. “One family in particular ran into very serious health problems this last fall, and we were able to provide entertainment at an event to help the family,” he said. “It’s great being a part of everyone coming together to help someone in a dark hour.” The group tries to pair their shows and events in a way that best assists the individual charities they support, whether it be food drives, clothing drives, or other ways to help. One charity that Wright has a personal affection for is called “Walking the Roads.” The organization collects used shoes to distribute to villages in Africa. “We collect at shows and appearances and we’ll be sending a singer to perform at an upcoming event in Phoenix this month.”
Community is everything to Andrew Wright and his wife Amanda. They lead by example, instilling a passion for the arts and helping others early on in their one year old daughter Ava. He is intent on making a positive impact on the world and hopes to inspire local businesses to lend their support. “I love hearing kids asking their parents to enroll them in dance, voice or other forms of entertainment as they are leaving our performances. Each time, that’s one more kid or family whose lives will be better through music and the arts.” For more information and a schedule of upcoming events, email RagTagent@yahoo.com or look for them on Facebook.
I really love the quote”love is all you need”. I am inspired by this article! Thank you for all your help and support to the las vegas community.