The Donna M. Donnangelo
Performance Scholarship
Dedication
This scholarship is named in memory of Donna M. Donnangelo, who championed the widespread dissemination of the Performing Arts to every walk of life. Her passion for the Arts was infectious; wherever she journeyed in life, Donna left a wake of lives touched by this passion. But in spite of the illness that forced her to journey home to our loving God, Donna M. Donnangelo is the personification of “The Show Must Go On!”
Donna’s Story
It seems like ever since Donna Allen arrived in this world, she sought the spotlight. She always had a natural tendency to become the center of attention in any situation. But when she sang the first song she had written, “Go To Sleep Stay Awake” at 3 years old, she found the outlet she needed for her passion: a life on the stage.
Throughout her childhood, Donna took advantage of every opportunity to hone her skills and move audiences with her intuitive performances. By high school, everyone who saw Donna ply her craft knew that she was very special; this was a dynamic performer who would make it to the Great White Way! Her decision to use the State University of New York’s College at New Paltz as a stepping stone to Broadway would prove to be one that would redirect her passion in a way she never dreamed.
Donna hit the ground running at college. Her enormous talent was recognized immediately with offers of leading roles as a freshman, something that was just not done. Her path to Broadway was clear. In the midst of her enormous success, however, Donna felt the presence of a passion that matched her own. When these two passions collided, Donna realized that she had found, in Andrew Donnangelo, her soul mate. Miraculously, she chose to follow her passion for Andrew and joined him on their journey through life as Donna Donnangelo, his Leading Lady. Donna and Andrew collaborated on five masterworks while on this journey. They named these masterworks Christopher, Danielle, Ashley, Joseph, and Zachary.
Throughout their journey, Donna and Andrew kept their passion for the theater alive and performed whenever the opportunity arose. Donna carried her creative abilities beyond the stage and into church, school, and community by championing the importance of the performing arts to the human experience.
Donna became the personification of “The show must go on,” when in August of 2002, she performed when most other people would have looked for a hole to hide in. After a successful opening weekend of “Bye, Bye Birdie,” Donna had surgery on Monday to remove a suspicious lump in her breast. Three days later, the diagnosis was confirmed – cancer. On Friday, she opened the second weekend of the show in spite of the severe physical and emotional pain she was feeling. No one could tell that she had just received traumatic, earth-shattering news; Donna’s performances that second weekend were flawless!
For the next five years, Donna’s battle raged until, on July 5, 2007, she journeyed home into the arms of our loving God. There was a lot of joy in heaven as Donna placed her reward at God’s feet, rolled up her sleeves, and took her place in the cast of the real “Godspell!”
While Donna Donnangelo is sorely missed, her legacy lives on in the form of her masterworks – one of whom adds his passion to this very drumline: Joseph Donnangelo.
– Andrew Donnangelo
