Up With Naperville

By Mark Loehrke

When legendary rock group The Who took the field for its corporate-sponsored Super Bowl halftime performance in Miami last month, the spectacle was just the latest in a line of larger-than-life displays that have graced the gridiron’s 50-yard-line stage in recent years. Like the overproduced advertisements and the daylong parade of pregame festivities, the halftime show has “evolved” far beyond its humble origins, right along with the centerpiece game itself. So much so, in fact, that it might be hard for many viewers today to even recall a brief span in the late 1970s and early 1980s when halftime at the Super Bowl meant a televised visit from the relentlessly upbeat singing/dancing/smiling teens of Up With People.     

Mention Up With People to any random sampling of the population these days and the reactions will more often than not fall predictably along clear demographic lines. Those over age 30 will likely have hazy reminiscences of those Reagan-era Super Bowl halftime hootenannies, wherein fresh-faced youngsters from around the globe united in song and dance to belt out a message of international fellowship. The generations just behind the thirtysomethings, meanwhile, may recall a passing pop culture reference like the satirical Hooray For Everything nod from “The Simpsons.”             

But while Up With People may have long since fallen off the radars of Super Bowl organizers and much of the general population, it has nevertheless managed to quietly weather a number of organizational upheavals to remain essentially the same optimistic youth collective as the one founded back in the mid-1960s with a three-pronged agenda of social service, education, and entertainment. So when one of the group’s international touring factions settles in for a short stay in Naperville this month, it may be either a new introduction or a blast from the past - depending on one’s age and memory - but it will certainly be inspired by more or less the same message that Up With People has been spreading all around the world for the better part of the last half-century.

The most visible portion of the group’s local visit will be two performances of the stage show “A Song for the World” at Pfeiffer Hall. Director of Sales and Sponsorships Cathy DeGraff says the show’s general vibe will feel very familiar to anyone with a passing notion of the group’s history.

“This is a positive, high-energy show that combines original music and dance with an international focus,” she explains, noting that the majority of the 90 cast members (ages 18-28) in Naperville will be non-U.S. residents representing 24 different countries. “It’s a really family-friendly production that should appeal to all ages.”

Proceeds from these performances will stay in Naperville, with non-profit beneficiaries KidsMatter, Kidz Kabaret, NCO Youth and Family Services, and the Heritage YMCA splitting the pot. But the Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney “let’s put on a show” angle is only one aspect of the group’s stop in Naperville. In further keeping with its mission of social service and community-building, the Up With People students will spend their non-performing hours making outreach visits to Kennedy Junior High and Crone Middle School, working on a dedicated volunteer project with a local charitable organization, and even marching in the city’s annual Saint Patrick’s Day parade. They’ll also bunk with host families throughout Naperville in order to better enmesh themselves in the fabric of the community during their short stay.

“The goal is to not just come in and entertain and leave,” says DeGraff. “We’re really trying to be a part of the community and make some sort of a difference during our visit – both for our students and for the organizations we work with.”


Service Box
Up With People – A Song for the World
Saturday, March 13th at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 14th at 2 p.m.
Pfeiffer Hall – North Central College
630.637.7469