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What/Who:
This January, American Heritage Schools’ Broward Campus is welcoming the community to two special events: a production of Beauty and the Beast JR. and “Stand Up for Innocence,” a Night of Stand-Up Comedy to Benefit the Wrongfully Convicted in Florida’s Prisons.
Beauty and the Beast JR. | Thursday, Jan. 29, at 7 p.m. and Friday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m.
American Heritage School’s Broward Campus lower school students will perform Beauty and the Beast JR. at the main Stage Theater on Thursday, Jan. 29, at 7 p.m. and Friday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m.
Based on the original Broadway production that ran for over thirteen years and was nominated for nine Tony Awards, and the Academy Award-winning motion picture, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast JR. is a fantastic adaptation of the story of transformation and tolerance. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast JR. features some of the most popular songs ever written by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, along with new songs by Mr. Menken and Tim Rice.
The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity. With many fun supporting roles allowing students to play objects inside the castle, this “tale as old as time” is filled with spectacular costume and set opportunities.
Cost: Children: $5 | Adults: $10
How: For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit https://ahsbrowardfinearts.ludus.com/index.php
Where:
American Heritage Schools’ Broward Campus
Main Stage Theater
12200 W. Broward Blvd.
Plantation, FL 33325
“Stand Up for Innocence,” a Night of Stand-Up Comedy to Benefit the Wrongfully Convicted in Florida’s Prisons | Saturday, Jan. 31, from 7 to 11 p.m.
On Saturday, Jan. 31, American Heritage Schools and its Honors Legal Studies program are pleased to once again partner with The Innocence Project of Florida (IPF) to host its seventh annual comedy event series, “Stand Up for Innocence,” at the school’s Broward Campus. The event will feature three comedians, including Tony V., Leighann Lord, and Maronzio Vance. The pre-event reception begins at 7 p.m., and the comedy show starts at 8:15 p.m.
This is a fun-filled night featuring stand-up comedians who frequently appear on Comedy Central and at NYC Comedy Clubs. The evening will entail levity and laughs to raise money for The Innocence Project of Florida – a nonprofit organization that aims to help innocent prisoners in Florida obtain their freedom and rebuild their lives.
All proceeds from the Stand Up for Innocence comedy show will provide critical funding for IPF’s work to find and free innocent people from prison in Florida. The litigation efforts and support services for freed people are always offered at no cost to the wrongfully convicted, ensuring that justice, freedom, and healing are never determined by someone’s ability to pay.
The impact of these events extends beyond the stage; they raise awareness, bring communities together, and amplify the voices of those who have endured unimaginable injustice. They are a reminder that wrongful convictions are not just statistics but human stories of resilience, families torn apart, and lives rebuilt.
American Heritage Schools offers an excellent Pre-Law program, which is a four-year honors program taught exclusively by practicing attorneys and judges. Each year students take unique law school-level courses that no other high school offers, such as Trial Advocacy, Constitutional Law, Homicide Law and Criminal Law. The program culminates in a senior year internship when students experience the practice of law in real life. Seniors leave campus a few times per week to rotate through different law firms, agencies, offices and courtrooms throughout South Florida. The connections that the seniors make with practicing judges and attorneys are invaluable and often result in future law school clerkships and internships.
Cost:
Tickets range from $30 to $100. To purchase tickets, please visit https://secure.qgiv.com/for/2026southfloridastandup/event/standupsouthflorida26/
Sponsorships are available, ranging from $1,000 to $7,500. For more information about sponsorships, please visit: https://bit.ly/49WparO.
How:
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit: https://www.floridainnocence.org/standupsouthflorida26
Guests must check in with their ID at the front gate.
Where:
American Heritage Schools’ Broward Campus
12200 W. Broward Blvd.
Plantation, FL 33325
Members of the media are invited to attend and cover any of the events and may do so by RSVPing to AHS@dureeandcompany.com.
About American Heritage Schools:
American Heritage Schools is a college-preparatory day school for students in PK3-12th grades, known for academic excellence and top rankings across multiple disciplines. With two 40-acre campuses, one in Broward County and another in Palm Beach County, American Heritage Schools provides a diverse and inclusive environment for almost 5,000 students from more than 100 countries. Dr. Douglas Laurie, a distinguished educator and visionary leader, is the president and co-owner of American Heritage Schools. American Heritage Schools is nationally and internationally accredited by the following associations: Association of Independent Schools of Florida (AISF), Middle States Association (MSA-CESS), and National Council for Private Schools, among others. The Lower School includes advanced classes and 15 electives, and the Upper School offers over 300 courses with 145 honors classes, 31 Advanced Placement classes, and 130 fine arts classes. Pre-professional programs are offered in pre-med, pre-law, pre-engineering, biomedical engineering, business & entrepreneurship, and computer science with classes taught daily by doctors, surgeons, lawyers, judges, engineers, and computer scientists currently practicing in their fields. American Heritage Schools was named No. 1 Private K-12 School in Florida and No. 1 College Prep Private High School in Florida, according to Niche.com, ranks as the No. 1 high school in Florida for the highest number of National Merit Scholars for 16 years, and the No. 1 school in Florida for the most Presidential Scholars. The Math Competition team is No. 1 out of all private schools in the nation, Model UN team is top 3 in the nation, and the Speech and Debate team is in the top 1% in the nation. In their recent “Book of Lists” rankings, South Florida Business Journal (SFBJ) recognized American Heritage Schools as No. 15 in Corporate Philanthropy in South Florida and No. 21 Largest Employer in South Florida.
For more information about American Heritage Schools, visit its website at www.ahschool.com
Broward Campus: (954) 472-0022 ext. 3021 or email admissions.broward@ahschool.com.
Palm Beach Campus: (561) 495-7272 ext. 219 or email admissions.palmbeach@ahschool.com.
About Innocence Project of Florida:
The Innocence Project of Florida (IPF) is an IRS-certified 501(c)(3), non-profit organization founded in January 2003 to help innocent prisoners in Florida obtain their freedom and rebuild their lives. The organization’s mission is to screen and investigate cases in which meritorious innocence claims are identified; secure DNA testing when biological evidence exists; advocate for the release and/or exoneration of individuals whose cases present meritorious innocence claims based on evidence of actual innocence; provide transitional and aftercare services to exonerees; and advocate for necessary criminal justice reform to avoid wrongful incarcerations in the future. For more information, visithttps://www.floridainnocence.org/.
Tony V:
Tony V started his stand-up comedy career in 1982 after attending several shows at Boston’s prestigious Comedy Connection. He wandered in one night, quite by accident, looking for a little stress relief from a high-pressure job as a case worker at the Somerville Mental Health Center. Tony was working his way toward a master’s degree in social work having graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a B. S. in Psychology. It was not long after that he took to the stage himself. Tony’s streetwise humor tempered with a genuine feel for the human condition quickly propelled him to headliner status on the national comedy club circuit.
Leighann Lord:
Leighann Lord is a seasoned, NYC-based stand-up comedian who has been seen on Comedy Central, HBO, The View, and in the Netflix Def Comedy Jam 25th Anniversary Special. She’s performed for the troops in the Middle East, in all 50 states, 20 countries, six continents, and Guam. She was named one of the 35 Most Hilarious Comedians of Diversity, was a national finalist in the American Black Film Festival-HBO Comedy Wings Competition and received the NYC Comedy Award for the Most Thought-Provoking Black Female Comic. Leighann can be seen in Showtime’s Even More Funny Women of a Certain Age and her Dry Bar Comedy special, I Mean Business, has had over one million views.
Classy like Lena. Sexy like Eartha. Funny like Leighann.
She’s La Créme de la Comedy.
Maronzio Vance:
Maronzio Vance is a comedian whose blunt, sarcastic and witty style has landed him appearances on Wanda Sykes: Wanda Does It, Jamie Foxx’s Laffapolooza, Last Comic Standing, and The Tonight Show. In 2012 Maronzio wrote on Fox’s pilot remake of In Living Color and shot a half hour special for Comedy Central that same year. In 2014, he was a regular on Fox’s comedy series Enlisted and has appeared in several national Miller Lite Commercials. Maronzio’s curmudgeonly nature paired with raw intelligence is highlighted in his debut comedy album Laughmatic, where he seamlessly moves from deep political commentary to extremely relatable complaints of the average American experience. His passion for hip-hop, sports, and comics becomes apparent through his engaging commentary on stage.
He can currently be seen starring in Lopez, a new TV Land series starring George Lopez, as a series regular, essentially playing himself, as the character Maronzio.
