Special to The Truth
The “60s Spectacular” is arriving within days! Local artists, celebrity guest host Jay Lamont, and musicians from Toledo and Detroit will provide an evening of entertainment this weekend in Bowling Green in order to provide funding for student scholarships and programming – specifically for the Pre-College Enrichment Program (PEP)
Produced and directed by Sheila Brown, the 60s Spectacular show is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 7, at 8 p.m., and Saturday, Aug. 8, at 7 p.m., at the Bowling Green Performing Arts Center.
The Pre-College Enrichment Program is a 501(c)(3) public charity
dedicated to preparing motivated high school students for college success
by providing the tools, knowledge, mentorship, and confidence to pursue
higher education. Launching in Summer 2027, PEP will welcome rising high
school sophomores and juniors with a minimum 2.25 GPA and three
recommendations from teachers, coaches, or school counselors.
The vision builds on a proven legacy. PEP began at Bowling Green State
University in 1997 as a residential summer college immersion program.
Between 1999 and 2005, the original program achieved an impressive 70–85 percent college enrollment rate among participants. Today, local officials are reimagining that successful model through a four-week residential experience that combines academic enrichment, leadership development, life skills, mentorship and a supportive community that extends well beyond the summer.
Dinner Theatre BG is PEP’s signature annual fundraiser and a revival of the
legendary BGSU Dinner Theatre that Sheila Brown produced for
more than a decade. Each year features a new musical theme, and Brown says she is thrilled to launch this tradition with the 2026 60’s Spectacular!
Every ticket purchased, sponsorship secured, and donation received, she added, helps fund scholarships, programming, and college access opportunities for deserving students. The goal is to raise $100,000 to fully support the inaugural summer cohort while creating meaningful cultural and economic impact throughout our community.
Brown and her team are welcoming back professional comedian and impressionist Jay Lamont, a Langston University alumnus, longtime friend and artistic
collaborator who headlined Dinner Theatre productions beginning in 2004.
Joining him is Bowling Green’s own professional basketball standout Vitto
Brown (Sheila’s son), home from the EuroLeague, along with an extraordinary cast of
performers representing BGSU, St. John’s Jesuit, Toledo School for the
Arts, Bowling Green City Schools, BG Christian Academy, Defiance College,
Detroit and Toledo area artists, and our community—from talented
seven-year-olds to inspiring performers in their eighties.
According to Sheila Brown, one of the greatest joys of Dinner Theatre BG is its ability to bring people together—not only to support a worthy cause, but to build friendships and connections among people whose paths might never otherwise cross. It provides an outlet for creative expression, inspires those discovering the joy of performing, and offers a stage where talented people of all ages can celebrate the arts together. That spirit of collaboration and community is what makes this production so special.
And for Brown, this production is especially personal – it’s a family affair. In addition to her son Vitto, other family members are playing crucial parts. Her husband Angelo designed the flyers, playbill, screen-printed Globetrotters jerseys and designed and constructed the props and platforms. He’s also portraying MLK Jr in the production. Her daughter Carla, a BGSU business major, came up with the concept of a non-profit organization – she built the PEP website and serves as communications liaison for the cast and crew. Carla is also playing Nina Simone. Sheila’s older son Xavier is the choreographer and performer for “Joe and the Jets” and the Harlem Globetrotters and Xavier’s daughter, Brooklyn, is making her singing and acting debut. Sheila’s cousins from Detroit are portraying the Edwin Hawkins Singers “Oh Happy Day,” Gladys Knight and the Pips and the 5th Dimension.
The 60s Spectacular will also present Muhammed Ali, The Rat Pack, Neil Diamond, The Vandellas, The Supremes, The Beverly Hillbillies, Sonny & Cher, Aretha
Franklin, The Beatles and so many more!