SALEM – Salem Community Theatre (SCT) will present “People Will Say We’re in Love,” a celebration of the great songs of the Golden Age of Broadway, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

The cabaret-style performance features two talented young entertainers and SCT alumni, soprano Niki Slaven and baritone Bret Cowden, both of whom have appeared in many theatrical and stage productions at SCT, and will also be joined by several “special guests” for the show. All proceeds from the performance benefit SCT.

Included in the show will be duets and solos from such Broadway staples as “My Fair Lady,” “The Sound of Music,” “Cabaret,” “West Side Story,” “Anything Goes,” and more. The featured song will be “People Will Say We’re In Love” from the classic musical “Oklahoma.”

Slaven and Cowden are instructors for the SCT Performing Arts Program, she as youth theater class instructor, and he as voice and piano instructor. They both also appeared in SCT’s production of “Sweeney Todd” this past October, which garnered rave reviews and admiration from critics and the public alike.

Slaven started her theatrical endeavors at SCT and Stage Left Players in Lisbon in 2006. Literally growing up in the theatre environment, she has frequently been seen on stage at both venues as well as Salem High School and Kent State University (KSU), plus finding time for dance training in tap, jazz and ballet, and taking vocal instruction for seven years. She is a junior at KSU majoring in history and minoring in geology and political science, and continues to pursue her passion for the theatrical arts, appearing regularly on regional stages. She also sang with the Salem Youth Chorus, which has traveled the United States and Europe.

Cowden’s passion for music started in his formative years. Since then, he has grown into a rich lyric baritone, graduating from Malone University, and can be heard belting Broadway show tunes in the privacy of his home and tackling Mozart, Handel, and Schubert in recital halls and on stage. Although he seems to have found his niche in classical music, he got his start in musical theater, performing roles in productions of “Urinetown,” and “Sunday In the Park With George” at Ashland University, as well as “Annie,” “South Pacific,” and “Hello Dolly” and others at local theaters.

Cowden has presented several recitals, including a lecture recital titled “Mozart’s Methods of Characterization in The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni.” He also appeared as the Figaro cover in “The Marriage of Figaro” with Undercroft Opera Co. of Pittsburgh, Pa., and as Count Almaviva in the same opera with Malone Opera Theatre. Recently, he appeared in “Into the Woods,” portraying both Cinderella’s Prince and Rapunzel’s Prince on alternating evenings. Although his history on stage at SCT goes back over a decade, his most recent involvement on SCT’s stage was as both music director and playing the role of Beadle in “Sweeney Todd.”

For the past three summers, SCT has presented special productions that featured and were organized by the young talent which has emerged from its stage and youth theater program, and Slaven and Cowden are proud to continue that series. “It’s always great to be able to “give back” to the theater, and share our passion for music with SCT audiences,” said Slaven. “We both understand how important our experiences here have been to our musical and personal development, and just enjoy being on stage, especially to help out the theater whenever we can.”

General admission tickets are $10 and may be purchased either in advance by calling the theater at 330-332-9688, or at the door on the evening of the performance.