Memory of former ‘Palace Theatre kid’ Dayna Brunelli honored with dedication of vocal room

Above: WATCH – video of the dedication of the Dayna Brunelli Vocal Room.


MANCHESTER, NH – Brenda and Michael Brunelli have precious few memories of their only daughter, Dayna, who died in 2016 at the age of 28.

But one such memory that comes with its own soundtrack is the five-hour ride from Manchester to Hofstra University to deliver their daughter to the destination of her future dream, of being an actress. Dayna insisted on listening to the “Rent” soundtrack her favorite, for the entire ride. And now, whenever they hear the theme, “Seasons of Love,” it reminds them of their daughter, whose life can still be measured by all the love she gave to those around her, and all the love that continues to resonate around her memory.

Musical theatre was everything to Dayna, it was her passion and purpose, something she learned to love through Palace Theatre’s youth programming. Last week Brenda and Michael were joined by their son Christopher at Forever Emma Studios where the Dayna Brunelli Vocal Room was unveiled. It is a practice space nestled in the cavernous basement of the youth theatre headquarters on Pine Street, where young actors bitten by the theatre bug, as Dayna was, can develop their skills and add some polish to their emerging star quality.

Friends and family members gathered Dec. 22 for the dedication of the Dayna Brunelli vocal rom at Forever Emma Studios in Manchester. Photo/Carol Robidoux

Inside the room hangs a show poster from every production Dayna performed in, from “Annie” (twice) to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” There is a wall of photos featuring Dayna in action, and musical notes flowing next to them.

“This is going to be a special place,” said Palace Theatre President and CEO Peter Ramsey, whose daughter Kate was a contemporary and dear friend of Dayna’s during their time together on the Palace stage. Kate was among those who sent along remembrances which were read by Palace Theatre’s director of youth programming Megan Quinn during last week’s brief dedication ceremony [see video above], words which evoked smiles and laughter from the Brunelli family.

The beat goes on: Young actors practicing choreography at Forever Emma Studios. Photo/Carol Robidoux

Afterward, the family got see the room for the first time along with several Palace staff members. Brenda Brunelli stood in front of the photos of her daughter, soaking in the bittersweet moment.

“Dayna loved that song,” she said, “the one from ‘Rent’ that starts out, ‘Five hundred, twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes...,’ Those are the notes to that song, on the wall. We asked that they include that somehow. It’s beautiful.”

For those unfamiliar with the musical “Rent,” The significance of 525,600 minutes is that it’s the calculation of one year in a person’s life, and the lyrics talk about how we measure a year in the life of someone we have lost, beyond the minutes:
In daylights, in sunsetsIn midnights, in cups of coffeeIn inches, in milesIn laughter, in strife
In five hundred, twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutesHow do you measure a year in a life?

How about love?How about love?How about love?Measuring loveSeasons of loveSeasons of love

Just before the unveiling, Ramsey reinforced the reason why the Palace continues to invest in its youth theatre program. While not every Palace kid goes on to have a career in musical theatre, it’s really all about the pursuit of the dream and all the friendship and life experience that goes along with that.

Addressing Dayna’s family, Ramsey acknowledged that the room dedicated in Dayna’s memory – and the annual scholarship in her name –  will go a long way in feeding the dreams of kids for years to come. “I know you believe what we believe…  and that’s why we provide dreams for young people.”


More information on the Dayna Brunelli Memorial Scholarship can be found here.


Wall of Fame: Photos of young actors who’ve left their mark through Palace Theatre youth productions over the years. Photo/Carol Robidoux