Eighteen students from various New York City public high schools recently participated in The Broadway League’s 12th annual High School Broadway Shadowing Program, which was held March 5–14.
The program—connecting students from racially diverse and underrepresented backgrounds with industry professionals working in marketing, advertising, press, technical, management, and on creative teams—focuses on those with aspirations of exploring non-performance careers in the arts.
Students were paired with a Broadway general management team, from seven different offices, to learn about the components of producing a show. They joined marketing and management meetings, toured backstage and box offices, attended rehearsals, and met with stage managers and other professionals working on each production.
The 17 Broadway productions that participated in this year's program included Aladdin, Back to the Future: The Musical, The Book of Mormon, Days of Wine and Roses, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Hell’s Kitchen, Kimberly Akimbo, The Lion King, Merrily We Roll Along, MJ, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, The Notebook, Patriots, SIX, Spamalot, Water for Elephants, and Wicked.
“The
High School Broadway Shadowing Program makes it possible to provide New
York City students with the opportunity to gain direct experience and
learn about the business of Broadway. It is our hope that through this
program, students can envision themselves pursuing careers as theatre
professionals,” said Jason Laks, interim president of The Broadway League, in a statement.
“We are thankful that our partnership with the NYC Public Schools Arts
Office allows us to reach the next generation of the Broadway
workforce.”
The High School Broadway Shadowing Program is a collaboration between The Broadway League and the NYC Public Schools Arts Office.
The Broadway League is the national trade association for the Broadway industry representing more than 700 members who include theatre owners and operators, producers, presenters, and general managers as well as suppliers of goods and services to the commercial theatre industry.
Visit BroadwayLeague.com.
