Being in the theatre is all about being in the spotlight and getting standing ovations from thousands of adoring fans, right?

Not to Kimberly Marable, Dionne Figgins, and Carla Martinez of Broadway Serves. The group, founded in 2012, was founded to help organize a passionate group—namely, the theatre industry—around community service volunteer opportunities. From handing out food at soup kitchens to working with kids and even sometimes just having conversations with vulnerable communities—often communities that are just steps away from the Broadway theatres where these artists are doing their shows eight times a week—Broadway Serves works to “be the change beyond the stage,” as they like to say.

Playbill got to talk to Marable, Figgins, and Martinez about their incredible work with Broadway Serves, including how the project got started, why the theatre community is the perfect resource to tap for this vital work, and how you too can get involved.

The conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

How did this project get started?
Kimberly Marable: So back in 2012, following the murder of Trayvon Martin, myself, Dionne Figgins, and Dana Marie Ingraham—and a few other artists as well, who are also in various Broadway shows—we went to the Million Hoodie March between shows, commemorating his death. We were really inspired by the collective of people that were there to bring about change in the world. We were hoping to capitalize on that momentum and desire to do big things, great things for the community. So we met up, the three of us, and decided that the most inclusive way for people to be engaged in their community is via community service. For better or worse, there is always a need.

Carla Martinez: I moved to New York right before the shutdown, from Boston. I am a product of someone who has been unhoused. I’m a first-generation Afro-Latina, so my parents are immigrants, and we experience a lot of struggles, the same struggles that I see here in New York. When I got here, I wanted a survival job that would be something that is fulfilling for myself but also makes a difference in my community. Meeting Kimberly again—she’d done a workshop at my college years ago—was such a beautiful, full-circle moment that she had co-founded this organization that I so deeply believe in and is so inherent to who I am. So I came on as program manager in February.

I see myself in the people that we serve. Like right now, we are working a lot with migrants, or people with food insecurity—these are all things that are so very personal to me. It’s really beautiful that I get to connect the two things that I love, which is service and performing, and kind of create community within my community. That’s what brought me to Broadway Serves.

To me, theatre at its heart is so much about understanding people and empathizing with people that are different from you. In a way, does this feel like an extension of what you’re doing as an artist?
Dionne Figgins: That’s why our catchphrase is “being the change beyond the stage.” It is an extension of what it is we do as theatre professionals. We talk a lot about how being performers is an act of service, that what we do on stage is in servitude to the audiences that come to the shows to see different stories, and their stories being reflected back to them. By being in the community and serving the community, it gives us an opportunity to learn more about humanity. We are being in service, but we’re also learning so much and gaining so much for ourselves. It’s reciprocal, everything that we do.

What’s changed the most about this work over the last decade?
Marable: From an operational standpoint, social media has blossomed in a huge way. We’re ablt to communicate differently, and with more people. We can reach people that we don’t see every day, who want to join us in this work. I also think the mindset and reality that came out of the shutdown, that insularity—it’s been an interesting transition to remind people that communal work is work for self as well.

Let’s talk more about that communal work being for self idea. I know so many people who feel like they can never find extra time to even get the things done they personally need. Asking people to give up hours from their lives for other work feels like it could be a lot—but then it doesn’t sound like that’s your experience at all.
DF: I feel like every time we go out and we do service, it fuels something in us. I think sometimes we’re thinking too much about what’s going on with us. We get too in our head about all the stresses of our own personal daily lives. But when you step away from what you’ve got going on and give something to someone else, it takes you out of that me-me-me zone and puts the focus on someone else. It’s such a reminder that it’s not all about us. Suddenly every tanked audition, bad headshot, what have you, is champagne problems. Some people don’t have food. It feeds into this communal idea of it’s not me—it’s us.

What work has been the most meaningful to you?
Martinez: We have a monthly partnership with Saint Luke Soup Kitchen. There is such a wide cultural spectrum in that neighborhood. As someone who is bilingual, I’m just honored that I can be amongst my community in a way that doesn’t seem so self-righteous. We go around and talk to people, and I have conversations in Spanish about what brought them here, what their plans are. It just gives me a sense of responsibility and pride, to be able to connect with people in that way.

Marable: I’m really proud of our Kids Serve work. We started this back in 2014 when I was in The Lion King, and we had some young actors there that wanted to get involved but none of our programs were kid friendly. So we started Kids Serve, and now we get paper bags from God’s Love We Deliver, and kids from a bunch of Broadway shows come together and be kids and decorate those bags for Thanksgiving—and bring a smile to the faces of individuals who are too sick or just are unable to grocery shop or cook for themselves. They get a Thanksgiving meal. I love this event because it’s kids being kids. They get to see friends they don’t normally get to see because they’re on the same show schedule. And it’s such a good opportunity to introduce them to being generous members of society. And then they grow up and age out of their shows, but still come back to serve with us and with other organizations. I’m honored to know that these kids are growing up to be great kids, that we’re helping to instill wonderful values of generosity and humanity into these talented superhero artists.

Tell me what it’s like working with the Broadway community, the response as you try to recruit volunteers.
Figgins: The community has been so welcoming. I know when we started, it was surprising how many people were interested in doing this work. People come out of jobs and are like "I can serve now." They’re excited about the idea that even though there’s a job happening right now, they can be of service. Theatre people always want to be doing something, so having a space where you can still be impactful is really special. The community has embraced us, and I know that will continue.

Martinez: They get so excited to keep doing it. The last time we were at Saint Luke’s, we had the assistant choreographer for Cabaret, one of the urchins in Little Shop, and an ensemble member from Gatsby. All of them wanted to help more, to get the word out, and to organize within their companies. It’s beautiful to see how it can take off beyond us.

If I’m someone who wants to get involved, how does that happen? Who’s invited? What do we need to know?
Marable: Everyone’s invited. You don’t just have to be on Broadway. If you work in the theatre, if you aspire to working in the theatre professionally, you are invited. We enourage you to come and be the change beyond the stage. This is New York City, this is across the country, this is internationally. Google is our friend. If there are people you know in Canada who are wanting to serve, we are willing and wanting to help make that happen. Just shoot us an email. You can also check out our Instagram and send us a DM. We are very accessible. All people have to do to get involved is show up.

Martinez: And as for who’s invited, I also want to say that accessibility is not fluff for us. It’s something that we are constantly thinking about when we’re creating these service projects. We always make sure that these events are accessible for people—time, space, location. We prioritize locations that have elevators so anyone in a wheelchair or that uses a walker can serve with us. We want to make sure that anybody who wants to serve can, and give them a number of options on how to get involved.

Is there a standard time commitment, or are there options for various schedules?
Figgins: We try to create service that fits everybody’s schedule. We have some that are an hour and a half, bite-sized service. We’ve done longer stints that go over six weeks, going into community centers to help them write their story. We’ve done plays with children through Children’s Aid Society. There are longer-running programs, but the majority of them are an afternoon, between one and three hours.

Visit BroadwayServes.org for more information on getting involved.