They brought New York to Nebraska

Broadway Academy continues a tradition which began in Sutton

For many young people growing up in rural Nebraska, professional musical theater training can seem out of reach. For the past 14 years, Broadway Academy has brought those opportunities much closer to home.

Founded in Sutton by the Allegro Wolf Arts Center Board, Broadway Academy has become one of central Nebraska’s most unique summer programs, bringing professional performers and educators from across the country to work with students from rural communities.

Former Allegro Wolf Arts Center board president Pat Majors and board member Rita Johnson were instrumental in organizing, hosting and launching the academy, creating an opportunity that has now impacted more than 400 students.

While many people associate Broadway Academy with its New York instructors, those connections came after the camp was already established. New York actor Darick Pead became involved after performing at the Lied Center in Lincoln. He later invited friends and fellow performers to teach voice, acting and dance. Students responded enthusiastically, and bringing professional artists to rural Nebraska soon became one of the academy’s defining strengths.

Today, instructors continue to come through those professional relationships, giving students the opportunity to learn from performers with Broadway, national touring and other professional theater experience. For one week each summer, students who might otherwise never have access to that level of instruction find themselves working side by side with professionals whose careers have taken them to some of the country’s biggest stages.

For its first 11 years, Broadway Academy called Sutton home. As the program grew, Sutton’s facilities could no longer accommodate housing, rehearsals and performances. The academy moved to Central City, where the Edwin and Bernice Lock Theater allows the entire camp to operate under one roof. The mission, however, remained unchanged.

Broadway Academy typically enrolls about 30 students each summer, intentionally keeping the camp small so every participant receives individual instruction and a featured moment in the final performances. Over its 14-year history, the academy has served more than 400 students, most from rural communities throughout central Nebraska. While students occasionally travel from larger cities and even other states, organizers say the academy’s primary purpose has always been to provide opportunities many small-town students simply would not otherwise have.

Students ages 13 to 18 spend a week immersed in musical theater. Rather than producing a preselected show, instructors build an original showcase around the strengths of each performer after relaxed Sunday auditions. Every student receives private voice lessons, dance instruction, acting coaching and rehearsal time before taking the stage in solos, duets, trios and ensemble numbers.

The week also includes swimming, games, shared meals, a lip-sync battle and a performance at a local retirement community before concluding with performances by both the professional staff and students.

Unlike many theater camps, Broadway Academy is intentionally kept small so every student has an opportunity to shine. Instead of competing for a handful of leading roles, each participant receives personalized instruction and a featured moment on stage. Organizers say that an individualized approach helps students build confidence while challenging them to grow both as performers and as people.

Organizers also say the camp’s size allows students and instructors to build meaningful relationships that often continue long after camp ends.

For Neomi Craig, who will begin her senior year at Sutton High School this fall, those relationships have become one of the most meaningful parts of Broadway Academy.

One of her favorite memories came while performing From Now On from The Greatest Showman.

“We were partnered together to kind of ‘vibe’ during the climax of the song,” she said. “We matched each other’s energy, and it was genuine because that’s what camp does. You make connections with people within a week that you sometimes don’t even make in a year.”

While Broadway Academy helped Neomi grow as a performer, she said its greatest impact was helping her realize she wasn’t alone.

“I learned how much I love hanging out and socializing,” she said. “I learned there are people just like me. I don’t think I would have found that anywhere else.”

She said the camp creates an environment where everyone belongs.

“Everyone’s accepted,” she said. “Everyone has a place there.”

Now preparing for her senior year, Neomi hopes younger students won’t let fear keep them from giving Broadway Academy a chance.

“There’s no such thing as ‘not talented enough,’” she said. “It’s normal to be nervous, but the staff is really good at working with you and will build you up past your own expectations.”

Looking back on her experience, she credits Broadway Academy with helping shape the person she has become.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today without Broadway Academy,” she said.

Her mother, Julie Craig, has watched that growth firsthand.

Julie first became involved with Broadway Academy while serving on the Allegro Wolf Arts Center Board. When Neomi developed an interest in musical theater, the timing couldn’t have been better.

“I asked if she could be involved as an observer or student manager,” Julie said. “Lucky for us, that was the same year they piloted a junior high program. I keep sending her because the education and talent she receives there is invaluable.”

Julie believes Broadway Academy gives Nebraska students opportunities they might otherwise have to travel across the country to find.

“The staff has impressive Broadway and musical theater credits,” Julie said. “They fly in from all over the country and even the world. These are opportunities that small-town Nebraska kids don’t even know exist.”

Julie encourages families with children interested in musical theater to consider the program.

“Normally you would need to go to New York City or Chicago to have access to this kind of talent,” she said. “To have this educational, nurturing and talented camp in our own backyard is unbelievable.”

Broadway Academy has also helped many alumni pursue degrees and careers in the performing arts. Among them is Sutton graduate Shae Eggers, whose final local performance came during this year’s Broadway Academy showcase before leaving for New York City, where she will study musical theater at Marymount Manhattan College.

For 14 summers, Broadway Academy has provided hundreds of students with far more than a week of theater training. It has given young people from rural Nebraska confidence, lifelong friendships and opportunities that often feel out of reach in small towns, helping them discover talents and possibilities they may never have realized they possessed.

As Julie Craig put it, “They brought New York to Nebraska.”