Erin, please tell us a little about yourself and your background.
I fell in love with theatre when I attended my first drama class in the 3rd grade in Corsicana, TX. In that class, I found a place where I felt fully accepted, learned skills that I still use today, and made lifelong friends. I went on to earn a degree in theatre from Pepperdine University and worked in theatre, television, and film, in LA, Edinburgh, and New York. I have always been passionate about serving youth and have been teaching kids of all ages since 2000. In addition to my work with Broadway Bound Kids, I’m is also an actress, director, and an Emmy Award winning producer. The common thread of all of my passions is storytelling and art to connect people and build inclusivity and belonging!
When was Broadway Bound Kids incorporated? What was the concept behind creating the company?
In 2004, Broadway Bound Kids was created as a transformative and inclusive community to inspire young lives through the arts and give them a place to belong and be heard. Our organization provides joyful and creative performing arts classes where students gain confidence, deepen empathy, and enhance their skills in theatre, voice, and dance. Since 2004, we have served thousands of students of all ages through master classes, weekend programs, summer programs, trips to see Broadway Shows, full-scale musicals, after-school programs in schools, and customized workshops. Our goal is to help students explore all they can be on stage and off!
What is the ideal age group for your classes? How are classes structured?
We offer high-quality performing arts programs for ages 4-18 led by top professional teaching artists who are passionate about creating an inclusive space for all students. Classes start and end with mindfulness exercises that center students and connect the group. All programs include a warmup, community-building activities, creative play, instruction on technique, and games to explore expression. All of our classes, even the virtual classes, get the students up and moving and having fun!
What makes Broadway Bound Kids unique from other theater classes?
Broadway Bound Kids is unique because our classes all include mindfulness and social-emotional learning tools to further support students and create community and teach empathy. We work from a whole-person perspective and all classes are child-centered and tailored to meet the need of each student in that group. The majority of our students stay with us and grow with us for years and even return after graduation as junior teaching artists or volunteers.
How do you motivate young artists to keep practicing?
Our classes are built around joy, and meeting the students where they are, and tapping into their interests and unique abilities. This methodology always keeps our students excited about practicing! Additionally, our teachers are incredibly talented professional artists that the students look up to. The students see the potential of what they can achieve through the teaching artists and that inspires them to enhance their craft.
Does Broadway Bound Kids host virtual/in-person birthday parties?
We can tailor any performing arts class to a birthday activity!
How do you think theater helps children grow?
Theater naturally builds confidence, problem-solving skills, empathy, self-awareness, community building skills and optimism. And in turn, optimism builds resilience. Theater is also teaching students how to think creatively and outside the box and how to connect with anyone.
How has the pandemic affected you?
We transitioned to virtual offerings within a week so that we could continue to serve our students. However, some of our schools and partnerships didn’t have the same capacity to adapt to virtual as quickly, which meant we lost some partnerships. That along with fundraising setbacks affected us financially but we are making it work! We kept all staff on board and even kept our free programs running! We are humbled to be providing a space for students to continue to connect and create virtually but we are incredibly excited to be back in person with students this summer!
What advice would you give a parent whose kid is passionate about drama?
I would encourage all parents to nurture their child’s creativity by finding a class or program where their child feels supported and authentic and joyful in their artistic pursuits.
Are there any music or dance apps you would like to recommend for kids?
We offer free videos on demand on our site. Also, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok to be the first to know about our free community classes and shows!
Where do you see Broadway Bound Kids five years from now?
In five years I see us increasing access to the arts and equity in the arts! I see our in-person classes tripling in size, offering more free and scholarship programs than ever, taking kids back to Broadway shows again, and continuing to serve kids all over the world through virtual classes.
Thank you!
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