Photo Flash: Tony Award-Winner Beth Leavel Mentors Broadway Artist Alliance Students

On Thursday, July 25th, Tony® Award winner Beth Leavel stopped by Broadway Artists Alliance to share some words of wisdom before the students' highly anticipated industry showcase. Leavel has been starring as Dee Dee McAllen in the Broadway hit The Prom for the last year, a role for which she received a Tony® Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical. She is also well known for her Tony® Award win for The Drowsy Chaperone, and her other Broadway credits include Bandstand (June Adams), Elf (Emily), Baby It's You! (Florence Greenberg, Tony® Award nomination), Mamma Mia (Donna), 42nd Street (Annie, Dorothy Brock), Showboat (Ellie), and The Civil War (Mabel, Mrs. Bixby). Leavel took time out of her busy show schedule to connect with the students and share her advice for navigating the theater industry.

The Q&A session began with Leavel illustrating some of her favorite memories from her time with The Prom, and she then recounted how the rehearsal process of The Drowsy Chaperone helped her learn the importance of playful collaboration. "I'm telling you guys," Leavel exclaimed to the group, "a theatre game changed my life. I found that character in a rehearsal game that I didn't even want to play. So I'm telling you, don't eye roll when your teachers say, 'We're going to do games!' because playing along changed my destiny." The students were intrigued with Leavel's approach to finding her characters, and asked how she figures out which bold choices actually work for the people she plays. "I never edit myself," she explained, "I will throw everything I have in me up against the wall, even if I feel like it's a mistake, and between me and the creative team, I trust that we'll figure out what sticks. Don't be afraid of that process." Leavel then encouraged the students to cherish their creative time together, and to continue discovering their unique perspectives as performers. "It's so hard to get that negative voice in your head to be quiet... but I will say the only way to combat it is to keep studying, keep training, keep dedicating time to your craft and really figure out who you are as an artist. I wish that I had had something like Broadway Artists Alliance when I was your age... keep supporting each other and learning from each other as you get older. It's the people and the community that make this business great."

Broadway Artists Alliance of NYC, founded with the goal of providing professional-level training to talented young artists, enlists talented Broadway performers, Tony® Award winners, and top industry professionals. Students enjoy a wide range of classes including vocal training, song interpretation, scene study, on camera technique, and various types of dance. BAA offers four Summer Intensive Sessions and one Winter Workshop for students ages 10-21, BAA Junior for students ages 6-10, the Adult Professional Program, and a College Audition Workshop for high school Juniors and Seniors who will be auditioning for Musical Theatre and Acting degree programs.

Broadway Artists Alliance's roster of master class instructors and guest speakers includes Christy Altomare, Laura Benanti, Susan Blackwell, Stephanie J. Block, Sierra Boggess, Christian Borle, Alex Brightman, Jason Robert Brown, Andrea Burns, Norbert Leo Butz, Carolee Carmello, Matt Cavenaugh, Michael Cerveris, Adam Chanler-Berat, Jenn Colella, Gabriel Ebert, Eden Espinosa, Michelle Federer, Katie Finneran, Sutton Foster, John Gallagher Jr., Alexander Gemignani, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Jonathan Groff, Lena Hall, Douglas Hodge, Bill Irwin, Christopher Jackson, Nikki M. James, Gregory Jbara, Adam Kantor, Judy Kaye, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Beth Leavel, Caissie Levy, Norm Lewis, Andrea Martin, Donna McKechnie, Lindsay Mendez, Lea Michele, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bebe Neuwirth, Karen Olivo, Laura Osnes, Billy Porter, Alice Ripley, Lea Salonga, Stephen Schwartz, Duncan Sheik, Will Swenson, Marc Shaiman, Aaron Tveit, Noah Weisberg, Lillias White, Scott Wittman, John Lloyd Young, and many more.

For more information or to register for Programs, visit www.broadwayartistsalliance.org

Photo Credit: by Laura McBride