The Broadway Experience Wraps Seventh Summer Season

The Broadway Experience returned for a seventh summer program at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center from July 28th - August 10th. With over 20 professional educators from the Broadway community, TBE offered over 75 classes, workshops, lectures, a performance based second week and invited Jonathan Groff as guest speaker. Jonathan spoke about his life on and off the stage, and took the time to answer questions and offer advice and inspiration. He was even kind enough to give an impromptu performance from Disney's recent hit film, Frozen.

Jonathan Groff currently stars as Patrick, a young video game designer, in the hit HBO television series, "Looking." He recently starred in the HBO telefilm, The Normal Heart, directed by Ryan Murphy. Groff voiced the character of Kristoff in Walt Disney Pictures' Academy Award-winning animated comedy-adventure, Frozen. In addition, Jonathan starred in the independent feature, C.O.G., which premiered as part of the Dramatic Competition at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. He made his big screen debut as Michael Lang, in Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock and subsequently starred in The Conspirator, directed by Robert Redford.

On the small screen, Jonathan gained notoriety for his role as Jesse St. James in Fox's hit musical comedy series, "Glee." Groff then joined the cast of the critically-acclaimed Starz political drama, "Boss," for its second season and guest-starred on the lauded CBS legal drama, "The Good Wife."

A young veteran of the theater, Groff originated the role of Melchior Gabor in the Tony Award-winning musical, Spring Awakening earning him a Theatre World Award, in addition to Tony, Drama Desk, and Drama League Award nominations. Following Spring Awakening, Groff played Claude in The Public Theater's heralded revival of Hair, which ran as part of their "Shakespeare in the Park" series at the Delacorte Theatre. Groff also starred in two Off-Broadway plays by acclaimed playwright/screenwriter Craig Lucas, for which he was the recipient of an Obie Award for Outstanding Performance - Prayer for My Enemy, directed by Bartlett Sher, at Playrwights Horizons, and The Singing Forest, co-starring Olympia Dukakis, at The Public Theatre.

Prior to making his West End debut at the Noel Coward Theatre in Ira Levin's Deathtrap, Groff starred as Dionysus, the God of wine, in The Public Theater's summer staging of Euripides' The Bacchae. Subsequently, he starred in Jeff Talbot's Off-Broadway drama, The Submission. Most recently, Jonathan joined Alfred Molina onstage in the West Coast premiere of the Tony Award-winning play, Red, at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.

Previous guest speakers have included Sierra Boggess (The Little Mermaid), Chita Rivera (A Dancer's Life), Bebe Neuwrith (Chicago), Kristin Chenoweth (Promises, Promises), Faith Prince (Billy Elliot), Baayork Lee (A Chorus Line), Norm Lewis (Porgy & Bess), and Karen Ziemba (Bullets Over Broadway).

TBE 2014 faculty: Ben Hartley (The Little Mermaid), Mami Tomotani (Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake), Michael Mindlin (Aladdin), Bahiyah Hibah (After Midnight), Kristyn Pope (White Christmas), Enrique Brown (Fiddler on the Roof), Nick Kenkel (Evita), Olga Karmansky (Pippin), Alan Souza (Saturday Night Fever), Carman Lacivita (Cyrano), JT Eagan (Casa Valentina), Steven Malone (Newsies), Dierdre Friel (Leap of Faith), Julian Reeve (Bring It On), Greg Landes (Grinch), Harold Lewter (CLA), Tony Cloer (BRE), & Benton Whitley (Duncan Stewart & Co.)

The Broadway Experience is an international musical theatre program designed to create and inspire triple threat performers. Students undergo an intense study of dance, voice, and acting with current Broadway professionals and incredible master teachers. Students become stronger, versatile, and more dynamic performers, preparing themselves for a professional career at the highest level. Founder & Director, Ben Hartley.

Photo by Ben Hartley