Broadway Dreams Offers MJ THE MUSICAL Scholarship in Atlanta

Broadway Dreams has kicked off its 2024 Summer Intensive Tour “Broadway Dreams Goes POP” and is currently making Broadway dreams come true in Atlanta, GA through Friday, June 7, 2024. A roster of top Broadway pros is leading a full week of intensive musical theater training and master classes with local Atlanta-area students at the Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts at Pebblebrook High School (991 Old Alabama Road, Mableton, GA 30126). The program will culminate in a dynamic Broadway-style cabaret where the students will perform alongside their Broadway idols. Open to the public, the performance will take place at Pebblebrook on Friday, June 7th at 6 PM. Tickets are available online here. 

The Broadway Dreams Atlanta faculty includes director Michael McElroy (Rent), Christopher Campbell (MJ the Musical), Warren Egypt Franklin (Hamilton) and top NYC casting directors Rachel Hoffman, CSA and Peter Dunn, along with Broadway Dreams Founder and President Annette Tanner and Artistic Director Nicholas Rodriguez (Company). Tony Award-winner and Broadway Dreams Board Member Alex Newell (“Glee,” Shucked) and Atlanta-area native and Broadway Dream alum, Carina-Kay Louchiey (MJ: The Musical) will also participate in part of the week.

In celebration of the multiple Broadway Dreams alumni who have been cast in the Tony Award-winning smash hit musical, MJ: The Musical, the organization will offer scholarships to two deserving students from their Atlanta and Dallas programs who display a true enthusiasm for their art, stellar musicianship, and strong dance and acting skills. As part of the weeklong intensive, students will have the opportunity to audition for NYC casting directors, Rachel Hoffman, CSA of The Telsey Office and Peter Dunn. In recent years, Broadway Dreams has provided an opportunity for MJ’s casting team to discover talented young performers to join the companies of both Broadway and the National Tour. An impressive five students from Broadway Dreams have been cast in MJ, including Jordan Markus, Bryce A. Holmes, Ilario Grant, Carina-Kay Louchiey, and Wonza Johnson. 

“I’m very excited about the Broadway Dreams / MJ The Musical scholarship. BDF has been monumental in helping us find young performers for MJ, and my hope is that this scholarship will continue to give access to young artists that will benefit from the kind of training that BDF offers,” said casting director Rachel Hoffman, CSA.

“I always dreamed of being on Broadway but I didn't know how to make it happen. Then I found out about Broadway Dreams and joined their Summer Intensive in Atlanta,” said Broadway Dreams Atlanta-area alum, Jordan Markus. “It was amazing and I learned so much in just one week. I even got to meet Broadway pros like Rachel Hoffman from The Telsey Office casting. A few years later, that relationship became more valuable than I’d ever imagined, and I found myself at my first-ever professional audition in New York City for MJ: The Musical and landed a role on the national tour! I recommend Broadway Dreams to anyone who wants a career in musical theater.” 

The 2024 Summer Intensive Tour kicked off last week at Belmont University in Nashville, TN before continuing on to Pebblebrook High School in Atlanta, GA (through June 7), Florida Children’s Theatre in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl (June 9 - 15), Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto, CA (June 19 - 21), Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts in Salt Lake City, UT (June 24 - 28), RWS Studios in New York City (July 14 - 19), The Black Academy of Arts and Letters in Dallas, TX (July 21 - 26), Central Piedmont Community College and Blumenthal Performing Arts (July 27 - August 3), and Europa-Park in Rust, Germany (August 4 - 10). 

The Broadway Dreams Summer Intensive Tour is made possible in part through support provided by the Stanislaus Community Foundation, the Sook Family Foundation, and RWS Global.

Joining Broadway Dreams’ Founder and President, Annette Tanner; Artistic Director, Nicholas Rodriguez (Company); and Directors of Engagement and Opportunity, Rachel Hoffman, CSA (The Telsey Office) and Peter Dunn, is an impressive roster of Broadway Dreams faculty, including directors, choreographers, and performers such as Tony Award-winner Alex Newell (Shucked), Emmy Award nominated choreographer Spencer Liff (“So You Think You Can Dance”), D.B. Bonds (Boop), Michael McElroy (Rent), Sarah Hartmann(Anastasia), John Bronston (Hadestown), Diana DeGarmo (“American Idol,” Hairspray), Ace Young (“American Idol,” Hair), Warren Egypt Franklin (Hamilton), Christopher Campbell(MJ: The Musical), Carina-Kay Louchiey (MJ: The Musical), Vincent Rodriguez III (“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”), Quentin Earl Darrington (MJ: The Musical), Jeff Gorti (Chicago), Tristan Hill(Hamilton), Alysha Umphress (On the Town), Maxx Reed (Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark), Sarah Bowden (Moulin Rouge), and more. 

Founded in 2006, Broadway Dreams offers mentorship-driven performing arts training programs throughout the year, drawing on a wide network of teaching artists from the Broadway community, inspiring students to awaken their highest potential. Now in its 17th year, Broadway Dreams has inspired more than 20,000 students in more than 8 countries, including a record 3,200 in-person students in 2023 alone. Broadway Dreams has to-date awarded more than $1.5M in scholarships, with more than 150 students booking professional breakthrough jobs since 2018. The 2023 Showcase featured 58 students from cities across the United States, Kenya, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, and Brazil.

The Broadway Dreams Board of Directors includes Dr. Elizabeth Faulkner (Chair), Marjorie Wynn (Marketing Chair), Adam C. Sansiveri, Margaret Busch, Michael Cox, Bruce Daitch, Martha Gorjanc, Bernie Jackson, Nanci Lewis, Danny and Georgina Louchiey, Victoria Morris, Alex Newell, Chris Roberts, Ryan Stana, Lynne Latham Slear, Ivan Williams, Peter and Kelly Bailey, and Sonya Schroeder.

The Broadway Dreams staff includes General Manager, RRR Creative / Ryan Ratelle; Artistic Director, Nicholas Rodriguez; Company Manager, Samantha Schoenfeld; Directors of Engagement and Opportunity, Rachel Hoffman and Peter Dunn; Director of Development, Joe Finocchario; Director Marketing, Hannah-Kathleen Hawkshaw; Social Media Manager Rico LeBron, and Executive Assistant, Alex Oleksy. 

For more information on Broadway Dreams and its programs, please visit BroadwayDreams.org.