Young Gifted and Broadway Hosts Spotlight Ceremony This Weekend

Young Gifted and Broadway will host its “Spotlight Ceremony” on June 29th, 2024 at 11AM at The Museum of Broadway. It will be a day to celebrate Broadway’s best and brightest young stars! Highlights of Young Gifted and Broadway’s performance at this year’s Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth are just an example of why these kids are so deserving of recognition. Young Gifted and Broadway is a community for young Broadway performers of color providing guidance, advocacy and unwavering encouragement. This ceremony will be an opportunity to recognize those who were on the stage during the 2023-24 season, both on and off Broadway. It will be a chance to put the spotlight on current and recent Broadway youth performers from MJ The Musical, The Lion King, Fish, Camelot and more!!  

A special presentation will spotlight the following for their performance in Broadway and off-Broadway shows: Ezekiel K.G. Kekuna , Nia Madison Thompson, Annika Reese, Albert Rhodes Jr, Jillian Paige Platero, Davis Matthews, Ava Hailey, Donovan Louis Bazemore (The Lion King), Max Chambers, Jace Bentley, Jackson Hayes (MJ The Musical) Josiah Gaffney (Fish),  Ethan Joseph (Fire Shut Up In My Bones), Christopher T. Woodley (Scrambled Eggs) Toussaint F. Battiste (Waiting For Godot), Mila Weir (Once Upon a One More Time), Camden McKinnon, and Monte Greene (Camelot).

Young Gifted and Broadway first came together as a group of Broadway kids singing at Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth. Since that day three years ago, founder Angela Russell, mother of Grammy Award winner Walter Russell III (The Lion King, Kinky Boots, MJ The Musical) has organized masterclasses, cabarets, theater nights, and Broadway parent webinars all to encourage young performers to follow their dreams.

“I have always said that these little powerhouses are often forgotten when it comes to awards or celebrations, yet they do the same eight shows a week, and then have to do homework and chores like every other kid,” said Russell. “We wanted to have a moment before everyone goes off to camp or vacation to just acknowledge one another and say Well Done.” 

“Here at The Museum of Broadway, we believe we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us and paved the way,” said Julie Boardman, Co-Founder of The Museum of Broadway. “We created the museum to entertain, educate and inspire guests of all ages to learn from the past to help build the collective future. We are so inspired by the next generation of theater-makers and are honored to serve as the setting for this joyous occasion.”

“It really is great to see another parent do this, especially someone who knows what it is like to raise a Broadway kid, and I think a celebration like this just shows how we can support one another,” said Calandra Rhodes, mother of Albert Rhodes Jr. currently in The Lion King.

For more information on Young Gifted and Broadway go to www.younggiftedbroadway.org and follow @younggiftedbroadway 

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