Kristin Chenoweth's Broadway Boot Camp Returns to Broken Arrow For It's Fifth Year

Emmy Award and Tony Award-winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth returns to her hometown of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, June 9-15 to lead the fifth annual Kristin Chenoweth's Broadway Boot Camp to help mold dozens of students who hope to make a career in the theatre arts industry.

Chenoweth and her talented team of Broadway industry professionals will work with 54 students in grades 9-12 in an immersive week featuring training in acting, dance, staging, marketing and other areas along with incredible team-building opportunities.

The camp has grown and changed over the past 4 years, bringing a higher rigor to the sessions by creating an environment in which each student is expected to learn at high levels and is supported in the process of growth and understanding.

"The changes made over the last few years have resulted in remarkable improvements to the style of the camp," said Mark Frie, president of the ARTSOK Regional Arts Alliance of Broken Arrow. "The program has grown and changed drastically with the direct input of Ms. Chenoweth, whose passion for the arts is unparalleled-especially with youthful, aspiring theatre arts kids."

No stranger to her home state, Chenoweth has been very active in the past few years not only performing at her theatre in Broken Arrow, but also establishing the Kristin Chenoweth Arts & Education Fund, which provides support and monetary gifts to help advance fine arts in public schools.

New this year, Chenoweth and her team will offer outreach sessions for the public, including a professional development session for fine arts educators, a parent question and answer session with Jerry and Junie Chenoweth, a technical design seminar with Kristin's lighting sound designer/production manager Matt Berman for students not in the camp and a local arts advocacy session with mayors from across Oklahoma who will be in town for a state convention.

"These additional sessions will exponentially increase the impact of this year's camp," said Kim Vento, director of the Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center. "Think of what could be possible when mayors from every corner of our state learn and share about how they can grow fine arts in their communities with such a talented and passionate team of professionals the camp has brought in."

As in years past, Chenoweth is bringing along several "friends" to help the students, many of them high-profile names from Broadway and beyond. Camp Director John McDaniel is a Grammy and Emmy Award-winning music director, composer, director, arranger, orchestrator and producer, and is an artistic director at the Tony Award-winning O'Neill Theater Center. Michael Orland has been the associate musical director for 16 seasons of "American Idol," and has collaborated with Kristen Bell, Keith Urban, Dolly Parton and Burt Bacharach. Tony Award winner Faith Prince has been dazzling Broadway audiences for years with roles in "Guys and Dolls," "Annie" and "Noises Off," as well as TV roles in "Modern Family," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Drop Dead Diva."

The extraordinary list of faculty continues with Joseph Church, Matt Berman, Tyler Hanes, Kevin Chamberlin, Celeste Simone, Kyle Garvin and famed red carpet photographer Bruce Glikas.

"Watching these veterans of stage and screen interact with the kids is so rewarding," said Frie. "Coaching and inspiring the next generation of entertainers certainly takes a village-and we've built the most star-studded village around."

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos

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