In this behind‑the‑scenes segment, a participant and mentor recounts a week‑long Jimmy Awards boot camp in New York City, where eleven talented young performers receive intensive vocal coaching, choreography, and mentorship from Broadway actors such as Julia Murney. The program culminates in a performance on the Minskoff Theatre stage. The speaker describes attending a Broadway show (Kinky Boots), meeting icons like Billy Porter and hearing from Stephen Schwartz, and reflects on the supportive community among the participants. Emphasis is placed on how the experience builds confidence, affirms the students’ dreams, and contributes to the future of Broadway by nurturing the next generation of performers, writers, and directors. The narrative conveys deep enthusiasm, personal growth, and the educational impact of such programs across America.
Chapters
Really surprised that it's actually happening. Well, it's unlike any other theater experience I've ever really had. It's like this wide-eyed, you know, dream for them to come here. Coming to New York and being in Times Square and getting to perform on a Broadway stage, going to a Broadway show. Show and meeting Broadway actors, it's just amazing. Kind of like a week-long super-duper boot camp. On Monday night at the Minskoff, it all comes together. They go through vocal coaching and choreography with actors and actresses that are on Broadway. I had the privilege of working with 11 of the most talented young people I've seen in a long time. I often tell them, everybody can sing great now, so what are you going to do that really is special? How are you going to bring who you are in a special way to this song? Looking at the text, looking at what is your action, what is, what is your objective. I'm treating songs as monologues. I had Julia Murney, and I'm a huge fan of hers. I was so excited I got to work with her. I had to be authentic, you know, try to be as real as I can, you know, minimize on all the excess stuff. We're meeting people that are living their dreams and are living the dreams that we want to live, hopefully someday. Not only do we get to learn from them, but I'm learning from everyone else here. What I've noticed here among the kids, they are very supportive of each other. You don't realize that everybody around in front of you is extremely talented until like you're in rehearsal and you hear people just diddling around with their voices and you're like, whoa! Everybody is so good. I am Don Lockwood in Singing in the Rain. I'm Bobby Strong. I'm Sir Percival Blakeley from The Scarlet Pimpernel. We went to go see Kinky Boots. That was really cool. We saw Kinky Boots. Kinky Boots was absolutely phenomenal. And the talkback afterwards, I mean, like, I'm obsessed with Billy Porter and I was literally close enough to like count the hair on his leg. Or lack thereof. Oh, Sardis was so cool. It was like stepping into a time machine and going back in time. To work with some of these people and to hear from Stephen Schwartz and to have people in the audience that will see them perform, and most importantly, they have the opportunity to meet other students that are just like them, and they don't feel so alone. They feel encouraged and they feel affirmed. Three amazing things to give people at this stage of their life. Programs like these are helping our education across America in huge ways. They're also helping Broadway in huge ways because they're fostering the future generations of Broadway performers, artists, writers, directors. It means a lot. It gives me confidence. I see my dream as well as other people because I'm here. You know, people are believing in me. You see the spark of excitement and you see the joy that comes from these kids, and it reminds you why you got involved in theater in the first place. It's crazy to me that on Monday night their show is on the stage of the Minskoff. That's banana pants. I don't know, I might cry honestly. I might start crying. How many kids our age get the opportunity to do that? This is my second year at the Jimmy Awards. The first moment when the lights came up, I wanted to cry. We were just singing, I just felt this adrenaline that I've never felt before in a performance and I can't wait to do it again.
