Brandon Victor Dixon, Adrienne Warren, and Jelani Alladin to Appear in Concert for Broadway Collective

Robert Hartwell announces Project Next Gen, a scholarship award that brings underrepresented students-including people of color, immigrants, refugees, transgender, non-binary, and students from low-income school districts-to New York City for a week of Broadway training and mentorship. The Broadway Collective is a training academy offered online, in New York, and nearly 20 cities nationwide, for young performers who are serious about pursuing a career in the music theatre industry.

To help raise scholarship funds The Broadway Collective hosts a star-studded concert on Monday, June 17th at Haswell Green's (240 West 52ndStreet). Doors are at 7pm, the concert is at 8pm, followed by an after party sponsored by S.N.O.B. (Sunday Night on Broadway), a monthly Broadway industry party. An online auction will be open for biding, and donations will be accepted through a text to donate campaign. Performers include Emmy and Tony nominee Brandon Victor Dixon (Hamilton, Jesus Christ Superstar Live!), Tony nominee Adrienne Warren (Tina, Shuffle Along), and Jelani Alladin (Frozen). Additional performers to be announced; the lineup is subject to change.

Tickets are $25, and a select number of VIP tables are available for $250, and include four tickets, signature cocktails, and hors d'oeuvres. All tickets can be purchased by visiting bit.ly/BCGNextGenTix.

To text to give, text NEXT to 66866. For more information on the auction and how to donate, visit BwayCollective.com/donate.

"America isn't just one color or one story, it's a melting pot of experiences, cultures, backgrounds, and viewpoints," said Hartwell, a seven-time Broadway show veteran (most recently in the Tony Award-winning production of Hello, Dolly! starring Bette Midler). "The Broadway Collective believes that it is high time for professional musical theatre to be just as diverse and complex as our country -- and we have a plan to help change it starting at the educational level. Right now, there are lots of underrepresented, and underserved students around the country who dream of working on Broadway when they grow up-but many of these kids don't have access to the arts education they need. This puts that child at a huge educational disadvantage; we are determined to change that."

This year, Hartwell's team fielded hundreds of audition videos-submitted from all around the country -to find the most promising young performers nationwide. Fifteen high school students have been selected for the 2019 Project Next Gen scholarship award.

These fifteen award recipients will travel to New York City this summer for master classes with Tony Award-winning performers, meetings with managers and casting directors, tickets to Broadway shows, backstage tours, dinner with cast members, plus airfare, hotel accommodation, and meals (for both student and a parent/chaperone)-all included.

Project Next Gen's mission is to make arts education accessible to everyone-regardless of ethnicity, gender identity, or economic situation-and bring more diversity and inclusivity to the future of Broadway and beyond. Hartwell has a deeply personal connection to this mission.

"These are students who would ordinarily never be able to afford this kind of arts education experience without financial aid," says Hartwell. "This is a life-altering experience for these kids-one that will open their eyes to what's possible for their futures and help launch their careers in the arts. Growing up as a black kid in a single parent household in North Carolina, we didn't have any money to spare for dance, voice, and acting lessons, let alone a college education," Hartwell says. "I was blessed; I received a lot of help from people who believed in me. Teachers. Mentors. And financial aid-grants, awards, and scholarships-that's what made this path possible for me. Without scholarships, I would not be where I am today. Now I want to pay it forward to Broadway's next generation."

For more information on The Broadway Collective, visit BwayCollective.com, For more information about Project Next Gen, visit BwayCollective.com/NextGen. For more information on S.N.O.B., visit SNOBbway.com.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos