Guest Blogger: Hillary Reeves

One thing that consistently frustrates me about Broadway is that it's exclusionary by nature. Sure, audiences can (and should) be incredibly diverse, as can the communities backstage, on stage, in the producing offices and on the creative teams. However, what live theater requires that other media does not is a very specific time and place. In order to consume theater, you have to be in a theater, a space with a limited capacity. And a lot of times you have to be in a major city, often New York.

In keeping with my advice-giving for young people, I thought I'd address the question of becoming a "triple threat." As I've mentioned before, working at Camp Broadway has made me an official source of guidance for a lot of parents and young performers. The early phone calls were intimidating, I'll admit. Why anyone would trust what I had to say was baffling, but rather than backing away, I decided to face the challenge head-on, and I've learned to go into rehearsal settings, auditions and shows with an eye that's geared toward taking away tips that are helpful for young people wondering what to do next in their journey toward being a performer.

At Camp Broadway, I get to meet so many kids, parents and families who continue to give me new insights on their journeys as performers or theater-lovers. But I also have the added perspective of getting to meet industry professionals throughout the year when camp isn't necessarily in session. I get to attend conferences, meetings and networking events with producers, marketers, creatives and more.

Hi BroadwayWorld.com! My name is Hillary Reeves and I'll be guest blogging this summer as a staff member from Camp Broadway, Broadway's Original Summer Program for Theater-Loving Kids.