BWW Blog: Brazilian Girl Finding Her Way into Broadway

How did this Brazilian girl find her way into writing blog posts for BroadwayWorld? To be honest, sometimes, I find myself asking this question as well. I thought it would be nice, as an introduction to this series of posts, that I would share my journey from an international Broadway fan to current Arts Management major.

I come from a family of professional musicians, and one could say that art runs in my veins: my great-grandmother played the piano in the silent movies. My grandmother plays the violin, the viola, and recently, at age 73, she started learning the cello. One of my twin aunts plays the violin, the other plays the cello, and my mom plays the violin. All of them play either on our state's Symphony Orchestra or on the city's Chamber Orchestra. You see a pattern here, right? Yes, I've started playing the violin when I was just two years old, and haven't stopped since then. I also dance jazz ballet since I was five, and I absolutely love it. Therefore I'm no stranger to the theatre. I've been on stage since I can remember, and oh how I love that place! However, I am aware of the challenges of a performer's life - especially in Brazil, where the arts are not valued as much as in other countries. So I decided not to become a professional artist. But my point is: music + dance. Do you see where this is going?

I was introduced to musicals by my grandmother. I can't tell you how many times I've seen The Sound Of Music's VHS at her house. Fiddler on the Roof, The King and I, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and White Christmas are family favorites. Beauty and the Beast was the first live musical I ever saw. It was in São Paulo (Brazil's cultural capital), and I was four. Since then, I've seen 12 Brazilian musical productions - I plan on writing one whole post about the differences between musicals in America and abroad. But it was in 2013, on my first visit to New York City, that I saw my first real Broadway show Newsies. I fell in love with this musical, and even after seeing 15 Broadway shows, it is still my favorite.

I guess my history with music and dance led to my interest in musicals, but it was that experience at the Nederlander Theater at age 15 that made me fall in love with Broadway. Being a fan living in Brazil was made possible mainly because of websites like BroadwayWorld. I read every article, watch every interview, follow all my favorite actors on social media. I became a proud musical theater nerd and converted some of my friends as well. But we do not have access to every type of musical theater content that there is in America (more to come on another post).

I started University in Brazil in 2016 as a Business student at the Management Experience Program. I always knew that I wanted to work with Marketing. As I was learning more about career paths, I went back to my Playbill Broadway Yearbook 2013-2014 and started looking into all the professions involved in each production. And there I saw it: "Marketing," "Interactive Marketing," "Advertising." As a Brazilian, and someone who was not that familiar with the business of Broadway, I had no idea that there is a market for professionals, other than performers, to work with Broadway shows. I just couldn't believe that it was possible to match my passion for musicals with my education. So it became my professional goal.

I feel I am getting closer to achieve this goal. Currently, I am an Arts Management & Entrepreneurship and Marketing double major at Baldwin Wallace University in Ohio as part of my dual degree program from Brazil (I'll explain on my next post, I promise). And as I begin my series of posts to BroadwayWorld, I reach a full-circle moment, as I always come to this website for content, and now I get the chance to create it.

This is how I am finding my way into this industry that I admire, this community that I love, and this art form that has always been part of who I am, even if I haven't always noticed it. I know it is an unusual path, but it is my path. And I hope it inspires other international Broadway fans to not give up their dreams because of their nationality.