Robert Hartwell Launches 2018 Tour of The Broadway Collective Master Class

Broadway veteran and Original Broadway Cast member of the Tony Award-winning revival of Hello, Dolly!, Robert Hartwell launches the 3rd season of The Broadway Collective-a traveling, multi-disciplinary musical theatre master class.

Designed as the new industry standard of training Broadway's next generation, The Broadway Collective offers acting, musical theatre dance, and vocal performance technique to aspiring Broadway performers in a five-hour master class across the United States. Each master class is taught by Broadway professionals. Classes sizes are extremely limited and many of the 2017 tour stops sold out.

"When we opened The Broadway Collective, I had no idea the response would be this overwhelming," says Hartwell. "I want students to get in touch with the work ethic that will be required of them to succeed in this industry."

In the upcoming 16-city tour, students can expect to be challenged by the instruction provided by The Broadway Collective teaching artists. Hartwell notes, "some of my greatest breakthroughs as a performer came when I was pushed out of my wheelhouse. I'm here on this earth to push our students to be more resilient workers-if I can get their inner fighter activated towards doing the work, the rest of the skills with follow."

"If your student or child loves musicals and wants to possibly pursue a career in the industry," says parent David Seitz, "do yourself a favor and sign up for one of the tour stops, you won't regret it. These people want to be teaching and sharing with your kids and it shows."

The Broadway Collective 3rd season launched on October 14th in Detroit, MI, at Wayne State University and will run nationwide until March 4, 2018. Check local dates and register for classes at bwaycollective.com.

2018 MASTER CLASS DATES: Greenville, SC (January 13th), Atlanta, GA (January 14th), Little Rock, AK (January 20th), Memphis, TN (January 21st), Orlando, FL (January 27th), Austin, TX (January 28th), Salt Lake City, UT (February 3rd), Phoenix, AZ (February 4th), Las Vegas, NV (February 10th), San Jose, CA (February 11th), Philadelphia, PA (February 17th), Baltimore, MD (February 18th), Wichita, KS (February 24th), Kansas City, KS (February 25th), Seattle, WA (March 3rd), Los Angeles, CA (March 4th).

Since making his Broadway debut in Memphis, Founder Robert Hartwell has been seen on Broadway in Hello, Dolly! With Bette Midler, Motown the Musical, Dreamgirls, Cinderella, and Nice Work if You Can Get It. Hartwell notes his offstage work has always held a special place in his life. "I can't put them in a Broadway show, but I can give them an experience of a lifetime that will reshape their narrative and perspective. I can say that wholeheartedly as we see it happen in every class we teach through The Broadway Collective."

THE BROADWAY COLLECTIVE TEACHING ARTISTS: Shonica Gooden (CATS, Hamilton, Matilda, Cinderella, Bring It On), Jamison Scott (Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark, Motown, Hairspray, Grease, Memphis), Kristen Beth Williams (Hello, Dolly!, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder, Pippin, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Anything Goes, Promises, Promises), Nathan Madden (Hello, Dolly!, An American in Paris, Chicago), Sarah Meahl (Hello, Dolly!, Paramour), Chaz Wolcott (Newsies, TV's So You Think You Can Dance), Ariana DeBose (A Bronx Tale, Hamilton, Pippin, Motown the Musical, Bring It On), Josh Burrage (CATS, Newsies), Krisha Marcano (Motown the Musical, The Color Purple, Aida, Fosse), Phillip Attmore (Hello, Dolly!, Shuffle Along, On the Twentieth Century, After Midnight, Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), Jennie Ford (An American in Paris, Evita, All Shook Up, Hairspray, Urban Cowboy, Dance of the Vampires, Sweet Smell of Success, The Music Man), Ben Cook (Mean Girls, Tuck Everlasting, Newsies, Ragtime, Billy Elliot), Hayley Podschun (Hello, Dolly!, Something Rotten, Chaplin, Anything Goes, Wicked, Pal Joey, Sunday in the Park with George, Hairspray, The Sound of Music), Andy Jones (CATS, Bullets Over Broadway, Cinderella), Sydney Morton (American Psycho, Flashdance, Motown the Musical, Evita, Memphis, Jersey Boys, Netflix's She's Gotta Have It), Hunter Ryan Herdlicka (A Little Night Music), Mary Michael Patterson (Anything Goes, The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies), Darius Barnes (Cinderella, Memphis, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sweet Charity), Cody Williams (On The Town, Cinderella, Memphis, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sweet Charity), Kate Lumpkin (Casting Director, Kate Lumpkin Casting), and Founder Robert Hartwell (Motown, Memphis, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Hello, Dolly!, Cinderella, and Dreamgirls).

Photo Credit: Christopher Huang