A Year in Rear View: Broadway Training Center of Westchester

Broadway Training Center of Westchester (BTC) has been spreading the love of the performing arts through high-quality theater education and stellar public performances for over three decades. Celebrating the Co-Artistic Direction of Jason Brantman and Fiona Santos for 20 years this season, the school is taking this moment to reflect on last year's production accomplishments in the rearview.  

Last season kicked off with a splash as BTC presented a new version of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance. The school embarked on a voyage with the musical in 2011 and a revival of that adventure in 2022! The alum cast of the original BTC production gathered a heartfelt shout-out for the 2022 performers to share their love for the next generation. Many former students have developed professional theatrical careers in NYC, LA, and abroad, sending messages from Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters, professional studios, rehearsal spaces, and creative corporate offices internationally. The BTC postgraduate community is a dedicated cornerstone of support; they strive to maintain a relationship with current students each year, returning to fundraise and perform at the school's Annual Gala event. Save the date for this event on January 6, 2024, at Hudson Loft in Irvington, N.Y! The 2022 frolicking band of pirates and daughters featured the school's invite-only, award-winning Ensemble Program celebrating the 143rd birthday of the Tony Award-winning musical with an incredible walking-the-plank comeback.  

March 2023 gave us The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Rupert Holmes, based on the unfinished Charles Dickens novel of the same name. While Dickens was writing his book, he passed away, leaving behind an unsolved mystery with zero clues on how to solve it. Tackling a show with dozens of possible endings is no small feat; the BTC cast rose to the challenge, working to the top of their intellect and abilities with professionalism and maturity. BTC's talented actors won the audience over with high-energy performances, and creative storytelling in an energizing, high-octane experience each night. The New York Shakespeare Festival produced the original Broadway production, and the Broadway revival won Tony Awards for Best Music, Best Lyrics, and Best Book of a Musical. If you are new to the show concept, it's a highly inventive musical play-within-a-play that invites the audience to vote on the characters' ultimate fate and choose the ending!  

Last but not least, the Musical Theater Performance Program season culminated with a head-banging production of Wonderland: Alice's Rock & Roll Adventure by Rachel Rockwell and Michael Mahler. In this wildly curious romp, Alice searches for her inner voice in a tale of self-actualization, meeting new friends, facing challenges and fears, and learning to believe in herself and the impossible! In this unique interpretation, performers take on various escapades in an edgy and rocking vibe, portraying young people as empowered ROCKSTARS. The Junior Ensemble production cast took on roles as indie-rock band musicians, with the Caterpillar playing Bass Guitar and the Jabberwocky on a drum solo alongside industry pros in the professional production band. The music brought down the house every night, causing audiences to want to jump down the rabbit hole, attend a mad tea party, play croquet with flamingos, paint red roses, and become their favorite characters from the story. It was a wildly curious romp for the whole family, complete with a fandom costume parade on the red carpet!  

Broadway Training Center of Westchester believes in developing character on and offstage through inspiring and nurturing arts education. The school's faculty comprises established industry professionals who foster a sense of accomplishment through personal expression and dedicated classroom learning and performance-based experiences. This year, the school is thrilled to expand its roster of impressive ranking teachers and welcome more students onto campus for their 32nd Anniversary. The school kicks off the 2023-2024 performance season in November with Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison's delightful comedy, The Drowsy Chaperone. The talented students, dedicated faculty, and brilliant creative team hope you will join them in the audience for a round of applause at Irvington High School November 17, 18, and 19, 2023. (www. BraodwayTraining.com/Tickets) See you at the theater! 

Westchester Magazine has lauded BTC theater classes as "the best in Southern Westchester." Westchester Family has named it "Best Children's Theater Company," and BroadwayWorld dubbed BTC "Best Dance Studio of the Decade" in Westchester and Rockland counties.  

Photo Credit: Dan Jones

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