MONTCLAIR, NJ — Vanguard Theater Company’s Broadway Buddy Mentorship Cabaret will air Thursday, Aug. 13, at 8 p.m. on BroadwayHD, the premiere streaming service for theater fans, as a benefit for The Actors Fund. The show will feature an introduction by Broadway composer, actor and playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda.
As part of the company’s mission to create a safe space for artists on pre-professional tracks who need mentoring and support, Vanguard created the Broadway Buddy Mentorship Program. The program is designed to pair up-and-coming young artists, hailing from across Essex County, with established Broadway professionals. The cabaret performance is the closing act to a rigorous, three-month-long mentorship experience.
The concert will feature student mentees performing virtual duets with acting mentors hailing from Broadway shows such as “Frozen,” “Hamilton,” “Hadestown,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” “Ain’t Too Proud,” “Waitress,” “The Lion King,” “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” “Aladdin” and more, and will include performers such as Ciara Renee, Robert Creighton, Rachel Zatcoff, Tamar Greene, Kimberly Marable, Jewelle Blackman and Jelani Remy, with special guest appearances by Betty Buckley, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, Loren Lott, Michael James Leslie and Gabrielle Ruiz.
“Diversity, reciprocity, education, activism and mentorship are not just words in the Vanguard Theater Company mission statement — they represent the values instilled in our mentees; delivered by our mentors, staff and board of directors; and shared across the stage with our audiences,” said Janeece Freeman Clark, artistic director of Vanguard Theater Company. “This next generation of theater has the power to break the divide and be the change we want to see in the world.”
To learn more about the Broadway Buddy program and to view a teaser trailer of the Aug. 13 production, visit www.vanguardtheatercompany.org/broadwaybuddy.
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