UPDATE: In person begins in North Jersey in the fall and virtual continues for all!
“Unlimited. Together We’re Unlimited”. As a professional performing artist I received the gift of being able to sing those words written by Stephen Schwartz when I played Elphaba in "Wicked" on Broadway and the 1st National Tour. It was a dream come true to portray such an incredible character. Little did I know
that those words would ring true for me personally. In 2018 I co-founded a one week performing arts summer camp for kids and teens in NJ called "Journey to Broadway" (JTB). After a successful week in 2019 there were plans to do the program again in NJ in summer 2020. In January 2020 I embarked on the Broadway revival National Tour of "Cats" playing the role of Grizabella. Passionate about my students I continued to teach my private vocal and acting students in NJ on something called Zoom. On March 12, 2020 our tour was shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It seemed that Broadway was suddenly at a standstill. It also seemed that my students' school productions were being shut down as well as their dance studios, etc. But I had an idea. I wanted to continue to create and make art. I didn't want my students to feel limited by these unprecedented times. I began to host virtual open mic nights on Zoom every Saturday night at 7PM EST for my NJ students. I never imagined what would happen next. Young performers began to reach out from all over when they heard about the open mics. I began to meet young artists everywhere - not just in NJ but all over the country and the world. I was so inspired that I then committed to having the JTB Summer Intensive entirely on Zoom. The intensive program finished on August 14th 2020 and was incredibly successful. Thus began my dream of creating "Broadway Unlimited". I founded "Broadway Unlimited" because I truly believe that despite the limits of being able to be in a crowded theatre together right now - we also have the opportunity to be Unlimited. I wanted to create a safe and collaborative space where aspiring performers can take masterclasses in many disciplines, try out new forms of artistic expression, learn about how to audition and make self-tapes, connect with other young artists and Broadway performers all over the world and even perform virtually in online cabarets. This is a great time to explore ourselves as artists. I believe that this is the "for now" normal not the "For Good" normal (see what I did there? ;) but why not make the best of it? My goal is to continue to bring professional artists and students together and continue this collaboration even as the world reshapes itself again.
- Donna Vivino
