Tonight, Thursday, Aug. 13, Broadway stars will appear on BroadwayHD as part of Vanguard Theater Company’s Broadway Buddy Mentorship Cabaret. The show benefits the Actors Fund, a national human services organization that provides a safety net for performing arts and entertainment professionals over their lifespan.
“Hamilton” composer/playwright and star Lin-Manuel Miranda will introduce the show. Montclair students Emma McElwee, Johanna Keyser, Khari Jenkins, Robert Axelrod, and Veronica Axelrod will appear.
BroadwayHD is a live streaming service, available on cable TV.
The Broadway Buddy Mentorship Program pairs up-and-coming young artists, from all across Essex County, with established Broadway professionals. The Cabaret performance is the closing act to a rigorous, three-month-long mentorship experience.
Acting mentors come from such Broadway shows as “Frozen,” “Hamilton,” “Hadestown,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” “The Lion King,” “Aladdin,” and others, including performers Ciara Renée, 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.
Additionally, the late Broadway actor Nick Cordero, who was a mentor in Vanguard’s 2019 Broadway Buddy program, will be remembered during the premiere event by his former mentee, Joe Nalieth. Cordero died of complications from COVID-19 in July.
To learn more about the Broadway Buddy program and to view a teaser trailer of the Aug. 13 production, visit vanguardtheatercompany.org/broadwaybuddy.
For more information about Vanguard Theater Company and its programs, please visit vanguardtheatercompany.org or call 973-632-2523.