Children of all ages storm the floor of the auditorium at the Historic Fifth Street School in Downtown Las Vegas, singing and dancing with an electric sort of energy. They stomp and clap to a chorus of “Oh’s” and “Ah’s,” smiling wide as they perform a crowd favorite from the popular musical The Wiz.
“Can’t you feel a brand new day?” they sing, so full of gusto that it’d be nearly impossible to know the kids—attendees of a summer camp hosted by local nonprofit Broadway in the HOOD—only returned to Las Vegas early that morning, after an eventful trip to Los Angeles, where many of them got to see their first Broadway show and meet its stars.
Broadway in the HOOD, which stands for “Helping Others Open Doors,” has been providing arts, entertainment and educational opportunities for Las Vegas adolescents since about 2010. Unlike similar theater programs that could cost families hundreds of dollars a week, founder Torrey Russell said, most of the nonprofit’s activities are free of charge.
“Regardless of financial status, regardless of any of those things—the arts are free, and they belong to everyone,” he said. “Everyone should have the ability to obtain quality training.”
And, after hopping between public spaces—including different churches and even, at one point, a dog park—to put on programming over the past dozen years, the organization is now on its way to having a permanent home.
Broadway in the HOOD’s “The Legacy Theatre Project” recently received $1 million in state funding for the new space. The organization is the first Black-owned and -operated nonprofit in state history to receive such funding.
It’s incredible to him that Nevada has deemed Broadway in the HOOD valuable enough to the community to dedicate funding to the Legacy Theatre, Russell said, adding that he can remember a time when even funding lunch for the kids was a challenge.
He thanked the state and the Las Vegas community for their generosity, and emphasized the need for further donations to fully fund the $25 million entertainment-education complex.
“It’s now our turn to grow to the next level, and we pray that the community will be able to help support us financially in this effort,” Russell said. “This will be the first of its kind.”
The Legacy Theatre will be in the “heart of historic Vegas,” Russell said, spanning about 60,000 square feet, with a theater that will seat roughly 1,000 people. The space will have a full restaurant, a dance studio, recording studio and more, and ultimately be a place people can call “home,” and come to whenever they need to, even just to hang out or do homework.
NaKala Nadeau, a mentor at Broadway in the HOOD, said she’s been a member of the organization from age 11. The organization was a “safe space” for Nadeau, 19, who said she had a difficult home life and was bullied at school.
Broadway in the HOOD is a place where young people can come to perform at their best and not feel silly or discounted for it, she said, and it’s exciting to her to know the next generation will have a physical space to associate with that feeling of safety.
“We’re becoming adults, we’re living our lives,” said Nadeau, referring to herself and the other college-aged mentors. “I am so happy to see them about to get something that we needed when we were younger.”
Back in the dance hall, campers take a break from rehearsal to reflect on the impact of Broadway in the HOOD in their lives.
A few girls say they suffered from severe social anxiety before finding refuge at Broadway in the HOOD. One boy says he came into the organization as a not-so-nice person (“He was a butthead,” Russell cuts in, scoring many laughs), but has since learned humility. Others credit the organization with giving them a deep love for theater, and even renewed purpose in life beyond it.
When Russell asks who has difficulties at home, hands around the room shoot up into the air.
“It’s so important at those young ages to have somebody that says, ‘I believe in you, I know that you can do better than what you’re doing right now,’ ” said Meahel Pitra, a 19-year-old mentor who is directing the camp’s production of The Little Mermaid. “I’m so happy to be able to be that person.”
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