8/1/2023
Education and Outreach
The Smith Center’s Camp Broadway Youth Theater Program Returns for First Year Since Lockdown
Rachael Englberg still remembers watching Broadway musical “Beauty and the Beast” in the front row of The Smith Center at 5 years old.
“Ever since then, I wanted to be an actress,” says the Las Vegas teen, now 15. “There is nothing I have wanted more in my life.”
Fortunately, her mother also saw an advertisement for Camp Broadway – The Smith Center’s annual youth theater program – that very same night.
This proved a perfect fit for Englberg.
Starting at 6 years old, Englberg has attended the weeklong Camp Broadway at The Smith Center for seven years, growing her performing skills while also learning to collaborate with peers.
“Camp Broadway gives you an incredible experience,” Englberg says. “What is so amazing at Camp Broadway is you can’t compare yourself to anyone or look down on yourself, because everyone is unique in their own way.”
After attending Camp Broadway this summer – the program’s first year back since the lockdown – Englberg feels convinced this initiative has brought her closer to her performance dreams.
That’s because camp participants work with top industry professionals to learn theater skills such as singing, dancing and acting, cumulating with musical productions at the end of the week.
Beyond teaching performance skills, the camp nurtures confidence, teamwork and overall love for theater.
“Camp Broadway is like no other camp I have seen before. You actually work hard like you are on Broadway,” Englberg says. “Everyone is so supportive here, so it really encourages you to do your best without backing down.”
A Showstopping Return
After a three-year wait for the program’s return, kids arrived at The Smith Center in droves to attend Camp Broadway this July.
“Walking through those doors again was like a breath of fresh air,” says Las Vegas 17-year-old Lou Gillette, who has participated in Camp Broadway for 10 years. “It was nice to get back to what I missed. It felt like home, in a way.”
With the program sold out, 100 youths participated in the Mainstage camp (for kids 10 to 17) and 40 in the Shining Stars camp (for children 7 to 9).
Packing the center’s rehearsal spaces with energetic dance workshops and singing lessons, participants dived into pooling their skills to put on musical productions.
Their hard work paid off at the end of the week, when they took the spotlight on the center’s Reynolds Hall stage. Mainstage participants wore giant smiles as they performed versions of “Annie Jr.” and “42nd Street,” which even included an exuberant dance number.
“I loved the positive energy that we had this year,” Gillette says. “I learned the most from the message of ‘42nd Street.’ I love to perform, and the characters in the show did, as well.”
The Shining Stars participants, who even made their own sets and costumes, performed “Seussical Jr.”
“Even if it is just for five days, you still get a big experience and it is so much fun,” Englberg says. “Camp Broadway is something I never want to give up, and would never regret experiencing.”
Learning More Than Theater Skills
Gillette has returned to camp for 10 years for good reason: dancing and singing alongside his peers helped him open up socially, after long struggling with shyness.
“It helped me use my voice and find so many people who are just like me,” he says. “I made the best friends I ever could ask for.”
Still recalling favorite memories from past camp productions like “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” he says rehearsing with others also helped him conquer a fear of being judged.
“At the end of the day we all came for the same thing, which is theater,” he says, adding that Camp Broadway inspired him to attend Las Vegas Academy for the Performing Arts. “The building is a safe space where I can be myself.”
He always plans to keep theater in his life, Gillette adds.
“There’s never a day where I won’t be thankful for Camp Broadway,” he says. “It made me into this musical theater person, and I’m going to stay like this for a very long time.”
LEARN MORE
To learn more about Camp Broadway at The Smith Center, CLICK HERE.