Why Broader than Broadway?

Broader than Broadway plans to book schools for 2025. We are a newly formed sister company to Broadway Arts Community taking our work in the performing arts and helping the next generation of humans connect through the arts!

FUTURE PROGRAMMING

  • Teacher Training Retreats

    Guidance for all ages interested in pursuing a career in performing arts education

    4 - 7 days

  • Summer Scholarships to NYC

    Continued training with Broadway Arts Community

    Teens only

  • School Residencies

    Inclusive, storytelling workshops for students of all abilities.

    3-5 day sessions

Meet the Co-Founders

  • Co-Founder & President

    I am a Latina woman, born and raised in Tampa, Florida. I have Spanish, Argentine, and Cuban blood on both sides of my family. Emotion, opinions, passionate discussions, and raised voices, with everyone speaking at once, were a normal part of my childhood. NOTHING was private—we were all an open book.

    From as early as I can remember, music and dance were a part of my heritage. My mom says I actually danced before I walked! During summers I studied dance in programs throughout the country: Alvin Ailey, Princeton Ballet, Nutmeg Ballet, Broadway Dance Center NYC, and LA’s Edge Performing Arts Center.

    I danced a lot and studied a lot! I went to a rigorous academic school in Tampa where I learned how to study, be disciplined, and to love musical theatre. My drama and music teachers at Berkeley still support and guide me. Somehow I managed to land at Yale University, where I graduated Cum Laude with a BA in Theatre Studies. Being at Yale was a spectacular experience intellectually, artistically, and emotionally.

    While at Yale, I took a leave of absence during my Junior Year to tour the world with the First National Broadway Company of Ann Reinking’s Tony Award-winning musical Fosse. That experience confirmed what I already knew – dance and theatre were essential to my future! Following graduation I was off to NYC where I performed in several Broadway shows, including, Wicked, Sweet Charity, Fame on 42nd Street, and The Pirate Queen.

  • Co-Founder & Vice President

    originally from South Carolina has been working 25 years in the entertainment industry. Chryssie began her career as a dancer for the Rockettes right out of high school and has had an accomplished career in film, television and Broadway as actress, dancer and singer. She went to school for musical theatre at AMDA College and Conservatory for the Performing Arts in NYC and landed her Broadway debut in the revival of A Chorus Line as Kristine. Her additional Broadway credits include: Kitty/Velma US in Chicago (understudy, performed) and Kathy in Company (Lincoln Center with Neal Patrick Harris). Her favorite regional roles: Bombalurina in Cats, Lola in Damn Yankees and Cassie in A Chorus Line.

    Favorite film and television work include: West Side Story (Steven Speilberg), Grey's Anatomy, Switched at Birth, Castle, The Mentalist, Warehouse 13, Private Practice, Grimm and the romantic comedy with Raven Simone, Revenge of the Bridesmaids. She has joyfully crossed over to the creative side, directing and/or choreographing professionally, as well as educational productions of Chicago, A Chorus Line, Rent, All Shook Up, Into the Woods, Shrek, Grease, How 2 $ in Business and Beauty and the Beast. She currently directs showcases and teaches on the musical theatre faculty at AMDA College and Conservatory for the Performing Arts in NYC, along with the dance faculty at Molloy University, Broadway Dance Center and Steps. Chryssie is the co-founder of the performing arts mentoring & coaching company, www.BroadwayArtsCommunity.com and is currently touring with her self-published, one woman mental health awareness show, In My Own Little Corner. Chryssie shares her bipolar ll diagnosis through the magic of theatre with a mission to normalize conversations around mental illness and help stop the stigma.

    More at www.chryssiewhitehead.com

Meet the Board 

  • Steve Glavan has more than twenty years as a nonprofit professional, with experience in all aspects of fund raising and development, as well as director level, consulting and board service. He has worked for national and local organizations, including Livermore Valley Performing Arts, United Way, Humane Society and Joni and Friends, and previously served on the boards of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Silicon Valley Chapter and the Tri-Valley Nonprofit Alliance. He is the owner of Sapience Nonprofit Solutions, an independent consulting company serving nonprofit organizations. Steve holds the coveted Certified Fund Raising Executive credential from CFRE International and is a member of the Inland Northwest Development Council. His performing arts background includes acting in community theater productions, teaching acting classes for Christian Youth Theater in the San Francisco Bay Area, and over thirty years directing adult, youth and children’s choirs. He has directed plays at the local level and written and performed several parodies in the style of Forbidden Broadway. He is the producer and host of a weekly video podcast, Coffee Brakes With Steve, that streams on YouTube and Facebook. A native of Oregon, Steve and his wife Caryl currently live in Spokane, Washington. They have three children and five grandchildren.

  • Lauren is a Local Sales Manager for WFLA (NBC) and WTTA-TV (CW) in Tampa, FL.  She oversees the sales efforts for a team of 8 local Account Executives, in addition to managing top revenue initiatives including the Olympics and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Lauren grew up in Tampa and graduated from Florida State University in 2005 with a B.A. in Communication.  She started her career in media in 2006 selling digital advertising, eventually ranking among the top 3 Account Executives in the company for digital revenue in 2011.  Lauren got into media sales Management in 2013, which allowed her the opportunity to grow her relationships and replicate her past success in a leadership role.  Since 2014, Lauren has worked with the sales team to onboard new products, initiatives and processes, effectively increasing advertising revenue by over 150%.  Lauren has been involved with several local community organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay, Junior League of Tampa and The Tampa Connection.  When she’s not working or volunteering in the community, Lauren enjoys the arts and spending time with her family including her husband, John and her two children, Luke and Isabel.

  • Anant Das (“un-nunth”) (He/Him) is a Drama Desk Award winning and two-time Tony Nominated theatre and film creative producer and CEO of Broadway Boxed Up, the longest-running theatre-themed subscription box with a focus on elevating BIPOC, Deaf, and disabled theatrical voices, connecting fans with the Broadway world, and reimagining theatregoers’ relationship with merchandise. He is a Co-Executive Producer of “Summoning the Spirit”, a horror film released in 2023. Currently, Anant is the Executive Producer and General Manager of Chryssie Whitehead’s show, IN MY OWN LITTLE CORNER: MY MOODS, MY MOM, & ME. He is a co-producer of various Broadway and touring productions, including THE WIZ, A BEAUTIFUL NOISE: THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL, HERE LIES LOVE, HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO, THE PIANO LESSON, and NEW YORK, NEW YORK, as well as KINKY BOOTS Off-Broadway. He was an Associate Producer of WINDFALL Off-West End. In addition, Anant has experience as an investor with JOB the Play, A STRANGE LOOP (Tony Award Winner for Best Musical), FAIRYCAKES, the Museum of Broadway, and the UK Tour of THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING…EARNEST?. With a background in financial valuation, computer science, and as a consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Anant is passionate about the intersection of theatre, tech, and finance, as well as energized to increase access to both theatrical opportunities and theatre education. Recognized as one of the “Class of 2019’s Best & Brightest” by Poets&Quants, Anant’s interest in exploring how innovation can disrupt the arts began when he attended the top ranked public high school in the US. He is a 2022 member of both the TEDxBroadway Young Professionals cohort and the Theatre Producers of Color and serves as a Board Member of the New York Theatre Workshop’s 4th Street Bar Association, The University of Virginia McIntire Young Alumni Council, and President of the University of Virginia’s Young Alumni Council.

  • Kayla is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, National Board Certified Counselor, and Board Certified TeleMental Health Provider, currently residing in Saint Petersburg, FL. She is licensed to practice in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. With a strong foundation in both psychology and mental health counseling from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Kayla has cultivated expertise in addressing a wide range of mental health challenges including multicultural exploration, gender identity, life transitions, body image, and mood disorders.

    Kayla’s therapeutic approach blends Interpersonal and Developmental Psychotherapy, focusing on the interconnected influences on her clients' behaviors, and fostering a brave space where they can explore their authentic selves. Her mission is to increase clients’ self-awareness, confidence, and sense of worth through personalized, compassionate care.

    A multi-talented musician, Kayla has played drums, guitar, and sung professionally. To support her graduate studies, she traveled up and down the east coast as the lead singer in a wedding and corporate band. Her artistic background extends to her time in marching band, choir, and theater during high school, and in an a cappella group in college. These experiences fuel her passion for integrating the performing arts into her mental health practice, allowing clients to tap into reflections and feelings that may, otherwise, be hard to express with traditional talk-therapy.

    Kayla is a recognized mental health expert, having contributed to various panels, podcasts, and local news networks, where she shares her insights on mental health topics ranging from trauma to wellness practices. She remains committed to fostering diversity, creativity, and connection in both her professional and personal life.

  • Dr. Alisa Hurwitz (she/her) is a Clinical Psychologist at Dartmouth Health and Clinical Instructor at the Geisel School of Medicine, where she specializes in gender-affirming healthcare. She is on the Board for the LGBTQ National Hotline and Broader than Broadway and a recipient of the 2023 Martin Luther King Jr Social Justice Award from Dartmouth. Dr. Hurwitz applies her professional knowledge to consult with theater companies, conduct post-show talkbacks and interview Broadway actors.
    She has been a presenter with the Empowered Artist Collective, TheaterMakers Summit and at BroadwayCon and has collaborated on productions with the Cultural Arts Playhouse, Cue Zero Theatre, Chryssie Whitehead’s In My Own Little Corner, the immersive theater piece, The
    Hidden Ones and a regular guest & consultant on the Stage Combat podcast. Her Musicals & Mental Health series can be found on Instagam @thedrdrama with guests who have included Eva Noblezada, Jason Danieley, Hailey Kilgore, Lauren Patten, Ali Stroker, Rebecca Naomi
    Jones and Ethan Slater.

  • Legna Cedillo is an actor, singer/songwriter, and voice-over artist. Her recent theater credits include  Adriana in Espejos: Clean at Studio Theatre, Ceci Lopez in the Off-Broadway premiere of ¡Americano! The Musical at New World Stages, and Belle in A Christmas Carol at McCarter Theatre. Television credits include CBS shows Elsbeth and The Equalizer. Legna is also a recording artist and voiceover actor. Her recent credits include voiceover for McDonald’s, Nickelodeon, MLS, Hasbro, Disney, Warner Bros, Nissan, MTV, and others. She has performed with her pop-soul duo band, Lumos, at various venues in NYC and Boston including Rockwood Music Hall and Bowery Electric. Lumos’ music can be found on all listening platforms.