BCEFA Easter Bonnet 2017
So I’ve worked on Broadway for two and a half years now and never in my wildest nightmares did I ever think I would perform on a Broadway stage one day. And then it happened. Before we dive into that crazy experience, here is a little bit of backstory for ya!
Twice a year, the Broadway community comes together to collect money for an organization called Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS (BCEFA). For six weeks at the end of the show after the curtain call, the actors give a little speech to the audience about what BCEFA does, and then audience members are asked to donate to the organization. Most shows sell signed memorabilia and signed show posters. Some shows even auction off backstage tours and meet and greets with the cast. At the end of the fall collecting period, BCEFA puts on a show in the New Amsterdam Theatre called Gypsy of the Year. To conclude the spring collecting period, a big show called the Easter Bonnet Competition is held in the Minskoff Theatre. Not everyone does, but all the Broadway shows are welcome to participate in these performances.
The Wicked cast invited me to be in their number, and I was initially skeptical. It's one thing to dance at your college’s talent show but it's a little bit scarier to dance on a Broadway stage, with Broadway singers and dancers, in front of a sold out crowd. No pressure! We were the first show to perform, and running out onto that massive stage with my Wicked family was a total rush. We recreated the number "Joyful Joyful" from the movie Sister Act 2" so we all dressed like 90s kids and our Easter Bonnet was a green bedazzled nuns habit! My beautiful friend Kara (the actress who plays Glinda) and I wore matching tutu-overalls, which was hilarious.
Before we went out on stage, one of the actors (Alicia Albright) had us gather together and join hands. We took a few deep breaths and reflected on how our song was all about praising something bigger than ourselves. That quiet moment together as a Wicked family is one of my favorite memories from Easter Bonnet.
Easter Bonnet felt like a big Broadway talent show. Of course, I loved being backstage, where I got to meet tons of new people and reunite with my friends in other shows. Our community is small and supportive, and this year we were able to raise a record-breaking $6,379,572!
