DKJA Thespians Virtually Meet Broadway Producer and Theater Historian, Jennifer Ashley Tepper

Zoraida Adams, Robbie Schinder and Elana Rubinstein

DKJA continues to soar virtually, as our thespians can attest to. Thanks to DKJA Drama Department Chair and Teacher Zoraida Adams’s close relationship with Broadway personality Jennifer Ashley Tepper, students in Mrs. Adams’s production class had the rare opportunity to meet and spend a full hour with Ms. Tepper during this crazy time of COVID-19. This hour was extremely educational and productive. Ms. Tepper’s resume is extensive and impressive: she is the producer of the musicals Be More Chill, Broadway Bounty Hunter, and Love in Hate Nation and has been featured in “Broadway: The Intersection of Real Estate & Art” (Jennifer Ashley Tepper | TEDxBroadway).

Ms. Tepper became a household name on Broadway as the creative and programming director of Feinstein’s/54 Below and the author of The Untold Stories of Broadway book series. She is the creator of The Jonathan Larson Project and a historian consultant on the upcoming film version of Tick, Tick...BOOM! (an autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson, the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning composer of Rent). This film will be directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda (actor/composer of Hamilton, In the Heights, 21 Chump Street, and others). Ms. Tepper was recently named the recipient of the 2020 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award.

Our students asked many great questions, such as, How did you choose your college and major? Did you always know you wanted to be in theater? Did you want to be on stage or off stage? What advice and guidelines can you give to young high school students who absolutely love the performing arts and are considering continuing in this direction in college? What helped you reach your success on Broadway?

Ms. Tepper’s answers were very interesting, informative, and educational for our students and included useful tips on how to pursue their dreams in the theater industry. The DKJA Drama Department extends a big thank you to Ms. Tepper for her time and willingness to engage in this dialogue with our students and help them reach for the stars in their future endeavors. Additionally, we would like to thank DKJA alumnus and thespian Robbie Shinder for joining this virtual class to shine light on his recent college experiences regarding theater, production, and more! #DKJASoarsVirtually
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