Participants for the 2013 run of Broadway Buddies at the Lexington (Ky.) Opera House during a showing of Catch Me If You Can.
Hoping to make Broadway more accessible to the community, the team at the Lexington (Ky.) Opera House has launched a new program to turn unused tickets into an opportunity to connect young people with the facility.
“It was started last year by a board member and a subscriber who wanted to donate her tickets because she was going to be out of town,” said Luanne Franklin, program director for the Opera House. For many years, Franklin had read and heard about New York’s Broadway Nights, where hugely discounted tickets were given to needy families to help get children interested in the arts, building the next generation of theater fans.
Franklin said she had wanted to launch a similar program but was unsure how to procure tickets. She said her conversation with the board member “was an inspiration moment. We decided to ask other patrons who don’t need their tickets to donate them to members of the community who might be underserved.”
In 2012, Broadway Buddies was born. The first year saw 63 students participate in the program and in 2013, about 40 high school students took part during a run of the musical Catch Me If You Can, which tells the story of a teen runaway turned international conman (and eventual FBI employee) Frank Abagnale, Jr.
Participating students are required to attend a class before the show arrives in town, learning everything from theater etiquette to the real life story of Abagnale. Prior to the performance, the group is given a backstage tour of the theater and an introduction to theater techs, who explain the more complicated aspects of the show.
“We try to introduce them to individuals in the different roles of a venue, from ushers to marketing,” said Franklin. “We were even able to arrange for them to meet six cast members. We hope the program opens their minds to the different opportunities available within the arts.”
Participating students are given specially created T-shirts resembling pilots’ uniforms to wear during the performance — a nod to Abagnale’s character, who pretended to be a pilot at one point in his criminal career. Prior to the performance, Franklin addressed the entire audience and told them “we have some very important guests in the audience tonight. We wanted to do everything we could to make them feel special.”
“There are also a few students who really connect with the material,” said Marketing Manager Sheila Kenny, who oversees marketing within the Opera House and the other venues managed by the Lexington Corporation. “You don’t know which kid it’s going to be, but you know there’s going to be one who lights up.”
When Franklin speaks to the group, she makes it a point of saying “your ticket was donated by a patron because they really care about you. That really resonates with them, especially after they learn the price of the ticket.
Franklin said she plans to continue the program and is looking for additional opportunities to grow the Broadway Buddies brand.
“For us, the stars lined up right last year — part of our mission is also community outreach. We want to give the community the opportunity to support these youth organizations in a way that is out of the ordinary and special for the kids.”
Interviewed for this story: Luane Franklin and Sheila Kenny, (859) 233-4567