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Community ISSUE 39

Baby’s First Broadway

This summer talented high schoolers from around the world flock to Broken Arrow to participate in Kristin Chenoweth’s Broadway Bootcamp, a creative arts camp celebrating its tenth anniversary.

BY Ann Magner

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Kristin Chenoweth greeting campers at Broadway Bootcamp.

THIS SUMMER TALENTED high schoolers from around the world will flock to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, to participate in Kristin Chenoweth’s Broadway Bootcamp at the Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center. Dedicated to transforming young lives through the arts, KCBBC hosts aspiring young artists for eleven days of collaboration and hands-on learning with Chenoweth and her team of leading Broadway professionals.

Kim Vento, director of the BAPAC, says the camp has grown from a master class with ten kids into a one-of-a-kind creative arts camp with international reach. “We believe it to be the premier musical theater camp in the country that not only brings A-list Broadway professionals to teach our campers but also has a mission to guide and support our campers’ artistic journey with a safe space to create, experiment, and thrive,” Vento says.

Campers performing at the end of the week.
Campers performing at the end of the week.

Auditioning students must submit virtual applications of their vocal, dance, and dramatic skills for the chance to participate in intensive hands-on learning with professionals in acting, dance, staging, and singing. Made possible by the Kristin Chenoweth Arts & Education Fund, the camp will celebrate its tenth anniversary this summer.

Vento says the camp has also had an uplifting impact in the local community. Another program included in the camp is Stars on Stage, a program in which students with developmental disabilities and student peers collaborate to produce a fully staged theatrical production. “Everyone deserves access to the arts,” Vento says. “Together we create a community, brought together via the arts, to foster a culture of acceptance that lasts a lifetime.”

The camp wraps up with a student-faculty performance called the Kristi Awards, a production to showcase what the students have learned. The event is free and open to the public, with tickets acquired via the BAPAC box office. – ANN MAGNER

This summer’s Kristin Chenoweth’s Broadway Bootcamp will take place July 16–26, 2025, at the Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.