Inside Broadway continued its mission of bringing theater magic directly to NYC Public Schools students at its most recent iteration of “Creating the Magic” — an educational program that gives students a behind-the-scenes look at how Broadway shows are brought to life on stage — delivering a high-energy demonstration of backstage tricks and trades with some of the cast and crew of & Juliet.

Every single day the show is performed, 88 cast and crew members work to make it possible.

On May 21, over 1,000 students from Queens and across NYC filled the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, where & Juliet has been running for nearly four years, to learn about costuming, special effects, stage cues and more.

A few ensemble and understudy cast members of & Juliet — a jukebox musical featuring pre-existing, well-known popular songs for its musical score — opened the 90-minute presentation with a performance of Backstreet Boys’ 1997 hit “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back),” performed by the show’s “Bois Band.”

Cast members of & Juliet perform Backstreet Boys’ 1997 hit “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” during the May 21 presentation.Photos courtesy Elena Olivo/Inside Broadway

The five performers were then interviewed by Creating the Magic host Taurean Everett, sharing stories about what it’s like performing on Broadway and how they take care of themselves when they’re not on stage.

Everett, who also plays Chagall in Death Becomes Her at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre three blocks north, said it takes a lot more than people realize to put on the show.

A performance of Jessie J’s hit song “Domino” segued into a demonstration of how actors perform costume changes mid-song, slowing down the sequence to show how actors and teams of costumers take off, put on and alter garments behind strategically-placed set pieces.

Joby Horrigan, the production’s wardrobe supervisor, explained that she and her team are in charge of every piece of clothing that appears on stage, including shoes and headpieces.

Each of the 20 actors in the show have about five costumes each — along with understudies, covers and swing performers that must be accounted for — making it a whopping 200 costumes she, her assistant and their team of six dressers must keep track of.

The wardrobe team spends the entire show assisting actors, picking up discarded costume pieces and ensuring costumes are in place throughout the show.
Cassie Silva, an ensemble member and understudy for the Nurse in & Juliet, demonstrates a quick costume change she does while she and the cast perform “Domino” by Jessie J.Photos courtesy Elena Olivo/Inside Broadway

A special effects demonstration by pyro supervisor Dave Nelson showed students how the production team controls smoke and pyrotechnics, creating exciting stage effects adding to the show’s party-like atmosphere.

Nelson, who operates with a license from the FDNY, explained that he’s generally responsible for maintaining pressurized gasses like carbon dioxide and rigging pyrotechnics securely on stage.

He emphasized that he is also cued by the stage manager each time he sets off an effect.

However, Nelson said his primary responsibility is to ensure everybody is safe in the theater — whether it be the cast, crew or audience members — anytime an effect is deployed.

Dave Nelson, the pyro supervisor for the production, demonstrates some pyrotechnic effects for students during “Creating the Magic.”Photos courtesy Elena Olivo/Inside Broadway

Rachel Bauder, the production stage manager of & Juliet, even recruited students in the audience to participate in a demonstration and help her call cues to trigger set pieces, including lights, a trap door and a large aerial moon swing.

She emphasized that nothing on stage can happen unless she cues it, meaning she must help keep track of every single stage cue for the entire show’s two-and-a-half-hour run time.

Of course, she told students, she couldn’t do the whole job alone and also relies on a stage management team to support her each performance.
Zallah Vallien, an ensemble member and understudy for Juliet, left, and Daniel J. Maldonado, an ensemble member and understudy for Romeo, are lifted off the stage in a moon swing after students helped cue the effect.Photos courtesy Elena Olivo/Inside Broadway

Michael Presser, president and CEO of Inside Broadway, said Creating the Magic is really an opportunity to show students that Broadway is a workplace and a possible career path for them, even if they don’t want to appear on stage.

“Broadway is an important industry here in New York,” Presser emphasized. “We very much want students to know about Broadway as an art form and come and see shows — but our program here is really slanted toward Broadway as a workplace.”

Everyone who works on the production is part of a union, he noted, maintaining well-paying jobs that require a lot of training and experience.

Showing students that theater is more than just what they see on stage, Presser noted, encourages a deeper understanding and appreciation of Broadway as a world-renowned industry.

“People come from around the world to go to Broadway shows,” he said. “Broadway is an economic force, not just an artistic force.”
Michael Presser, founder and CEO of Inside Broadway, tells students that Broadway is not just an art form but a living, breathing workplace.Photos courtesy Elena Olivo/Inside Broadway

Two students from P.S. 69Q in Jackson Heights, Lhadon Gyunki and Chloe Ashton, said they loved the experience and were surprised to learn what goes into producing a Broadway show.

“I had no idea,” Chloe said. “But everything is so cool. Like, there’s so many people just doing the lights and making stuff fly down.”

Lhadon said it looked like hard work for the team to put on the show, which she said taught her that everyone should feel supported and deserves a part.

Chloe said she could see herself dancing, singing or acting at some point in the future — not just as a performer, but also as a teacher.

While some students like Chloe have already seen & Juliet, the experience introduced other students that had never seen the show to positive themes that left them with a newfound perspective on their own self-worth.

Lhadon said one of her biggest takeaways from Creating the Magic was that people should always feel confident in themselves and more people should try visiting Broadway.

“I think this is an amazing place,” she said. “For other people who want to come and be inspired, they should see more Broadway shows. They’re amazing.”

Inside Broadway will host its 45th anniversary celebration this fall, which Presser said to stay tuned for details.
NYC Public Schools students clap during the May 21 “Creating the Magic” demonstration.Photos courtesy Elena Olivo/Inside Broadway
Photos courtesy Elena Olivo/Inside Broadway