Interview with Michael Presser who started INSIDE BROADWAY.
Corine Cohen: I love the work you do at INSIDE BROADWAY. You are helping bring children to the theater at an early age. Can you tell me any stories of kids that have contacted you about being involved in the theater later in life.
Michael Presser: This work is so special and gives people so much enjoyment. Over the 25 years of Inside Broadway there have been many examples of students who visited Broadway through our program and later brought their own children to the theatre. Recently, I was visiting with a member of the NY City Council who mentioned that she had seen DREAMGIRLS through our program. Several years ago we were interviewing some potential stage directors for one of our productions, and the fellow mentioned that he had participated in our program and met Bernadette Peters. Well, we went back to the files and there was indeed a picture of him with Bernadette Peters during a post performance Q & A at SONG AND DANCE. We also have a professional choreographer and several actors out there who are our graduates. Over the 25 years of Inside Broadway we estimate over seven hundred and fifty thousand students have participated in our programs. We currently have over 25,000 students in 85 schools that participate in our programs each year. That really is an awesome number and an excellent example of audience development. It also shows that if you give people an opportunity, they will use it and appreciate it!
Corine Cohen: How did Inside Broadway happen, 26 years ago? And could you tell me the history of Inside Broadway and Creating The Magic.
Michael Presser: The original idea came from Bernie Jacobs, the late president of The Shubert Organization. Bernie asked me to organize a school ticket program for the Broadway production of CATS. From that many other projects developed including our fabulous CREATING THE MAGIC seminar program in which we demonstrate, from the stage of a Broadway theater, the technical behind the scenes workings of a major musical production. We stared that program about 15 years ago and have worked with most of the major musicals that have played on Broadway during that period. Recently we had a fabulous program with HAIRSPRAY at the Neil Simon Theatre and we celebrated our 25th anniversary season with a special concert of music from Broadway shows at the Winter Garden Theatre, the home of CATS. In fact, to conclude that concert and mark our anniversary, we released 1,000 blue and white balloons (the official Inside Broadway colors) from the ceiling of the theatre.
Corine Cohen: I have been to several events and am also blown away by the reactions from the children. You are doing a great service to Broadway! What is next?
Michael Presser: Our programs now reach children from kindergarten to high school levels. In addition, this season we have started operating theatre arts workshop programs in 18 senior citizen centers throughout the city. We really go from 8 to 80, and beyond! The children are absolutely fascinated with live theater, since they are living in a period when most forms of entertainment are pre-recorded, the live experience is something special for them,. They are always fascinated with actors and very interested in how one makes a career in the theater, and of course, the technical aspects of theatre production are very interesting to them. The seniors grew up with Broadway and therefore have a strong interest and experience with theater. I don’t have to explain FIDDLER ON THE ROOF to them!
Corine Cohen: If you never started Inside Broadway what would you be doing instead?
Michael Presser: Before I started Inside Broadway I had a very interesting career as a concert artist manager. I would probably have stayed there and helped artists organize and expand their careers. Managers are a bit unknown to the general public since they work behind the scenes, but they really are instrumental in helping develop successful careers for performers. I don’t think I would be an actor. I have no need to be on the stage, although people are telling I do a great job moderating the CREATING THE MAGIC programs, but I do enjoy the creativity of putting it together and working with different kinds of people to make that happen.
Corine Cohen: What can we expect this year? Any other events you can share?
Michael Presser: Next season we will be producing an Equity production of the great musical SMOKEY JOE’S CAFÉ which will tour to schools throughout the city. Our production will play about 150 performances and introduce children to music of the great songwriters Leiber and Stoller. We will also operate our teaching artist workshop program called BUILD A MUSICAL in about 35 schools. These workshops help children produce their own musical theatre productions, so there’s your next generation of actors, producers and designers. We will also continue and expand our senior citizen programs and are planning to offer a special performance of SMOKEY JOE’S CAFE for them, and there will certainly be another CREATING THE MAGIC program, probably next spring. I think it will be another exciting season and I can’t wait to see those kids hearing STAND BY ME performed live in their school auditorium. That’s what we are all about!
Thank you, Michael Presser for encouraging love for the Theater at an early age. I wish they had this program when I was a child!
Interview by Corine Cohen
