Watch Highlights from Kristin Chenoweth's Broadway Bootcamp!

Music

I tell you, I used to be a hater of technology, and I have suddenly become a lover of technology

Without technology, we wouldn't be able to have camp this year. last year the kids missed out because of COVID this year I was not going to let another year go

by so how do we do that do we do the zooms that I've been seeing and being a part of and I've

been nervous about it to be honest with you because I thought isn't going to work we went global this

year so what technology has given the camp is we have been able now to reach kids in Ireland we

have Philippines we have UK we have eight countries and 22 cities this year well this year is very

unique because I'll be honest with you if I'm being totally honest I didn't want to do it you

know I'm so tired of the zooms and the whole thing and it's quite exhausting but Kristen was pretty

adamant about it and when Kristen gets you know I call her the business woman when she goes business on me and she wanted it to happen I said you know and I got on we had a whole team you know her dad all our head faculty and stuff I said I do it if it the best it can be

if there are no limitations, if we have full access to everything because we skipped a year

And so, and it's fiscally, you know, risky and there's money involved because it's one thing to

have students come to a campus, but it's another thing to get technologically prepared, which costs

money to meet the world. And also being in other auditions, they're going to decide where you

fit in the cast. So just show up and do your best. I've even

worked with Mayork at a time when she was casting a chorus line. I went to an open call for

Grease. It was the musical Grease in 1994. Was anybody alive then

Probably not. And I went to an open call and we got to be on the stage

Like the callback was on the Broadway stage. I'm going to give you the lyrics in here

Okay. And again, I wish you would think about the chords I'm giving you because just because

them all, I know them all too. Doesn't mean you have to throw them all in like the kitchen sink

Now, same thing. We going to now we going to stand at first position When you plie make sure your knees go out over your feet Here we go One arm One arm It a demi Open In each room just like we had live are different classes

Kids can audit classes. Say they didn't make it or they didn't know about it, they can come now

and audit the class. They can come audit the final night that we have the Christie Awards

And I've had, as you've seen, a lot of my way more famous friends come and speak and teach

So it's, though it's immersive, obviously still, it's still class The weirdest thing about camp, if I had to pick out one thing is

You know, we're New Yorkers, I mean I live in Miami now

But you know, I've got a 45 year career I don't know, we come away changed It's really weird, I go home, I'm emotional

I feel a whole lot of gratitude for things And I realize I'm doing something every day in my life

That these people want to do And, you know, when I started my career, there were hundreds of us

Now there's thousands of them. I don't know if I would have made it, you know what I mean? So we're not educators

We're not psychologists. We're not teachers. We are professionals. And so what we're here to do is build their spirit, their confidence

and point them in the right direction. And can I just say this

It's so much bigger than camp. These kids are writing to us and telling us their stories and sometimes it not always pretty It not always happy But we are being able to be there in a way I think that we couldn before

I just really want kids to feel loved and accepted for who they are

I don't want anybody to feel judged. I think they're feeling safer to be able to talk

You know, we have an hour of gratitude at the end of every night that's filmed where they can type about and speak and pick and speak up and say, this is what I learned today or this is why this day was so hard or this is why this day was so important

And more kids are getting to know it, not less. It's a friendly competition, but they'll say, yes, you know what, you nailed it this time or don't feel bad

I did the same thing the other day. And because they're able to do it simultaneously while the class is going on chatting

That makes me happy