Today we’d like to introduce you to April Mosebrook.
April, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
The idea for Bucket List Broadway came when I attended an Adult Theater Workshop in NYC. Although I spend a lot of time on stage with my band, April and the Funk Junkies, I hadn’t performed in a musical for about 25 years! When I go to local theater, I always dream of being on the stage instead of in the audience, and I have craved an outlet for this passion for years. I have auditioned for community theater a few times here in San Diego, but realistically, even if I were to be cast, being part of a production with extensive rehearsal hours and a long production run just didn’t fit into my life as a mom, wife, businesswoman, yoga teacher, volunteer, friend etc. So you can imagine that having the chance to work with Broadway theater professionals and perform this genre in a solo and group setting, even on a small scale, was thrilling. It was a Bucket List experience for me that I hadn’t even known existed!
Soon after being immersed in the event in NYC, I began to wonder if there were people in San Diego who shared my passion and would appreciate a similar opportunity being offered in their own backyard. It took me a little while to gain the courage and decide how to take action. When I did, I started by calling upon a close friend of mine, theater critic Pat Launer, and told her my idea. So much hinged on her response, as she KNOWS what works with regards to the theater and would be completely truthful with me even if it wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I exhaled a huge sigh of relief when she embraced my idea with enthusiasm, excitement, and a promise to help. I am so grateful for the support she gave me, and most of all, for her believing in me. Without all that, BLB would have never come to fruition; she and her husband basically created our name and tagline!
I also reached out to the founder of the NYC workshop, and she gave me her “blessing” to create my own project. I will never forget how she encouraged me to bring this opportunity to life. As it happens, that woman is Jeanna DeWaal, who went on to play the title role in Diana the musical at La Jolla Playhouse and is now starring in that show on Broadway! I am honored to call her a friend and inspiration.
Bolstered by the support of these two women I admired and respected, I moved forward. I researched, networked, asked questions, went out of my comfort zone, lost sleep, gained courage, and poured passion into creating this experience so that like-minded people could come together and satisfy their craving to perform. Hence, Bucket List Broadway was born. We started with our first workshop in May 2019, and completed our second one at the end of January 2020. The third one was slated to be in May 2020; we all know how that went! We are now gearing up for the next workshop, to take place in November.
When promoting BLB, I ask these questions: Do you have a love for musical theater? Do you have a secret (or maybe non-secret!) desire to perform? Perhaps you did theater in high school and would love to revisit that but don’t have the time or opportunity to get involved in community theater? Maybe you are involved in theater and are looking for a new learning opportunity. Or maybe you just want to step out of your comfort zone to overcome fear as well as to make friends and have fun! If If you answered YES to any of these questions, then Bucket List Broadway is for you!
Bucket List Broadway is a two-day workshop for those age 13 to 130! It is run by local musical theater professionals. There are no auditions or experience required, although all levels are welcome. Your experience will be tailored to your unique skills and comfort level. The only “required” tools are a growth mindset, a great attitude and a commitment to creating joy through musical theater. Bucket List Broadway – putting the YOU in musicals!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Can turning your passion into a business EVER be a smooth path? 🙂 One of the biggest challenges I faced came completely from within. I faced the internal struggle of FEAR. As I alluded to before, it took a while for me to reach out to Pat and Jeanna, and even after I did, I still had doubts. That inner voice kept saying to me, “who am I to try to do this? I haven’t been in a show in years. I don’t know anyone in the theater community. What if people judge me? What if I fail?” I worked through these concerns with over time with meditation, visualization, yoga, talking to those who believed in me and ultimately letting my passion win out over my doubts.
Another obstacle came from the business aspect. I had the passion part down, but even though I had many years of professional sales experience as a pharma rep, I knew nothing about the ins and outs of running my own business. So I did what many people would do; I turned to Google! If Google couldn’t answer my questions, then I reached out to people who could. And whatta ya know? No one judged. In fact, I was met with encouragement and guidance from people “in the know”, including an attorney, theater professionals and other entrepreneurs. The famous phrase that “it takes a village” certainly applies to building a business as well.
The next struggle was trying to take my passion into profit, or at least into a strong investment to build upon. I basically had no capital to begin with and would be paying my expenses from the money paid from the participants. To bring this dream to life, I needed musical theater professionals who would not only provide first-class instruction, but who would also support my desire of making this a transformational experience. I found that in the sister duo of Kyrsten Hafso- Koppman and Siri Hafso. We hit it off immediately and I knew I had a special team. I am excited to report that for the upcoming workshop, I have expanded our staff. I will be assisting the amazing Courtney Corey with the musical direction, and the incomparable Natalie Nucci will serve as choreographer. I am so fortunate to have such talented and experienced professionals be a part of this project.
The biggest obstacle that we obviously didn’t see coming was COVID-19. It prohibited us from moving forward with our 3rd workshop back in May of 2020. I considered trying an online version of the workshop, but after speaking with my staff and past participants, the decision was made to wait until we could safely gather in person. The vision just couldn’t be properly achieved without having everyone in the same physical space. I am so grateful that we now have the means to do that safely.
Even though Bucket List Broadway is still young, I consider it an already successful business. The first workshop was a solid beginning and served as a learning experience and investment in future endeavors. Because of this, we were able to turn a profit from our second ever workshop. We are set up for a strong 3rd workshop; people are now, more than ever, craving connection and healthy outlets, so I think we will have our biggest turnout yet. Going beyond the numbers and the financial aspect, I know every Bucket List Broadway experience will be a successful one. Inspiring and being inspired, watching and experiencing growth, and having an impact on the lives of others brings a reward that is priceless.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Bucket List Broadway – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I truly believe that Bucket List Broadway is unique in the way we offer a musical theater learning/performing experience over a single weekend. We start the workshop off with theater games/ice breakers/getting to know you in a comfortable and safe environment. Over the course of the weekend, participants will get singing and acting coaching from our musical director. This is a song they have worked on before the workshop and is completely of their own choosing. In addition, they will be coached on vocals for a group number that has been selected to reflect the dynamics of the group. They also learn a dance moves/staging from our choreographer to bring it all to life. Other activities can include movement workshops, Q&A sessions, and vocal technique. All of this culminates in a showcase performance for family and friends at the end of the second day.
When I started this venture, I knew that it would be a chance for participants to grow as performers, to have fun learning and to likely step out of their comfort zone. I anticipated that I would have fun and enjoy being a part of this process, both as a teacher and a sometimes participant. What I didn’t realize is that this experience would turn out to be SO MUCH MORE. I have seen beautiful, emotional breakthroughs, special friendships created, people who just met being vulnerable and raw. One of our participants in our last workshop collapsed in her chair after doing her solo number for the group. Her eyes welled up with tears as she shared her story. She spoke of being in a high school musical and being chastised by a classmate who said things to her like “you can’t sing. What makes you think you deserve to be on this stage?”. She had carried those words in her head and let them become a limiting belief for over 45 years.
After performing her number at BLB, she said she felt that those hurtful words and the subsequent fear and shame that had held her back were finally released. Most of the participants shared beautiful stories of how BLB affected them more deeply than they had imagined, and went way beyond just singing and dancing. Because I am also a yoga teacher, and one of my life’s goals is to help people heal from past wounds and grow into their fullest potential, my heart sings knowing that our participants receive benefits that go beyond what they anticipated. I believe that the safe space we create – one of nurture, of encouragement, of good energy – combined with the vulnerability and willingness to “go there” from our students creates this unique “lightening in a bottle” experience.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I am so excited to announce that our next workshop will be taking place Saturday and Sunday, November 13-14! We doubled our participation from our first to our second workshop, and my goal is to do so again for this next installment! I believe that everything is aligning to make that happen.
I would love to hold specialized workshops in the future, such as a Parent/Child workshop and training for high school drama students. I am also open to any holding workshops for special groups who would like a session tailored especially to them. An ultimate dream would be to franchise Bucket List Broadway and bring it to many cities and communities around the US.
If you, or anyone you know is interested in signing up for our upcoming BLB workshop, please visit our website at www.bucketlistbroadway.com or email me at bucketlistbroadway@gmail.com. Mention you found out about us in the SD Voyager and receive 10% off!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bucketlistbroadway.com
- Phone: 619-726-2817
- Email: bucketlistbroadway@gmail.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/bucketlistbroadway
- Instagram: bucketlistbroadway
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