A New Student Organization Brings Broadway Hits to Bradley

Bradley does Broadway was established in 2021 to help bridge the gap between the music and theatre departments. Senior music education major Caroline Burmahl has witnessed the expansion of the group beyond the music department. “We have a lot of students who are non-music majors joining.” 

Bradley does Broadway is all student-led, from the choreography, casting and directing. Sophomore music education major Kenzie Puckett has been helping the club grow and with Burmahl, restructured the entire program by creating a workable schedule for everyone involved. “We made so much progress in restructuring things which has made it a lot easier on our cast.”  

In addition to bringing in more students to participate in music on campus, they wanted to increase the visibility of the entire department itself. The two kicked off Bradley does Broadway with auditions in the fall semester, recruiting members from the music department as well as students from different majors. Rehearsals began in January and continued up to the performance on April 12. Puckett shared that as a director and a student, the hardest thing is directing your peers. “Ultimately, it was such a great learning experience and I’m excited to do it again.” 

Burmhal and Puckett succeeded in bringing visibility to Bradley does Broadway—it was the most attended music performance event of the year. “It says a lot about the culture and community of the music department,” said Burmahl. “This is just another way for us to stay more connected on campus.”

The event at Dingledine Music Center included solos, duets, quartets and ensembles. They also recruited student accompanists from the string and band ensembles. Some familiar songs featured in the performance were “Bend and Snap” from Legally Blonde, “What is this Feeling?” from Wicked and “Your Fault” from Into the Woods. Puckett said one of her favorite performances from the beginning of this process was from senior construction management major Mady Yu who sang “Maybe This Time” from Cabaret. 

Burmahl and Puckett will return next year to direct Bradley does Broadway. “It is always a great experience and we hope more people will come next year to watch it. It was the highlight of my year,” explained Puckett.

—Adalia Yeung