BROADWAY DREAMS — Steubenville High School seniors Mia Loy, left, and Anthony Pearce, right, got a taste of the Great White Way while attending the “Broadway Dreams” theater program in July. They are sharing a moment with Broadway Dreams Founder Annette Tanner, second from left, and performer Alex Newell. -- Contributed

STEUBENVILLE — Two Steubenville High School students got a taste of the Great White Way when they attended the Broadway Dreams theater program this summer.

Seniors Anthony Pearce and Mia Loy headed to New York City from June 30-July 5 where they joined other youth for a summer intensive program to learn stage techniques from Broadway officials. Representatives had visited SHS last spring for a special masterclass where they led students in a dance and movement class and shared insight during a question-and-answer session.

“They came here last year and gave us insight on it,” said Pearce. “Thanks to (Thespians Adviser Abby) Macre, we got to go there and performed on July 5. We put the show together in five days and they brought in casting directors such as Peter Dunn.”

Between 60 and 70 youth and adults were part of the event, which included vocal and dance training and rehearsals as well as some sightseeing along the way.

“The first day, we had a round of auditions for dance and vocal,” said Loy. “We were placed in different groups for the showcase. On day two, we had rehearsals. We worked the whole week on vocals and dancing for the performance.”

The students worked with Broadway experts while choreographer Spencer Liff, performer and coach Lily Kaufman and performer Alex Newell attended sessions. Meanwhile, between 30 and 40 people attended the performance in Jersey City, N.J.

Pearce, the son of David and Lisa Pearce of Steubenville, and Loy, the daughter of Jason and Erin Loy of Steubenville, have been part of the SHS Thespian troupe and taken part in performances including “Newsies,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Les Miserables,” as well as school cabarets, plus they plan to appear in this spring’s production of “The Little Mermaid.” Both said being part of Broadway Dreams gave them a closer look at life under the stagelights and ideas to share with their fellow actors at Steubenville.

“We made a lot of good connections and contacts,” Loy continued. “I loved it. I wanted to do theater all throughout high school, so getting to go to New York City and working with professionals was exciting. It was also nice to be around kids who did what we were doing.”

“It was an accomplishment for me,” Pearce added. “I brought back knowledge I can share with others.”

The students plan to study theater post-graduation, with Pearce eying Kent State University and Ithaca College in New York and Loy looking to attend Point Park University in Pittsburgh, the University of Cincinnati or Ithaca College, and both will seek a bachelor of fine arts degree in musical theater.

Broadway Dreams is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Alpharetta, Ga., that is dedicated to providing life-changing musical theater training, access to Broadway professionals and a global support network to break barriers and make the arts accessible to talented young performers, regardless of their socioeconomic background. The workshops provide performance training, life skills and mentorship opportunities from the entertainment industry’s most distinguished talents. Since 2006, Broadway Dreams has conducted programs in over 50 countries and reached more than 20,000 students worldwide. More than $1.5 million in scholarships have been disbursed during that time while over 150 students have made their debut on Broadway and in national tours.