For one night in November, the lights of Broadway shone on the Schrieber stage, when Broadway Across the Bay returned to Port Washington. This year, the annual event took place on Nov. 8 in the Schreiber Auditorium. It was open to the public and attracted a crowd of close to 400 people. Broadway Across the Bay is a multi-faceted event, bringing a star-studded performance to Port Washington, providing arts, education, and performance experience for Port Washington vocal students, and serving as a fundraiser for local non-profit, HEARTS.
The event consists of five well-known Broadway stars visiting Port Washington to sing some of their signature tunes alongside Port Washington students. This year, five new stars performed in Broadway Across the Bay. Jasmine Forsberg, who performed in Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends, Six the Musical and Here Lies Love; Kyle Ramar Freeman who took the stage in The Wiz, and a Strange Loop; Jelani Remy, who was in Back to the Future – The Musical, The Lion King, and Ain’t Too Proud: the Life and Times of the Temptations; Olivia Valli, from Wicked and Pretty Woman; and Justin Matthew Sargeant, who performed in Rock of Ages, Hamilton, Spider-Man and Turn Off the Dark. Stephen DeAngelis produced the event while Rachel Dean took the role of musical director.
During the event, the Broadway veterans got to perform songs from shows they’ve appeared in over the years. Students from all over Port Washington were given the opportunity to perform alongside the accomplished performers. Students of all ages participated, including members of after-school elementary musical theater program Curtains Up, the Weber Middle School Drama Club, and the Schreiber Theatre Company.
“It is a great opportunity to see real Broadway singers (and sing with them too) on our high school stage. It was also a great way to learn about each of their journeys to Broadway. I had a great time,” said freshman Brigitta Rudegeair.
In addition, because all of these programs receive funding from HEARTS, students were afforded the opportunity to support the organization that supports themselves.
“This year’s Broadway Across the Bay was a wonderful experience with great actors who had excellent advice on futures in acting and life overall. I would be excited if Schreiber could make this happen again,” said sophomore Leo Raber.
HEARTS, whose name is an acronym for “Helping Enrich the Arts in Port Washington,” is an organization founded in 2012 with the goal of supporting and encouraging visual and performing arts in Port Washington. One of the ways HEARTS pursues its mission is through funding grants for the Port Washington School District and the entire community to support various arts programs within the district. In the 2025-2026 academic year, for example, Schreiber students received 11 grants from HEARTS. In addition to annually supporting the Schreiber Theatre Company’s play and musical, HEARTS has also allocated grants to support various the AP Photography class, the Design and Drawing for Production class, and the Craft and Film Clubs, as well as supporting Night of 1000 Strings and Night of Jazz, which are also open to students throughout the entire district.
“Events like this help fund so many HEARTS programs. I think it’s so great that they can have opportunities like this and give money to other art programs at the school,” said junior Grayson Marrinan.
Schreiber music students have often heard the District’s Director of Creative Arts, Mr. Kevin Scully, and our music faculty, discuss how important watching performance opportunities are for Performing Arts students. Broadway Across the Bay is an event that brings that goal to fruition, providing students with an opportunity to showcase their talents and hard work, and allowing them exposure to Broadway performers who have been successful in making the Performing Arts their careers.