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I’ve always believed in giving credit where it’s due, so let me start here: I grew up with a mother and sister who made sure I had a healthy appreciation for musicals.
Granted, I never stepped into a theater on Broadway until my 30s, so my appreciation began with a VCR and your basic TV speaker, but there was no shortage of “Mary Poppins,” “The Sound of Music,” “Meet Me in St. Louis” and “White Christmas,” just to name a few, in the Rateike household. These were the movies we watched … when it wasn’t my turn to choose “Star Wars.”
But if I’m being honest, I didn’t really “know” anything about the world of Broadway. And then I met Lawren Mills, the woman I married. She basically told me, “Movies are great, but live theater, well, that’s ‘LIVE THEATER!’”
She didn’t just casually introduce me to Broadway. She opened the door, handed me a program, and said, “Trust me, you’re going to love this.” And she was right. She always is. (I say that both because it’s true and because it’ll make dinner with her tonight more enjoyable.) It is more “her” world than mine, but she lets me visit sometimes, and I’m better off for it.
When you’re married to someone, you’re often married to their work and sometimes the boards they serve on, for better or worse. Fortunately, in this case, Lawren serves on an advisory board for an organization called Discovering Broadway, and through her involvement I have come to appreciate a whole new layer of artistry, courtesy of my now-friend, Joel Kirk, a Carmel High School graduate and founder of the organization.
Five years ago, Discovering Broadway brought the creative process of Broadway to central Indiana through retreats for new musicals and immersive master classes. (That’s Hoosier hospitality, even during the pandemic.) Ambitious, to be sure, but it was never about performance; it was about development. Top-tier talent came here, and the organization found partners to give artists space to build their work, subsequently linking Indiana to Broadway-bound productions.
While I might inarticulately call it a “Broadway incubator,” the organization’s mission is so much more. And even if I don’t know all the details, I know that the other night (in my capacity as “arm candy”), I was able to experience incredible musical talent perfecting what they do, unafraid of trying new things, pulling back the curtain on the creative and artistic processes, performing in front of people rooting for them to succeed. It’s safe to say none of the boards I serve on provide the same “plus one” experience.
Joel has built a bridge between Broadway and Indiana in a way that defied the odds. He brought the talent, the writers, the composers, the strategy and the EFFORT. And he did it by relentlessly engaging the Indianapolis arts and business community, including some of our biggest benefactors but also the people who care the most. I know it was not easy.
I am deeply appreciative of the work Discovering Broadway is doing to “make real” what so many of us only hear about or catch a glimpse of during the Tony Awards. They have also shown me that Broadway is bigger than a few blocks in midtown Manhattan. Its reach is global.
Congratulations, Joel, and to all those who have believed and continue to believe in the work you are doing. Thank you for proving that even in uncertain times, art finds a way. Especially when it has a Hoosier work ethic behind it.•
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Rateike is founder of BAR Communications and served as director of cabinet communications for President Donald Trump. This is his new headshot. Send comments to [email protected].
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