“This experience has taught me that I can sing in front of people, and it is easier than I thought it would be. It also taught me that I can have confidence and stay humble as well as make my art for me and not for anyone else. ”
Bree Patterson
Theatre Performance
Graduating Class: 2017
Hometown: Liberty, Missouri
Major: Theatre Performance
Other Activities:
Profession-based experiences in Northwest’s Department of Fine and Performing Arts helped Bree Patterson, a senior theater performance major from Liberty, Missouri, land a week on Broadway in New York City through an Open Jar Institute scholarship.
Bree attended the week-long Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in Des Moines, Iowa, in January. The festival attracts theater programs from throughout the region to attend workshops, technical design expos and competitions, including an opportunity to experience life on Broadway through singing, dance and acting.
Bree worked with Kat Bilbo, assistant professor of theatre, twice a week to prepare for the festival.
"Kat coached and encouraged us to perform in front of other people. This is something I was scared to do, particularly when it came to singing."
For her first performance, Bree sang a three-minute audition piece. After waiting three days to learn if she made it to the next round of the audition, she prepared to perform a musical cabaret. She joined the remaining finalists and attended intensive rehearsals to perfect their songs.
"We knew the Open Jar representative was in attendance, but we weren’t expecting him to award the scholarship that day. So as we practiced, we were all aware that he was watching from a far."
The Open Jar representative selected five students to receive the scholarship.
"I didn’t think that I would be a recipient of the scholarship. I am so excited to participate in master classes and work with Broadway professionals."
When Bree arrives in New York in July, she will attend four Broadway shows, live on Times Square and perform in a showcase.
After Bree graduates, she plans to move back to Liberty and work in a theater in Kansas City.
"Dedicate yourself to something that you love and not something you feel like you have to do. If you have a major you don’t like, change it. If you find yourself doing something you didn’t see yourself doing, that’s ok. Keep moving and do things for you."
