“The Friends of Broadway” Perform 20th Anniversary Concert

20 years ago, fourteen year-old Samantha Hammel, then a freshman at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, had dreams of the spotlight. Hungry to perform, she created “The Friends of Broadway”, a small traveling group of girls that performed for anyone who would listen. “We started at malls and nursing homes because they were happy to have a group like us entertain their guests and residents. Within a year, we had grown from a group of six to over fifteen young performers and had venues like Disney World and an Off-Off Broadway theater in New York under our belts!” Each year, “FOB”, as its fondly called by its members, grew in cast size and annual performances. Over time, the mission of the group became clear to Hammel (now Bower), now a performing arts studio owner and mother of two. “Even though it was exciting to perform at the Magic Kingdom in Orlando and at other large venues, I quickly realized what this group was all about: giving back to the community.” Over the past twenty years, “The Friends of Broadway” have donated their time and talents to fundraisers for the Jimmy Fund, HOPEsudbury, and more and make annual appearances at Boston Children’s Hospital and local nursing homes. Through exciting and electrifying concerts, they have helped raise money for organizations like Smile Train and the Make-a-Wish Foundation, to name a few. The Friends of Broadway is committed to sharing the joy of music with people of all walks of life and in the process of reaching out to our community, members of the cast participate in a life-changing experience that they will always remember.

Their 20th season production entitled the “Celebrate Tour” features songs from musicals and artists like Annie, Wicked, Dear Evan Hansen, Michael Jackson, Meghan Trainor, and more. The girls are training after school every day to prepare to perform at nursing homes, malls, hospitals, fundraisers such as AIDS Walk on the Hatch Shell, Story Land in Glen, NH and a variety of venues across Massachusetts.

These talented young performers are also looking forward to an opening night concert on Friday, June 1 at Whitcomb Middle School, 25 Union Street in Marlborough. The performance will take place at 7:00pm and is open to the public. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door or for advanced premium seating. “We are most excited about commemorating this special anniversary and especially looking forward to welcoming FOB alumni from as far back as 1998 to the stage for a special song,” says Bower.

For Casey Monteiro, a sophomore at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School and a long-time member of the group, it’s the outreach opportunities that make FOB special and unique. “One of my favorite parts of FOB is traveling around to multiple venues to provide the gift of music to all walks of life. Patients in hospitals and nursing homes that wouldn’t have access to a theatre production are able to experience one of our performances in their own venue, which is really cool! I have been able to put myself out into the world through FOB and do what I love for a great cause.”

For more information about “The Friends of Broadway” or to purchase tickets for their June 1 concert at Whitcomb Middle School in Sudbury, please visit www.thefriendsofbroadway.org

Sudbury cast members include: Kiera Doyle, Emma Schwarz, Nina Lokshin, Amelia Quinn, Casey Monteiro, Morgan McIver, Julia Pilavin, Jessica Crane, Jordan Trone, and Hayden Barsamian.