Vanessa to New York City!

I am a 17 years old musical theatre addict who has to get to NYC. I've always known that I wanted to do musical theater. Currently, I intern at a children's theatre in my town. Making shows happen is such a wonderful experience. My biggest long-term goal is to move to New York and act on Broadway. To help bridge the gap between local children’s theater and the bright lights on Broadway (and that is quite a gap), I have found a masterclass in NYC this summer.

The Broadway Collective tours around the country teaching musical theatre master classes. Their GATHERED program provides a 5-day long class in New York City during the summer. And I would love to attend more than anything in the world. Each day’s agenda is packed with singing, acting, and dancing intensives. This environment will push me out of my various comfort zones so I can further develop my skills in these areas. GATHERED will also help me discover more about the theatre industry. This is not a summer camp, GATHERED is an educational experience. 

I need your help to join GATHERED. Tuition for GATHERED ($4,295) and with airfare and housing I have to raise at least $7000 to continue my journey. My family does not have that kind of money. My father has Alzheimer's and dementia and can’t work. Our family lives off of money coming from his Social Security. I work after school, but my paychecks won’t add up to cover this class for a few more years. When I am not working, doing a show, or my schoolwork, I babysit to raise additional money.

At first, GATHERED was entirely off the table because of how expensive it is. After doing some research, I've come to find that Kickstarter is a good way of funding my learning. Going to NYC to experience a class like this would further my theater education and help me build a bridge to my future.
Risks and challenges
Not raising enough in time is my biggest challenge. If I do not reach my goal on GoFundMe, I will also be raising money in other places like babysitting, bake sales and more.