Broadway Veterans Alexis Carra & Chryssie Whitehead Launch Performing Arts Education Nonprofit
The pair will bring their combined decades of experience both performing and educating to youth in Tampa and beyond to foster deeper connections and mental wellbeing through arts education.
TAMPA — Today, Broadway veterans Alexis Carra Girbés (Wicked, Sweet Charity) and Chryssie Whitehead (A Chorus Line, Chicago) launch their new nonprofit Broader Than Broadway (BTB), with the mission of bringing performing arts education and skills to youth and adolescents in under resourced communities.
“We had the idea to create this organization in part because we see how many of the young people in our lives crave deeper connection,” said Alexis Carra Girbés and Chryssie Whitehead, co-founders of Broader Than Broadway. “Our own lives are proof that performing arts education can be a powerful vehicle for that; we’re best friends of more than 25 years and we met doing a show together. Being a part of a group, coming together to express ourselves and exchange stories—it’s the heart of the performing arts, but it’s also a key antidote to the isolation of a fast-moving world where we spend more time on our phones than really seeing each other.”
While the curricula the duo are designing for programs are rooted in performing arts education, the purpose is more broadly to create a world where all young people can access the transformative power of the performing arts, enabling them to build essential life skills, foster deeper connection to themselves and their communities, and develop a lasting sense of empathy.
"I was fortunate to have access to arts education throughout my school years," said Steve Glavan, Board Chair of Broader Than Broadway. "My exposure to music and theater provided a foundation for so many of my pursuits in life—professionally and personally. Being part of this organization is truly exciting, and I’m honored to join Chryssie and Alexis as they bring their experiences as actors and educators to inspire the next generation."
Studies have long shown the powerful impact of arts education on youth and adolescent wellbeing. The presence of performing arts education or activity consistently yields positive outcomes on mental health, academic achievement and relationships, with the highest potential benefit for lower income youth facing barriers to resources (Rohlfing, 2023). The National Library of Medicine issued a study specifically on supporting youth mental health with arts-based strategies, concluding that “[t]he documented success of arts- and culture-based strategies in promoting mental health, together with their potential to integrate with and expand upon existing cultural resources within communities, make them highly attractive tools to support youth mental health globally” (Golden et al, 2024). Further, the broader impacts on communities can manifest in sustainable public safety, too. The U.S. Department of Justice cited studies in the late nineties around cities pivoting to arts education for lower income youth as an investment in public safety. There is no denying the return on the investment with several cities involved in the study reporting a decrease in youth involvement in crime or questionable behavior, an increase in academic achievement and an improvement in their self-perception (Americans for the Arts, 1997).
“Our entire school community is excited to have this programming for our students,” said William Jones, Theatre Program Director at Sickles High School. “Historical studies show the importance of performing arts education and the positive impact it can have on students’ lives. Having the opportunity to work so closely with Chryssie and Alexis, I know my students will experience the best of what theatre education has to offer, from honing their craft and self-expression to developing important life skills in an encouraging, responsive and secure space.”
With a focus on building and encouraging confidence, communication, collaboration, creativity and problem solving skills, BTB youth will cultivate critical life skills in community with their peers. For example, over the course of an eight-week after school program, students will deepen social skills through owning their voices, listening, empathizing and acknowledging others—all of which culminates in an original show that fuses their personal stories with aspects of theatre performance.
The Tampa launch of BTB programming is the first of many to come, with plans to bring programs to New York and beyond. Carra Girbés and Whitehead are also developing a teacher training program to bring the curriculum to cities nationwide. Follow Broader Than Broadway for updates.
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About Broader Than Broadway
Broader Than Broadway is an organization bringing performing arts education and skills to youth and adolescents in under resourced communities. With decades of performing and teaching experience behind them, co-founders Alexis Carra Girbés and Chryssie Whitehead build and lead in-school and afterschool programs as well as teacher training programs, all rooted in building life skills, connection and empathy.
