Zaylin Yates and The Youth Presents: ‘Brévo for Broadway’

Zaylin Yates, founder of Brévo Theatre, with performers from Young, Gifted & Brave. Photo courtesy Brévo Theatre.

The new generation is taking things up a notch! Today, paving a way in the arts has no limits.

Zaylin Yates, founder of the Brévo Theatre, is an alumnus of Florida A&M University. He had a plan and exercised his passion for theatre alongside producing artistic director Terrence Pride. Yates says he was walking in his passions and things started to “magically” happen for himself and the community.

Like most of us, the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic was everything but easy for Zaylin Yates. He references it as a “rollercoaster.” Entrusting to what he believed to be of value, Yates saw fit to help the youth break free through virtual performances, providing narratives around the current incidents of racial injustice termed “Protest Art.”

Now Yates is working with the Young, Gifted & Brave,  a theatre program for youth that engages young actors in diverse and marginalized communities to provide top-notch actor training and performance education. The outreach program offers students workshops and individualized instruction throughout the academic year, concluding with the last performance during the summer titled “Brévo for Broadway.”

Brévo is the future of the young theatre. Brévo has been working to enrich the community, share thought-provoking narratives, and create nurturing environments through the arts since its emergence. It is a safe place to educate the youth and provide them with the expertise that exceed the norms.

Yates believes in the future of theater and is confident that Young, Gifted & Brave will continue to thrive and become even more innovative. Yates explains, “Typically, we find that many theaters are set in their ways. There is a particular taste acquired. They are not trying to see fresh faces. While there is no quick fix, I feel programming should speak to your audience, mission, and values.” He adds with sincerity, “We want to see younger people and reflect them in the cast.”

For Yates, this is the type of conversation many need to hear.

“Brévo for Broadway” spotlights over 20 of Miami’s outstanding high school student performers and recent graduates in a sequencing presentation of Tony Award-winning Broadway musicals and plays.

Yates says, “I wanted this to be an opportunity for young artists to be showcased in the community, whether that be because of a lack of shows during the pandemic, support, or openings. Collectively, my team wanted these students to be seen.”

Yates holds firm to the African Proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” He follows up by saying, “The arts are a very collaborative and team-oriented space. It can’t be achieved alone. My message to the young people is to be authentically you. Know your gifts and truths. The roles will come.”

Fifteen to twenty musical numbers will be featured in “Brévo for Broadway,” including:

• “Six” from “Six”
• “Sparkling Diamonds” from “Moulin Rouge”
• “Inner White Girl” from “A Strange Loop”
• “It’s All Over” and “And I Am Telling You” from “Dreamgirls”

When: July 23, 2022, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Where: Proscenium Theatre at the Little Haiti Cultural Center at 212 NE 59th Terrace, Miami, Florida 33137.

Tickets: General admission tickets are $25.00 for adults and $15.00 for children (15+) and seniors. Tickets can be purchased at Brévo Theatre.

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