Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rose Van Dyne. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Rose, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.

As a working artist in NYC, I have always felt that there is a big disconnect between the perceived “us”, (the community of people privileged enough to sustain a livelihood in the arts) and the perceived “them”, (the community of people living at our doorstep who are constantly underserved, ignored, and mistreated). I wanted to find a way to bridge this gap and give artists a space to hold themselves accountable to help those in need. That’s why I was excited to co-found an organization called Broadway Cooks!

Broadway Cooks partners with organizations in New York City to provide fresh food for houseless community members in the Theatre District and the five boroughs in collaboration with performers, producers, creatives, and institutions within the Broadway theatre industry and beyond. We reallocate excess food from catered events and conferences, as well as cook homemade meals funded through directed donations and grants. With a strive towards sustainability and inclusion, our goals are to further integrate the theatre industry into its surrounding community while providing meals that are rooted in the culture of the communities being served.

So far we have served over 500 meals to the houseless and hungry in NYC, with more than 25 artist volunteers! Recently we became fiscally sponsored, which will allow us to collaborate with even more organizations in the future. We are super excited to see artists become more involved in their wider communities and can’t wait to see how it’ll expand. You can learn more about us at our Instagram, @BroadwayCooks.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a multi-hyphenate artist in the musical theatre industry. I love to work in a variety of roles, depending on what’s needed for the project. I have equal experience in being a performer, as well a music director and a vocal technician. I also have a passion for arts administration and community leadership.

I think needing to specialize in one facet of the field is a myth! The modern artist is someone who can adapt and offer all their skillsets to the job at hand, no matter what capacity that might be in from project to project. I absolutely love to work collaboratively with my peers to achieve a shared goal. To me, that’s what being a theatre artist is all about — collaboration and community.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I think a lot of people in this industry base their success off of how they’re being perceived. For actors in particular, we wait for validation from casting directors, agents, directors, even peers to tell us that we are worthwhile artists. I definitely felt this way when I first moved to New York City. I thought that any deviation from the path would show everyone in my life that I wasn’t cut out for the business. But that’s not true. Forging your own path can look like a million different things. The way that I choose to create a sustainable life for myself as an artist may look completely different than the person next to me. More importantly, it may look completely different from the image I had in my mind before I even got started. But that doesn’t mean I have failed, or diverged from my goals. It just means my goals and perspective may have changed as I gained more experience. And that is a GOOD thing!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

To me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the ability to work in collaboration with such a wide range of people throughout your career. As someone who loves people, I find this to be the most invaluable element of this industry. We as human beings cannot function in isolation. Every project I work on requires intense collaboration. It is inherent to the musical theatre art form. I am excited by the human experience, and having a career that brings me in conversation with others who feel the same way is fiercely rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rosevandyne.com
• Instagram: @Rose_van_dyne
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rosevandyne4021

Image Credits

Román Zaragoza
Matthew Fischer
Grace Stockdale