Broadway Experience Fall Edition Holiday Production
Broadway Experience Spring Edition-Cabaret
Ritz Theatre & Musuem
Photo Gallery
Greetings!
For the last 16 years, Don’t Miss A Beat (DMAB) has served Northeast Florida as a nonprofit dedicated to empowering underserved children through musical theatre training and community engagement initiatives. One of the biggest ways we do this is through our Year-Round Programs and seasonal Broadway Experience Productions. Within the last seven years, DMAB has produced over 10 Broadway & Broadway Jr. Musicals at the Ritz Theatre & Musuem, Players by the Sea, Jacksonville Center for the Arts, and at our Community Art Center.
We understand our success would not be possible without your support, partnership, and generosity over the years. The last two years have shown that we are resilient. I am proud to say DMAB has emerged stronger and remains even more committed to serving our Jacksonville communities at a time when they need us the most. Since our founding in 2007, we have:
Gwendolyn Owens, Director of Development
• Increased our student enrollment by 20% year over year.
• Rebranded our vision to include a new tagline “Excellence On Stage.”
• Expanded to Year-Round Programs including four Musical Theatre productions and the creation of a new Seamstress Suite with four seamstresses who work year-round.
• Continued our Visiting Artist Series featuring individuals from the American Conservatory Theatre, the Case Western MFA program, and The Juilliard School who bring Broadway, television network, and feature film experience as well as Grammy Award nominations.
• Performed locally for Mayor Donna Deegan’s inauguration, at the Eddy Awards, and at the Annual MLK Breakfast.
• Received one of three 2022 Mayor’s Strategic Partnership Initiative Awards.
We are deeply grateful to each of our partners, donors, community leaders, and our board for meeting the needs of the Don’t Miss A Beat organization. Thank you for inspiring us to continue to make a difference in the communities we serve.
Executive Team Members
ULYSSES OWENS, JR. Artistic Director
IRIS OWENS Director of Finance
FELICIA BASS Director of Operations
GWENDOLYN OWENS Director of Development
The DMAB Difference Since 2007
Mission Statement
To enlighten and activate kids through musical theatre production and community engagement. We are different because through heart, arts and community we promise to activate life-changing experiences.
Transformation Statement
We believe that where there is heart, hope, and wholeness, there is change.
Our Promise
Through heart, arts, and community we promise to activate life-changing experiences.
20,000
clients served
2,500
family recipients of our Holiday Toy Drive
100%
student acceptance into local performing arts schools: LaVilla School of the Arts, Fort Caroline Middle School of the Arts, and Douglas Anderson School of the Arts
graduates represented in higher education: Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Georgia Southern University, and Florida State College at Jacksonville
Year-Round Artistic Programs
Greetings everyone, and I want to thank you for your support of Don’t Miss A Beat (DMAB) over the last 16 years of our existence!
We are so grateful to have your support as we have navigated through varying artistic changes. Yet what excites us is the new mission and vision we established last year that embodies the core of our heart for our children and community. The mission of DMAB is to enlighten and activate kids through musical theatre production and community engagement. We are different because through heart, arts, and community, we promise to activate life-changing experiences. At DMAB we have delivered results directly to the lives of children that have now transitioned to alumni, such as Danyel Clark who will be graduating with a full scholarship from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee in Performance Theatre. Danyel is a product of DMAB who began her acting journey with us at the age of 13.
DMAB also recently created a direct link to Broadway through Grammy and Tony award-nominated artist Phillip Boykin. Mr Boykin has become a friend and advocate
of the DMAB children and community, and is assisting us with providing unique opportunities in Musical Theatre. I am excited as well to venture into the world of Broadway at the request of Branford Marsalis and David Lai, to join the new Broadway show ‘A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical’ opening on November 1, 2024, in New York City. Having these fortuitous opportunities brings to reality the dream of giving our kids an opportunity for a career in Musical Theatre. As we say at DMAB, we are committed to taking our kids from Broadway in JAX (the avenue in Jacksonville at the corner of our street) to Broadway in NYC by continuously surrounding them with the best teams and the opportunity to be part of multiple productions annually with excellence on stage.
Continue to partner with us as we transform the lives of “At-Hope” youth through the power of the performing arts.
Sincerely,
Ulysses Owens, Jr. Artistic Director
Broadway Experience Summer Edition
The DMAB Broadway Experience summer camp is a model that requires youth to show up every day for six weeks and receive training in the areas of vocal music, dance, and theatre. The students audition for varying lead and ensemble roles within the chosen production. As they submit to the curriculum and instruction from the incredible team, they are truly embodying
our mission of “enlightening kids through Musical Theatre production and community engagement” which equates to a successful summer. We also enlist a hybrid team from New York, Los Angeles, and Jacksonville that assist us in mounting a full-scale production at the Terry Theatre within the Jacksonville Performing Arts Center.
Broadway Experience Fall Edition Holiday Production
Our production of “A Ghost Tale for Mr. Dickens Jr.” at the Ritz Theatre & Museum to a packed audience was a huge success. Gemma Smith, who joined us as part of our partnership with the UNF Fine Arts Department as a Music Mentor Fellow, directed the Holiday Showcase. Her directorial vision for this production, our children, and community was exceptional.
The highlight of the event was the DMAB Toy distribution to our community families. Gifts were
rolled out on Santa’s Sleigh with all the toys displaying each family’s name. DMAB staff, the board and Santa’s Helpers from the audience assisted as the kids ran on stage to get their gifts. Through the generosity of the Peninsula Residents who have hosted the DMAB Toy Drive for 14 years, these families experienced the joy of giving and receiving during Christmas. The residents provided a record number of toys, clothing, and gift cards to support our DMAB families for the holidays.
Broadway Experience Spring Edition-Cabaret
DMAB hosted our second Cabaret “A Walk Down Broadway Lane.” The performance was held at Players by the Sea, which was the perfect venue for this event. Our acclaimed director was Sarah Boone, Executive Director of Theatre Jacksonville. Ms. Boone strategically selected excerpts from broadway productions of Once on this Island, Anastasia the Musical, Westside Story, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, Annie, Music Man, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Ragtime, The Wiz,
and an encore performance of Oklahoma from Oklahoma the Musical—cowboy hats and all!
The DMAB student performers were exceptional, playing to a sold-out audience who engaged with them with applause, laughter, and even tears. In the end, each performer was awarded a certificate of completion for their participation in the Broadway Experience Spring Cabaret and a Chick-fil-A gift card for lunch.
Seamstress Suite
One of the key elements in Musical Theatre production is costume design. In the past year we engaged a broadway costume designer who assisted us in building a full costume department. We now employ three seamstresses that work year-round on our four annual productions, curating costume ideas and creating “builds” which our costumers make from
Movement House
scratch. The team also created undergarments that assisted students when changing quickly backstage without being fully exposed. The Seamstress Suite at DMAB is a dedicated space to conduct fittings, prepare for productions, and perform maintenance and re-purposing of the costumes.
We recently received a Community Foundation for Northeast Florida Small Arts Grant that went towards the sound system and interior design of the “Movement House” dance studio. The studio was named the “Movement House” as it signifies all the activities that will take place in that space including dance, yoga, and choreography classes.
This award is confirmation and affirmation of our hard work and desire to provide the best environments for artistic experience for our children.
Parent Testimonial
“If you want to see your kid growing not only in the arts, but also as a person, this is the program. Just go to one of the shows. It will feel like a Broadway production.”
“I’m pretty sure they have changed so many lives for good. Not only those kids participating in this program, but also for the families.”
“You can feel it, you can tell that they are doing this for love. They want to be better and better everyday in every single way. When Bella joined, she looked forward every single day to coming here, just because she loved it so much.”
Richardo Doylet Isabella’s dad
Partnerships
AmTab Manufacturing
DMAB is grateful to our partners at AmTab Manufacturing and McKenzie Creative. AmTab designs, manufactures, and furnishes high-impact learning environments and student cafeterias. All their products are 100% made in the USA. They produced a commercial highlighting our partnership
which showcased our students. In addition, they are donating 60 ergonomic chairs and coordinated custom logo tables, two small logo tables, and two whiteboards on wheels. Their donations are designed to elevate the spacial environment for our students.
City of Jacksonville/ JaxParks
DMAB in partnership with the City of Jacksonville, JaxParks and Southern Recreation completed a small capital project that improved the patio area at the Edith Brown Community Center dba DMAB Community Art Center.
The patio is now an additional rehearsal space that will be
utilized for dance and yoga classes, and a potential overflow area for Musical Theatre blocking. Given the covering and flooring, it’s now a great multiuse space that can aid our children and staff year-round.
Ways to Give
Don’t Miss A Beat relies on the generosity of donors to provide services to youth in our community. Your donations will provide direct and immediate support, so please give today.
Donations can be made via check, credit card, or electronic transfer. To make your tax-deductible donation, visit www.dontmissabeat.org, call 904.385.4001, or send your gift to PO Box 6697, Jacksonville, FL 32236.
*scene from Matilda Jr.*
Employer-Matching Gifts
Many employers match gifts to charitable organizations. Ask your HR/personnel department for more information.
Pledges
& Recurring Gifts
Pledge your support as a recurring gift to make it easy.
Giving Tuesday
Make a gift of any size. Donations are matched, dollar for dollar.
Toy Drive Memorial, Honorary & Alternative Gifts
Recognizing those closest to you offers a thoughtful, caring way to honor someone special while supporting our cause. DMAB will acknowledge all gifts with a personal note.
Our youth depend on the generosity of donors to make their holiday bright. Consider adopting a family for the holidays and fulfilling a child’s holiday wishlist.
Sponsor-a-Child
Sponsor participation in DMAB’s Year-Round Artistic Programs. For $175, you can send a child to camp for the summer.
$1,822,829
$530,664 $679,608 $612,557
Corporate Sponsors
Board of Directors
Board President Director
Nia Bradberry Denise Graham
Senior Project Manager
United Health Care
Executive Vice President On Ideas
Secretary Director
Jennifer Ryan
Vice President
Merrill Lynch Wealth Management
Director
Nina Nelson-Garrett, MD
Capital City Gastroenterology
Director
Andrea Mims
Retired Bank Executive
Mrs. Suzanne Spencer
Riverside Dental
Board Advisor
Dr. Michael Spencer, DDS
Riverside Dental
Don’t Miss A Beat at the Ritz Theatre!!
We are excited to announce a formal partnership with the Ritz Theatre & Museum that will now be the official theatre for Don’t Miss A Beat’s Broadway Experience program in the upcoming Fall, Spring and Summer.
We will produce a season of shows including the Holiday Musical, Spring Cabaret and Summer Musical. We are incredibly grateful to the staff at the Ritz and SMG for their consistent support of our program over the last six years.
As we move forward to announce our 2024-25 season of shows, we are thrilled for our children to deliver excellence on stage as we exude our mission of enlightening youth through musical theatre production and community engagement.
