On Wednesday, January 29, Highland High School (HHS) welcomed Chaundre Hall-Broomfield, a professional actor and musician who recently performed in the national tour of the musical Hamilton, to its auditorium.

Chaundre is a Hudson Valley native. He graduated from Newburgh Free Academy in 2014 and is a family friend of HHS sophomore Wilfred Jones, who initiated the invite to the school. Choir, band, and theatre students gathered to hear about Chaundre’s experiences and receive his advice on how to be successful in the professional theatre world.

After his introduction, Chaundre opened the floor to the students, encouraging them to ask him any questions they would like. Students took advantage of the opportunity and asked about everything from stage fright, forgetting lines, and advice on selecting college programs related to theater and performing arts.

The professional shared sound advice with aspiring students. “If you love what you do, you won’t care if you fall, you’ll be excited to get back up,” he advised. “Be more invested in the process than you are in the product,” he added.
Following the presentation, students stuck around to high five or hug Chaundre, as well as ask him additional questions.

HHS Vocal Music teacher Erin Bradley was excited to have a professional like Chaundre share real-world experiences with her students. “My hope is that the students were inspired by Chaundre and gained insight into the theatre world,” she said.