Photo By Stephanie Wessels
Growing up in Boca Raton, Jennifer Ashley Tepper never had any doubt she would one day make it to Broadway.
“I used to joke when I was a teenager that it was New York City or bust and I would chain myself to my bedroom if I didn’t get into NYU,” says Tepper, who did graduate from NYU.
A graduate of Olympic Heights High School, Tepper recently released Volume 4 of what will be a six-volume series titled “The Untold Stories Of Broadway: Tales From The World’s Most Famous Theaters,” for which she has interviewed more than 300 theatre professionals about their experiences working on the Great White Way.
The book covers everything from how shows such as “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Falsettos,” “A Raisin in the Sun” and “Hair” fought for social justice through art to the funniest bloopers from the famed “Les Misérables.”
While Broadway has been dark during the pandemic, Tepper used her time to learn even more than she already knew about her first love — the theater.
“Writing ‘Volume 4’ brought out so many interesting parallels with what is going on right now,” she says, citing sexism in Broadway, evolving hiring practices and the roles radio and streaming of shows have played in how audiences interact and enjoy Broadway.
Tepper, 35, credits her theater teacher Jacquie Hasko and Zoraida Adams, the director of the Jewish Community Center theater camp in Boca Raton (which Tepper attended growing up) for her love of theater. “They helped me figure out how to flex my musical theater nerd muscles while performing,” she says.
Although Tepper performed in school, at camp and was part of the Florida Thespians, she prefers what she calls “the collision of theater history and making new musicals happen,” which explains why she enjoys both writing about Broadway’s history as well as bringing new shows to life.
In addition to her books about Broadway, Tepper has produced several musicals including “Be More Chill,” “Broadway Bounty Hunter,” and “Love In Hate Nation.” She also is the creative and programming director at Feinstein’s/54 Below, a supper club where, prior to the pandemic, she was programming 18 shows a week.
Tepper, like so many others, is looking forward to the return of Broadway. “I am excited to get back to our big, fun, exciting live shows,” she says.