The performing arts are both the most intriguing and the most frustrating of professions. While the destination is attractive, the path to get there is vague.
If you want to be a doctor, you go to medical school. If you want to be a plumber, you go to trade school. But for young people interested in becoming theatrical performers, it can be very challenging for their parents to help them find the early opportunities so vital to their development.
One mother faced this very problem when her family moved to Southern California. Tiffney Beckhoff had two daughters who loved musical theater, but although Orange County is full of fine dancing and singing schools for young people, nothing provided quite the same opportunities as what they’d enjoyed in Northern California. Seeing a need that countless other creative young people must similarly face, this family decided to become the change they wanted to see in the world.
Dedicated Broadway fans may have heard the name Bravo Players for the first time in the last month or so because of their upcoming gala, “The Best of Bravo: Out of This World Gala.” With its impressive lineup of talent, this event promises to be one of the most exciting musical theater performances in Orange County this fall season.
Who are the Bravo Players, what is the Bravo Players Foundation, and how did this impressively young nonprofit organization plan this gala? These were all questions I had, so I had to get in touch with Bravo’s executive director. My conversation with Beckhoff revealed an inspiring story of a local family’s journey to help Southern California’s art scene, which is just beginning.
About Bravo
Bravo’s story started about four years ago. The journey since then has been one of ups, downs, and restarts. First and foremost, Bravo Players was a musical school intended to help young people in their journey of becoming professional musical theater performers. Many dance studios offer theater classes in addition to their dance curriculum, but Bravo offers an opportunity for students of all ages and abilities to have meaningful, serious, but fun experiences with theater. They have a permanent studio space in Mission Viejo, where several instructors provide the usual courses in singing, dancing, and acting.
Despite the auspicious start, Bravo has recently gone into a new era. After being obliged to take things a bit slower due to personal issues, Bravo regrouped about a year ago and launched what’s really their second phase of existence. Over the years, they’ve put on several Broadway shows, including “Newsies” and “Beetlejuice.”
Last year, Bravo put on a showcase in Newport Beach that featured the students’ individual talents. Beckhoff remembers this performance as a huge artistic success; it was also a moment of realization for her. Beckhoff recalls: “I realized it was a wonderful show, but more people needed to see it. I knew there was more that I could do with advertising.”
A New Era
This year has been big for Bravo, with the launch of a new nonprofit organization, plans for scholarships, and the first annual fundraising gala.
About six months ago, Beckhoff started the Bravo Players Foundation, a small but mighty nonprofit organization dedicated to taking Bravo’s mission to the next level. It includes a board of about four people, which is the nucleus of a huge team of passionate friends of arts education.
A group of students looks at a mural honoring famous musicals. (Courtesy of Bravo Players Foundation)
The reason for turning the successful studio into a nonprofit is to provide more opportunities to performing arts students in Orange County. For instance, the foundation recently announced the creation of a scholarship program, which will award 10 scholarships to underprivileged youth for arts education every year. The costs of running any business in California are high, so Bravo, like all nonprofits, will need the support of the community to make these ambitious dreams a reality. That’s where the annual gala comes in.
The Out of This World Gala
To achieve their goal of receiving more publicity and attracting a bigger audience, Beckhoff realized that they needed a popular venue and some big-name guest artists. As is often the case in such ambitious dreams, the availability of the ideal venue proved to be all the encouragement this visionary needed to proceed. When the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Hall, a beautiful concert hall at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, proved available and willing to work with Bravo, it was the beginning of this event’s reality. Now all they needed was a lineup of talent to draw the crowd needed to fill that dream venue.
Beckhoff drew on her industry contacts and inquired with an agent whether she could acquire some A-listers for the gala. The agent told her to submit a list of her top five names. At the top of the list was Jeremy Jordan, a popular Broadway performer known for originating lead roles in “Newsies,” “Bonnie and Clyde,” and “The Great Gatsby.”
To her utter surprise and delight, Beckhoff soon found out that Jordan was interested, available, and offering to film a promo reel to advertise the event. Amid tears of joy, Bravo’s team realized that this gala just might come together. Other musical theater celebrities who will be in the gala are Broadway performer Andrew Kober (“Hair”), actress/influencer Cara Rose DiPietro, and Broadway performer Drew Becker (“Tootsie”).
About Jeremy Jordan
Jordan is a two-time Tony nominee who just left his third Broadway show in two years, the Bobby Darin tribute “Just in Time.” He gave his last performance in this production on Oct. 18, “just in time” to be available for Bravo’s West Coast performance.
It isn’t often that Broadway fans in California get to see Jordan perform live. He gave a concert at the Segerstrom Center in the summer of 2025, and his most recent Southern California performance was at the Soraya Center in Northridge in April 2026, shortly before he went into “Just in Time.” His next scheduled concert in this area isn’t until February 2027, when he’ll be giving a solo concert at the McCallum Theater in Palm Desert.
That makes the Bravo Gala a rare and exciting opportunity for West Coast Broadway fans. It will also be a unique and amazing experience for Bravo’s students, who will get to be on the same bill with one of the top Broadway stars of this generation.
How to Attend
The Best of Bravo Gala on Nov. 14 is the company’s first official gala, but they’re starting off with a bang. Since this is a fundraiser, the cost to attend isn’t cheap, but it’s certainly more affordable than a round-trip ticket to NYC to see a live show on the Great White Way. There are a variety of ticketing options, from basic attendance to a full VIP table for 10.
If you’re interested in getting a seat, don’t look at the Segerstrom Center’s website. Although this event is at the Segerstrom Center, it’s not one of their official productions; Bravo is renting the facility. Thus, tickets are available directly through Bravo. They’re being sold on the popular nonprofit fundraising platform GiveButter, so the money to secure your seats is technically a donation rather than a purchase.
If you love musical theater, arts education for youth, and live performing in general, “The Best of Bravo: Out of This World Gala” is a great opportunity to support theater for young people in Orange County. This is a very worthy organization, which has done amazing things in just its earliest days of existence. I can’t wait to see where this exciting company goes in the future.
