Meet Becky Broyles | Executive Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Becky Broyles and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Becky, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The most important factor behind Ovation’s success is our mission of changing the world, one child at time. It is our driving motivation in every facet of our organization.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I grew up singing in church from the age of 4 and performing in community theater from the age of 7. In college, I majored in music, vocal performance. It was classical program, then began my journey in professional musical theater. I met John Lewis through my friend who was stage manager on “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” in my college production. John is her dad, and was casting his own production of “Joseph.” I auditioned, and was cast as the Narrator. I did several productions with him as director, and eventually went on staff as his assistant, and then as producer. Since then, we have produced over 200 shows together. Through the shows, we came into contact with a lot of children who were interested in the Entertainment Industry, and wanted guidance. That is really what prompted us to start Ovation School for the Performing Arts in 2004. We wanted to create a safe-haven for children that focused on building life-skills such as compassion, empathy, self-discipline, self-confidence, and the concept of “paying it forward.” We felt, and still do, that if the kids can learn to be grounded in who they are as individuals, while learning to give back, they have a far better chance at not only surviving the Entertainment Industry, but thriving in whatever field they choose to go into.

Our tagline is “changing the world, one child at a time.” It has sort of become cliche for a lot of businesses. Everyone seems to think they are “changing the world, one (fill in the blank) at a time, but we really are doing it! After 21 years of seeing the progress of our alumni, and present students, the global impact is evident. Our alumni have become teachers, music therapists, psychologists, attorneys, entertainers, and non-profit leaders. One has even gone on to become a nuclear physicist! That is what sets us apart. We focus on the whole student, who they are becoming in the world. The arts are an important component, but they are not the sole focus. They are a tool.

We have certainly taken the road less traveled, to quote Robert Frost. We had very humble beginnings as Ovation. We began in a small store front in downtown Azusa. John sold his house to fund the project and get the school open. We built out two small offices with a music/acting room and a dance studio. Because we did the work ourselves, it took us 18 months to complete the project and pass inspection. In 2007, we heard about a theater for sale in the community of Upland. We partnered with an investor, but then the crash happened in late 2007 and deal fell apart, but we fell in love with Upland. We ended up producing an entire season at the theater and launched a location for classes there. Eventually, we combined both schools to a new location in Upland where we spend the next 13+ years. Covid hit, but we carried on with classes online, and eventually back in person. Once everything was back to a new normal, we received a 3 day notice that our rent was going to increase by 54%. That was our “all hope is lost” moment. We tore everything out, including our recording studio, dance studios, and small theater. We packed everything up, moved into storage and prepared to continue classes at a church until we could find an alternative solution, which we did. I am happy to say that we found a beautiful location in Downtown Upland. It took about a year to find, but we were grateful to move back home to Downtown.

Our journey has been an uphill one, but isn’t that life? The struggles make the good spots that much sweeter. As a grass-roots non-profit organization, funding is always an issue. We never turn anyone away due to finances. Our philosophy has always been, if we are here and that student wants to be here, then they should have the opportunity to be here too. We are thankful for our community partners who understand that philosophy and help to support these students.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would definitely start with the Beach, most likely Redondo for sentimental reasons. I like the walk on the beach to Kings Harbor. We would definitely make a stop by Beach Bowls Acai and likely the Red Onion. From there, a trip to the mountains seems appropriate so Big Bear would be next on the agenda. The Village is such a sweet place to visit with all of the shops and eateries. We would likely visit Disney and/or Knotts, and definitely see a show at The Pantages or Ahmanson.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
John Lewis, co-founder and creative director at Ovation, mentor, and friend. Jacquie Donley, program director at Ovation, my sister, my friend. These two individuals have made it all possible for Ovation to thrive, to continue doing what we do. Their friendship and guidance are my driving force. Also, Board Chair Jennifer Wiesner & Production Coordinator Mandi Albert. These two exceptional women do so much behind the scenes that no one even knows about from social media and marketing to event/fundraising coordination. I am forever grateful for them.

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