Hosted by Broadway World and sponsored by Broadway Records, the singing competition is in its second season, with Willem Butler '22 coming out on top during the first season.
Elon student Haile Ferrier ’21 has landed among the top five contenders for Broadway World’s online musical theatre singing competition, Broadway’s Next On Stage, with the three finalists to be announced Friday, Nov. 6.
The competition, which pits college students against each other before a panel of Broadway judges, is in its second season. This summer, Willem Butler ’22 took the top spot in the inaugural six-week competition with performances including “For Forever” from “Dear Evan Hansen,” “Maria” from “West Side Story,” “Top of the World” from” Tuck Everlasting,” and “Santa Fe” from “Newsies.” Competing in the finals, Butler delivered a passionate performance of “Goodbye” from “Catch Me If You Can” to win the competition, which attracted 2,000 contestants.
Ferrier, who is majoring in music theatre at Elon, has so far received high marks from the competition judges who include Lesli Margherita, Courtney Reed, Kate Rockwell, Brittney Johnson, Arielle Jacobs and Kyle Taylor Parker.
“Haile — I’m a huge fan,” Reed said following Ferrier’s performance of “Dyin’ Ain’t So Bad” from “Bonnie & Clyde” as one of the top five contenders. “This was a beautiful performance. … This is an extremely difficult song.”
See more of Ferrier’s performances from previous weeks here.
Voting continues through the end of the day on Nov. 5, with the top three contenders announced on Friday, Nov. 6. Head here to cast a vote. The winner will be announced on Nov. 13.
The winners in the high school and college categories will receive a Broadway prizepack with merchandise from the BroadwayWorld Theatre Shop, CDs from Broadway Records and $1,000 to a charity of their choosing. First-place winners will also have the opportunity to record a single, to be released by Broadway Records, with the profits from the recording being donated to The Actors Fund.