More than 1,600 students from across New Mexico filled Popejoy Hall on Thursday, Dec. 11 as part of Broadway for Teens, an outreach initiative designed to bring high school students to major touring productions at no cost. This year’s event centered on the national tour of MJ The Musical and marked the program’s largest gathering since its creation.
Fabianna Borghese Tabeling, director of Popejoy Hall, said the idea for the outreach began in 2023 when the venue presented Hamilton. “We launched in 2023 with just two schools,” says Borghese Tabeling. “We did Cuba High School and Albuquerque High School, and they came to see a performance of Hamilton. That is kind of what got the program started.”
After that early success, interest grew quickly. According to Tabeling, the expansion has only been possible because of outside support. “This program is fully funded by donors,” says Borghese Tabeling. “This current year is sponsored by Chevron, so they were able to provide the funding so we could buy out this whole performance.”
For Popejoy, the goal is rooted in its mission to make the performing arts accessible statewide. Tabeling said it was important to create an opportunity that truly reached older students. “Sometimes teens are kind of forgotten,” says Borghese Tabeling. “Getting them to come see a Broadway show was really important. Also just being able to reach so much of the state was really important to me.”
This year’s choice of MJ The Musical fit both the season and the academic calendar. “Some of it is timing and some of it is just kind of looking at the season,” says Borghese Tabeling.
Chevron’s support made it possible for every attending school to participate without financial barriers. Patrick Killen, Chevron’s senior manager for New Mexico State Government Affairs, said the company saw the partnership as an extension of its existing commitments. “We believe that in the places where we operate that it is important to give back to local communities.” says Killen.
Killen added that the company was drawn to the program after years of working with the University of New Mexico Foundation. “Through those interactions and just folks in the community, we learned about the Broadway for Teens program at Popejoy,” says Killen. “It was a perfect opportunity to contribute to both the arts while also doing outreach with students and local schools.”
Before the performance began, UNM President Garnett Stokes greeted the students and encouraged them to picture themselves on campus in the future. “Welcome to the University of New Mexico,” she told the crowd. “I am hoping that one day we are going to see you back at the University of New Mexico as a Lobo.”
For Popejoy Hall, the day marked another step toward widening arts access across the state. For Chevron, it represented a chance to support both education and community connection. And for the students who filled the hall, it offered their first glimpse of Broadway-level performance and a university environment many had never visited before.