Website: https://broadwayhearts.org/
Jessica began studying classical ballet at the age of 5 and began dancing professionally as a teenager. She has performed with The Kirov Opera Ballet, The San Francisco, and Los Angeles Opera Ballets, among others.
She lost her father to BRCA-related pancreatic cancer, and as a result became active in genetic cancer outreach and advocacy. In 2017, Jessica founded Broadway Hearts and sense then had been an inspiration to thousands on Broadway and in the world.
We had a chance to catch up with her for an exclusive interview. This is what she shared up with us.
Broadway Hearts does amazing work for the community, what’s in store for the rest of the year and into the next?
Thank you so much!We have so much going on right now! It’s wonderful. Our regular, weekly virtual hospital visits have all become holiday themed visits, and it’ll keep changing depending on the holiday. So that’s always fun. Also, we’ve just launched our Broadway Hearts Backstage program! It’s a program where we offer a medically cleared child and their family a Broadway ‘experience’. We have incredible hotel and restaurant partners, and the kids get to choose their favorite Broadway show to see. And we arrange for a meet and greet with cast members, we just try to make it special and memorable. I’m beyond excited.
December and January are fun with annual holiday visits, very festive. We’re also thrilled to expand and grow our partnerships and continue our existing partnership with the Ryan Seacrest Foundation!
What is it like for you to see a Broadway performer connect with a child in the hospital? And tell us about your very first visit.
The interaction that we have with these inspirational kids is such a gift. The ability that they possess to live their lives in the present moment is an incredible reminder of what’s important! I remember one Saturday afternoon visit at the Ronald McDonald House (this was pre-pandemic, when we were still visiting in person) between our matinee and evening shows, we had a lead actress in a Broadway show sitting on the floor singing and laughing with a young child who had brain cancer. It was remarkable, such a beautiful moment. And our volunteer, our Broadway star, said that it was the highlight of her week. We get that kind of feedback a lot. It’s difficult not to feel that way, these kids just steal your heart.
Our very first visit back in early 2018! We joined the kids in a playroom at the out-patient clinic at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone, it was wonderful! We planned a Broadway singalong, with a full song list, which quickly went out the window as the kids started requesting their favorite songs. One child requested The National Anthem! It was so fun.
Broadway Hearts is deeply rooted in the connection between you and your father, Peter Radetsky. Talk to us about the close connection that you and your dad have with the performing arts and the connection that inspired the foundation’s creation?
Thank you for asking this question. It’s both my favorite question and my least favorite question, because I feel as if I’ll never find words to adequately express how wonderful my dad was, what made him so, and what he was really like.
He could take an idea and transform it into a beautiful book or a brilliant museum exhibition and make it interesting and accessible to all. He was truly interested in others, he listened and always remained curious. He was humble. There was always a glint of laughter in his eye.
I’m keenly aware of how fortunate I am, to not only have the wonderful family that I do, but to have had the fun, super close, loving relationship that I had with my father.
My folks always had music playing in the house when we were kids, and without warning, my dad would often just start dancing with me. I loved dancing with him so much. That was very much the nature of our relationship, spontaneous and fun, full of trust and balance, and very much in tune. He was one of the greatest sources of joy in my life without question.
He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in October of 2008, and he died in August of 2009. It was devastating. It still is, honestly. We all felt as if there was suddenly no air left in the world. After a few years, I started getting heavily into genetic cancer outreach and advocacy, and that gave me an avenue to create a tiny, tangible shift in my grief. Through that outreach and seeing the effect of what giving back can do, I knew that someday I’d like to create a Foundation in Peter’s honor.
Having that to look forward to, that goal, was an incredible gift in my life. Jump ahead a few years, and I see the notice on the call board for our Make-A-Wish child
Broadway Hearts is dedicated to my extraordinary father, Peter. The music, joy, spontaneity, honesty, heart, laughter, dedication, love … these could all be used to describe my wonderful father as well. I think he would love what this has become.
Phantom of the Opera and Broadway Hearts; walk us through some of the memories that were shared over the years?
Definitely. Our volunteers that are a part of Phantom have shared so much of the show with the kids we visit, from songs, to choreography, to makeup tutorials, to backstage secrets, to funny mishaps that happen onstage. We’ve shared everything interesting that happens at the show with the kids, and they love it! It’s a different world for them to jump into for a little while. Our volunteers from all our shows have this wonderful generosity. For example, we have a special Hamilton themed bingo we do on Presidents Day, with all our stars from the mega hit Hamilton! So, fun.
What are some of the things that Broadway Heats has in store for the rest of 2022 and more so how can others get involved to help and support, not just with donations but time as well?
We love spending time with the kids around the holidays! It’s a more difficult time for them, for sure, but we focus on all that is magical about the holidays and share that with the kids. We have an annual Christmas Eve Singalong with one of our hospitals, we record a holiday video and distribute it to our hospitals, we have multiple holiday singalongs and holiday bingo and loads of fun extras lined up. And our Broadway Hearts Backstage program is in full swing, we have a few kids receiving their ‘Broadway Experiences’ before the new year and we couldn’t be more excited to make those experiences as memorable as possible. I’m sure I speak for all the Broadway Hearts when I say that whatever we give we get back tenfold from the children, including the opportunity to be truly present and joyful.
Getting involved … of course donations are always beyond appreciated. We are a small Foundation trying to do really big things!
And we are always looking to expand our reach, connections to children’s hospitals are wonderful. We’re always on the lookout for partners, sponsors, and collaborators. Please reach out!
Visit: https://broadwayhearts.org/
