On her way to Broadway

Emily’s graduation photo from Fordham University, New York City, in May 2026.

For Emily Mitchell, the theater is home, both on the stage and behind the curtain. Her love of the arts was roused in 2016 when, at age 13, her dad took her to Newsies at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. “I had seen shows before,” said Emily, “but when I saw Newsies, I was like, ‘I want to do that, all the time!’”

Growing up in The Village at Castle Pines, Emily began to focus more on her budding love of dance at Boutique Dance Academy in the Village Shops and participate in her school’s theatrical productions at St. Mary’s Academy in Denver. As Emily explored performing through her middle and high school years, both as an actress and behind the scenes in the technical departments of directing and costuming, she set her sights on going somewhere new and where theater is king: New York.

At Fordham University in New York City, Emily found her feet, majoring in communications and minoring in humanitarian studies. She also served as an active member of the school’s theater board, where she helped run the technical aspects for shows. A 2026 graduate, Emily has begun working as a general management assistant for an all-female, off-Broadway production company. This step into professional theater makes Emily, now 23, feel part of something much larger and storied than herself. “The arts is one of the only things that has continually been a part of humanity,” Emily added.

When Emily is not busy behind the scenes, she often finds herself exploring the city, going to concerts, seeing friends and, of course, going to shows. “There’s always something to do in New York; it always feels so alive.”

Despite Emily’s recent successes, she has never forgotten her Colorado roots. “Being in New York can be super overstimulating sometimes, so I feel very grateful to be from Colorado. I wouldn’t want to be from anywhere else, and the Village was such special place to be raised,” Emily reminisced. She fondly remembers playing in the backyard, participating in swim team, putting on little productions for family and friends, and taking her family dog for walks throughout the 14 years her family made their home on Belfry Court.

When visiting Colorado, Emily still finds peace in the mountains, the greenery of the state and the people and places that helped her work toward her dreams. Long term, Emily hopes to continue to work with production groups and, as she remarked with a laugh, “I just really want my name to be in a Playbill on Broadway, in any capacity!”