INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION OF THEATER
- Amy Lynn-Cramer
- Oct 9
- 5 min read
Little Apple Arts Brings the Big Apple to Maplewood By Amy Lynn-Cramer
When Broadway went dark during the pandemic, Maplewood resident Becky Fisher channeled her creativity into launching a backyard theater camp. Five years later, Fisher has grown Little Apple Arts into a thriving program that serves hundreds of children across SOMA and beyond.
For Fisher, an accomplished mom, entrepreneur and performer, the stage has always been home. Her journey began at age 10 when she played Annie in her local community theater in Moorhead, Minn. “When you’re a theater person and you find theater, you find your people,” she says.
By 17, Fisher (known to audiences as Becky Gulsvig) had graduated high school early, moved to New York City and booked her first professional job as Wendy in Peter Pan. What followed was a dazzling career. She starred in the first national tours of Legally Blonde The Musical, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical and Come From Away. On Broadway, she made her debut in Hairspray and joined the original casts of Legally Blonde The Musical and A Beautiful Noise, with additional credits including School of Rock and Come From Away.
In the summer of 2020, her most important audience was closer to home – her daughter, Hazel, and a handful of friends.
“My friend Aya Sippie-Okoshi asked if I would be interested in running a backyard camp for our daughters,” says Fisher. “So we did a one-week camp where we learned songs and dances, and then we performed our show for the parents on the last day. It was fun and gave us purpose during that crazy time.”
When theaters closed during the Covid-19 shutdown, Fisher realized she could bring a theater enrichment program directly to kids in their learning pods. She brought in local Broadway performers Paige Faure, now the group’s co-creative director, and Kathy Voytko, currently starring as Mrs. Potts on the national tour of Beauty and the Beast. Together, they expanded into 25 pods and 175 children performing safe, outdoor shows in SOMA and Millburn.
“There were so many parents who helped us make things happen,” says Fisher. “From clearing out garages and porches so we could host classes in the fresh air to creating costumes for our performances, the resilience of spirit during that time was so inspiring. I treasure the moments of joy we were able to make in the face of the pandemic.”
When it was safe to move indoors, Little Apple Arts found its permanent home at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Maplewood. “It’s an amazing space,” Fisher says. “We’ve been so happy there.”
Faure agrees. “Theater can happen anywhere. We love reminding the kids that you don’t need to be on Broadway to create magic. A lobby can become a castle. Balloons and construction paper can become a whole world.”
When Broadway reopened, Fisher and Faure returned to the stage. Voytko also resumed working. To keep Little Apple Arts thriving, Fisher expanded her team, bringing on Lindsay Braverman, Elizabeth Broadhurst and Ashley Rose. “These three women beautifully keep the fun rolling at Little Apple Arts,” Fisher says.
Broadhurst’s Broadway credits include the national tours of Annie, Mary Poppins and Hello Dolly. She has become an integral part of the Little Apple Arts team. Her work with the Little Apple Arts’ program at JESPY House in South Orange has been especially meaningful. “I don’t have a special-needs background, but JESPY wanted me to bring my craft, not a credential,” she says. “It’s been such a joy. We build small performances together and the clients light up.”
She also experiences Little Apple Arts as a parent. Broadhurst’s daughter, Evelyn, now 5, takes part in Storybook Theatre, one of Little Apple Arts’ classes for preschoolers. “She comes home singing the songs and pretending she’s running her own version of Little Apple Arts,” Broadhurst says. “That’s when I know we’re doing something right.”
Broadway credits may shine on Fisher and her team’s résumés, but the heart of their story is how they juggle the spotlight of their careers with the daily realities of motherhood.
When Fisher performed in the national tour of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, she brought her husband, Tyler, and their daughter, Hazel, along for the yearlong journey. Hazel, a freshman at Columbia High School, was just 4 then, experiencing life on the road as part of a Broadway family. “We went to every children’s museum and zoo in the country,” Fisher says. “Hazel learned to pack her own bag, set up her little travel camp and roll with it. That year gave her such confidence and a love of travel that’s still with her.”
Faure, whose Broadway credits include A Beautiful Noise, Bullets Over Broadway, Cinderella, Com¬pany, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Miss Saigon, and Old Friends, is raising a middle schooler while directing, teaching and performing. She says her work at Little Apple Arts often mirrors motherhood. “It’s about sitting on the floor with kids, cleaning up glitter, directing a musical number and then answering emails at midnight,” she says. “It’s messy, but it’s magic.”
Now in its sixth year, Little Apple Arts offers programs seven days a week, each one sparking imagination while building confidence. And the impact doesn’t stop at St. George’s. Partnerships with Far Brook School, Marshall Elementary and Prospect Preschool bring the¬ater into classrooms and after-school programs, with new initiatives underway at Morrow Pre¬school, Springfield and Livingston schools, and TryCAN in Summit.
Fisher beams when she talks about the “OG learning-pod kids,” many of whom are now young women in high school helping out as assistants at Little Apple Arts. “Watching them step into leadership roles is one of the greatest rewards of all,” she says. “It is so wonderful to see them set such a positive example for the younger kids.”
Along the way, Fisher has formed meaningful partnerships with women leading local schools and organizations – alliances she credits as instrumental to Little Apple Arts’ growth. From Dana Cavanaugh at Prospect Preschool, Melissa Williams and her team at Far Brook School, to Patricia Fitzhugh and Amy Webb with the Marshall School PTA, Nicole Rambone at JESPY House, and Claire Berrios of SOMA Families, these women have opened doors, shared resources and extended Little Apple Arts’ reach.
Fisher credits her own mentors for shaping her career. Little Apple Arts is her way of giving that gift back to the next generation. “We call ourselves teachers, but really we’re guides,” she says. “Every kid who walks in the door is a star and has a chance to make a difference – not just in theater, but in life.”
Amy Lynn-Cramer, founder of Cramer Connect, may never have stepped on stage, but she knows every lyric to “Annie,” “Grease” and “The Sound of Music” – a love of theater she happily shares with her children.
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