Location: Francis Hall Theater, 401 Zygmunta Lane, Reading, PA 19607
Time: 2 to 5 p.m.
Alvernia University is pleased to announce the staging of a community musical in spring 2026. Interested students from Alvernia and other universities and community members will be tutored by Broadway veterans Timothy Shew and Jane Brockman in a series of workshops in the fall, followed by auditions in January. Fresh from the national tour of "Wicked the Musical," these celebrated stars are bringing their expertise and passion to Berks County. The show will be announced in October, so be on the lookout!
In the second workshop, we’ll work on acting the song as a soloist and an ensemble member. We’ll also work on monologues and scenes.
Actor Biographies
- Timothy Shew
Shew most recently starred as the Wizard in the legendary Broadway National Tour of "Wicked." Immediately before, Shew jumped into BROADWAY’s FUNNY GIRL (starring Lea Michele). Shew toured with "Hello Dolly" starring Betty Buckley and Carolee Carmello. Prior to that, he appeared in both the Williamstown Theatre Festival and Broadway’s Lyceum Theatre productions of "The Visit," starring Chita Rivera and Roger Rees.
A veteran of 12 Broadway shows, Shew was the third Jean Valjean in the original multi Tony Award-winning Broadway production of "Les Miserables" and went on to perform that role more than 2,200 times, twice on Broadway and one year in the 10th anniversary production in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. In addition, he logged 1,244 performances in Broadway’s Tony Award winning musical "Guys and Dolls" with Nathan Lane. Shew was thrilled to be a part of the new and revamped version of Disney’s "The Little Mermaid" as Chef Louis and just prior to that, Broadway’s "Evita," starring Ricky Martin. He has also appeared as Daddy Warbucks in "Annie," and the pre-Broadway run of Kathy Lee Gifford’s musical "Saving Aimee/Scandalous" at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre. Shew appeared as the Mayor of SweetApple, Ohio in "Bye-Bye Birdie" on Broadway, which starred John Stamos, and onstage at the world famous Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C. in Frank Wildhorn’s "Civil War." Tim had the privilege of soloing in Leonard Bernstein’s "Mass" with the Baltimore Symphony/Marin Alsop conducting at Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center. That recording was nominated for a Grammy. Tim also starred as Officer John Lonigan in the Leonard Bernstein/Comden and Green production of "Wonderful Town" with Donna Murphy and Brooke Shields.
Shew’s other Broadway credits include: "The Scarlet Pimpernel" as St. Cyr, the Alan Menken/Tim Rice Production of Disney’s "King David," "Sunset Boulevard" with Betty Buckley, and the pre-Broadway Andrew Lloyd Webber-Hal Prince musical "Whistle Down the Wind," directed by Hal Prince. Shew made his film debut as Officer O’Rourke in the movie musical "The Producers."
Shew can be heard on the "Chicago," "Shaggy Dog," and "Tangled" soundtracks and has been seen in three New York City Center’s Encore productions: "Tenderloin," "Face the Music" and "Juno." Audiences may be familiar with his work in American touring companies of "Showboat," "Evita" and "South Pacific" and in the multi-award-winning "Light in the Piazza." For many years, Shew performed the role of the Big Fat Man with a Bag (Santa Claus) at Radio City Music Hall’s “Christmas Spectacular.”
Shew has performed with symphonies and orchestras worldwide including the Baltimore Symphony and the National Symphony with Marvin Hamlisch at the Kennedy Center’s 35th Anniversary Celebration. Shew has numerous television and radio commercials to his credit including "Law & Order SVU," "Madame Secretary," "Ryan’s Hope" and had a recurring role as Bruno on "Guiding Light." For 15 years, Shew has produced “Broadway Sings on Park Avenue,” a concert to benefit children affected and infected with HIV and AIDS, and works extensively to educate and assist at-risk kids.
Shew resides in New York City and Hershey, Pa., with his wife, Jane. Shew's extensive work as a vocal director/teacher/clinician and adjudicator for theatre, choral and show choir festivals has taken him around the world.
- Jane Brockman
Most recently, Brockman played Maude Dunlop in the Broadway company of "The Music Man" starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster. Other Broadway performances include "Wicked," where she played the Midwife and Madame Morrible, and, for six years, "A Christmas Carol" starring Jim Dale, F. Murry Abraham, Tim Curry, Frank Langella, Tony Roberts and Roger Daltry.
Film and TV are also part of Brockman's repertoire. "FBI Most Wanted," "Law and Order SVU," "The Americans," "All My Children" and "The Producers" movie, to name a few. In the Emmy-nominated movie "Bad Education," starring Hugh Jackman, Brockman appeared as Bonnie Spicer, the wife of Ray Romano.
She was seen as Lady Anne in "Camelot" with the NY Philharmonic broadcast "Live From Lincoln Center" starring Gabriel Byrne, Christopher Lloyd and Marin Mazzie. She performed the role of Inga-Lena in ABBA's latest musical "Kristina" at Carnegie Hall and The Royal Albert Hall,
London, and was Mother Superior in "Showboat" at Carnegie Hall. Other New York performances include off Broadway show "The Kid," the York Theatre's Musicals in Mufti series "Zorba," and Encores! "Kismet." For several years, Brockman was a vocalist with the NYC Ballet.
National Tours: "Wicked," Ernestina in "Hello Dolly!," "The Light in the Piazza" where she understudied and performed the role of Margaret, and "The Sound of Music" playing Sister Berthe.
Regionally, Brockman played the role of Mille opposite her husband Tim Shew in Gretna Theater's production of "7 Brides for 7 Brothers," also at Gretna, and "It Shoulda Been You" opposite Emmy winner Kim Zimmer. Other regional credits include Nettie Fowler and Mrs.
Mullin in "Carousel," Mrs. Potts in "Beauty and the Beast," Aunt Eller in "Oklahoma!" Marme in "Little Women," Chelsea in "On Golden Pond," Glinda in "The Wizard of Oz," Maria in "Lend Me a Tenor," Anna in "The King and I," Mrs. Upson in "Mame" and the Baroness in "The Sound of Music." Other performances include "Evita" at the Papermill Playhouse and "Starcrossed" at the Goodspeed Opera House.
Brockman has a bachelor's degree in voice from Penn State and an master's degree in opera/music theatre from Southern Illinois University. She taught voice at New York University and travels all over the country leading workshops in audition technique, acting the song and the ins and outs of being a working actor.
A Hershey native, Brockman and her Shew moved "back" to Hershey in 2015 and while they continue to work on Broadway, in theatre, film, and TV, they have found a wonderful community of student artists here in central PA. They spend much of their time coaching these students for University B.F.A/B.A. Music Theatre/Theatre auditions.
