Becca Yuré

Thanks to the work of the Theatre Development Fund (TDF) and, specifically, a remarkable woman named Becca Yuré, some of Broadway’s most beloved shows have been made available to a wider audience.

“I’ve always done both—working with children and performing—although they’ve been separate pursuits,” Yuré explains. “About a year and a half ago, I started working with TDF as their Lead Autism Consultant. It was the first time I saw my worlds come together in a way that was extraordinarily meaningful.”

Yuré’s love affair with the theater started at an early age, when her mother took her to see a production of Peter Pan. She remembers feeling in awe: “I forgot that anyone else was even there. At that moment, I knew that’s what I wanted to do with my life; I wanted to fly and be part of that world. I’m still moved by it, and the idea that someone might not have that experience breaks my heart.” Her first Equity role was Lucy in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. “A lot of people feel they have to water down a performance for children,” she observes. “I don’t think that. Kids want to be spoken to with respect and understanding. Every time we walked on the stage, we were treated like the Beatles. The children were screaming, they were so happy we were there. All the actors onstage felt an obligation to represent each character with honesty. Those kids felt their own stories reflected. We used theater to help children grow and learn and be a part of a story.” READ MORE