Lights on Broadway are the light at the end of the tunnel for a performer from Acadiana.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio expects Broadway to return in September after being closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the theaters closed last year, it put a Carencro native's career on hold - or at least she thought.
One year later, amid the uncertainty, one performer found a way to shine.
Broadway called Carencro native Holli' Conway in 2019 for her debut role as an Ikette in the Tina Turner Musical - a role cut short because of the pandemic.
"We opened in November and shut down in March so we were just getting started. I know they plan to have Tina come back and they plan to let the show run as long as it possibly can,” said Conway.
Shortly after the shutdown, she traveled home to Louisiana optimistic she'd return to the stage.
And she did, finding a new way to fuel her love for the arts. She's now making choreography debut in Footloose for the Alexandria High School Theatre Department.
"I completely neglected that part of myself because I was hustling to be on Broadway. The joy that was on their faces and how much they love this industry and they had passion. They were having so much fun. It was really great to see at a time like this when we're missing the arts,” Conway added.
With Mayor Bill de Blasio announcing vaccination sites will open specifically for the theater community, Conway is eager to get back on stage.
"I think going through that process again where we're in rehearsals with the cast who's most likely been vaccinated and then do previews of the show. I think all of that is going to help to see if Broadway is actually going to be able to be open,” said Conway.
READ MORE: New York City launches push to vaccinate theater workers
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