You’re invited to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. Using contemporary music, powerful choreography and personal stories to spread a message of Heart, Humanity and Hope.
Join Hope & Wade King and members of the GYTO Team for a special performance and event just for teachers on Saturday, March 22nd in New York City!
ABOUT LABEL•LESS
A musical about empathy developed by arts educators.
Mar 20-30 • Theatre Row • NYC
It has never been easier to connect with others yet our world has never been more divided. The struggle to understand and accept people that do not look the same, sound the same, think the same has never been more real. “label•less” is the perfect vehicle to start the difficult conversations that need to be had. Whether discussing race, sexuality or mental health, “label•less” brings attention to topics in a way that everyone can understand and relate to. Encouraging everyone to “Walk” a mile in someone else’s shoes. Using popular music, dance and personal stories, this talented cast draws attention to the struggles facing us while offering hope for a better, more accepting tomorrow. Join us on this journey.
Founded in Education
In 2018, in an acting class at the Cincinnati School for Creative and Performing Arts (public magnet school), Drew & Lea Lachey asked their students to anonymously write down ways that they weren’t feeling seen or valued. The next day the students were supposed to pull those scraps of paper out of a hat and act out the “scene” in an attempt to put themselves in someone else’s shoes. To feel empathy. Seemed like a simple enough exercise. That never happened. Instead, Lea and Drew were so moved and heartbroken by what they read on those little pieces of paper, stories of sexism, homophobia, bullying just to name a few, that they scrapped the exercise and decided that, with the help and permission of that class, they were going to create a theatrical show. A musical lending a voice to those not feeling heard and building a community for those feeling isolated and alone. This is how label•less was born. Now in its 8th year, the cast has changed, the music and stories have changed but the heart and mission has stayed the same as that first acting exercise…. Encouraging us all to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.
Meet the Creators
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Co-Artistic Director & Arts Educator
A native of Cincinnati, Drew Lachey is an accomplished singer, dancer and actor. Drew first rose to prominence as a member of the Motown pop group 98 Degrees. The group recorded four successful albums and sold more than nine million records worldwide. Drew made his Broadway debut playing the role of Mark Cohen in Rent. His latest Broadway credits include the role of Patsy in Monty Python’s Spamalot and Corny Collins in Hairspray with the PCLO. Drew became a household name when he took home the infamous mirror ball trophy on Dancing with the Stars (season-two champion, season-five co-host) and later took his dancing talents on the road with 3 North American tours of Dancing with the Stars and was asked to come back and be apart of the All-Star season. Drew also hosted the primetime ABC show Dance War with Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli, The Miss USA Pageant, HGTV's $250,000 Challenge and America Sings for GMC. After a decade break 98 Degrees is back together and recently toured with NKOTB and Boyz II Men on the "Package Tour", "My2K Tour" and the "98 Degrees at Christmas" tours in the fall of 2017 and 2018. Drew also starred in UPTV's "Guess Who's Coming to Christmas" and A&E's "Lachey's Bar". Drew also consults with the Cincinnati Film Commission on films being produced around Cincinnati.
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Co-Artistic Director. Choreographer, & Arts Educator
Lea Lachey was born and raised in Cincinnati, OH and began working professionally at age 11 on the "King and I" National Tour. After being awarded a full dance scholarship to Marymount Manhattan College in NYC she went on to work with the world renowned Radio City Music Hall Rockettes as a dancer and assistant choreographer. Whether it is doing “Singing in the Rain” with the Santa Barbara CLO, the Disney NYC World Premiere of Hercules or the Missy Elliott video for “I Can’t Stand the Rain” Lea has always taken pride in being a versatile dancer and expects the same from her students. Lea's choreography credits include 98 Degrees (Today Show, Good Morning America, Mtv, VH1, Miss Teen USA, NFL ProBowl and NBA All-star game). Her live stage credits include the Nickelodeon ‘All That” Tour, 98 Degrees “Heat It Up” Tour, 98 Degrees “Revelation” World Tour and Creative Director for Jessica Simpson’s “Reality” Tour. Lea is currently Co-Director of the School for Creative and Performing Arts Musical Theater program and co artistic director of Lachey Productions which is bridging the gap between student and professional performer. Her work was showcased in the Exhale Dance Tribe shows "Love Letters" and "Rapture" at the Aronoff which included Lachey Arts performers. Lea's choreography was on display this past summer on the US national My2K tour as well as in 2013 with 98 Degrees as part of the NKOTB, 98 Degrees, Boyz II Men "Package Tour". Over the last several years, Lea has had the honor of working as choreographer and dance consultant on multiple films. "Carol" staring Academy Award winning actress Cate Blanchett and Kyle Chandler, "Miles Ahead" starring Golden Globe winning actor Don Cheadle and Emayatzy Corinealdi and A Christmas Melody directed by and starring Grammy winner Mariah Carey and Lacey Chabert. You can also catch her as a guest DJ on Q102.
Founded by Drew and Lea Lachey, Lachey Arts is a 501c3 non-profit organization focused on using the arts to build a diverse community of young artists, empowering the creative spirit and giving the confidence and tools to change the world.
For Educators & Students
Get Your Teach On is proud to partner with label•less to bring this important piece of theatre to teachers and students. Born out of an acting exercise at a public performing arts school, label•less takes audiences on a journey of self-discovery, encouraging you to break free from the labels that limit us, embrace the limitless potential within, and “walk a mile” in others’ shoes. Through its engaging real-life stories and heartfelt themes including race, disability, mental health, LGBTQ+, and more, the musical sparks important conversations about identity, confidence, and overcoming societal expectations.
Through this exclusive partnership, educators will gain access to specially designed classroom resources, discussion guides, and interactive activities that connect the musical’s themes to real-life student experiences. Whether using music, storytelling, or movement, teachers can inspire their students to embrace their individuality, support one another, and cultivate a positive, inclusive classroom culture.
“As a high school theatre teacher, I can honestly say that Label•less is the single most moving and impactful theatre production that I have ever seen on any stage.”
You’re Invited! Exclusive Teacher Performance in NYC
Saturday, March 22nd at 7:30pm
Event begins at 6pm
Tickets are extremely limited!
The Get Your Teach On team will be hosting a special performance and Teacher’s Night Out on Broadway just for educators and school leaders in New York City on Saturday, March 22nd at 7:30pm (pre-show networking at 6pm), and you’re invited!
$20 Discounted tickets just for GYTO teachers and school leaders
Experience the show with an audience full of teachers and school leaders
Free souvenir GYTO x label•less T-Shirt
Free GYTO Swag for all attendees
Exclusive Pre-Show Networking Event with Hope & Wade King, Chris Pombonyo, and other members of the GYTO Team at 6pm
Post-Show Q&A and Panel Discussion with the cast, Drew & Lea Lachey, and the GYTO Team, and live The Flip Side Podcast recording
Free Digital Resources to bring the inclusion themes of label•less into your classrooms and school after the show
Location:
Theatre Row, 410 W 42nd St, New York, NY 10036
Can’t make it to the GYTO Educator Show on March 22nd? Click here for other performances.
“The future is bright with these incredible artists shedding light on some uncomfortable truths. These voices, these stories at times glorious and at times devastating but always relevant. Transformative.”
Free Educator Resources
Get Your Teach On and label•less have collaborated to provide educators with free resources to bring the themes of label•less into your classrooms.
Label•less uses actual experiences of students written in response to a question about their personal experiences of being labeled. Themes that emerged in their writing were the labeling they experienced due to socioeconomic class, disability, gender, mental illness, sexual orientation and gender expression, and race/ethnicity as well as bullying experienced related to these labels. The performance draws on these reflections and is intended to start conversations about empathy, compassion, and the unhealthy consequences of labelling on all of us.
Each free download contains:
Information about the performance and how the show was developed through an acting exercise in a public magnet school
Ideas on how to discuss the show and its’ themes with your students (developed with guidance from a psychologist)
ELA / Writing Lessons and Discussion Prompts
Interactive Classroom Activities
