Musical theatre was out of reach for my family, so I created access for Black youth

Queen Alexis recalls that cost and limited representation kept her out of paid musical theatre as a child, and describes founding Queen's Academy of The Arts to offer affordable, Black-focused theatre programs with school partnerships and a subsidy program.

Queen Alexis says she grew up wanting to do musical theatre but her family could not sustain the expense. She rarely saw Black people represented in arts education where she lived, and that lack of access shaped her view of who could belong onstage. At 13 she began organizing local productions and later pursued formal training before founding Queen's Academy of The Arts. The article links those experiences to her current work creating more affordable, culturally affirming programs for Black children. Key facts: - As a child Alexis left a paid extracurricular musical theatre program because her family could not afford ongoing tuition. - At 13 she started putting on neighbourhood productions and later founded Queen's Academy of The Arts. - She earned a musical theatre diploma and a Bachelor of Arts from Capilano University, and a Bachelor of Education from the University of British Columbia. - Queen's Academy runs Black youth musical theatre programs, keeps prices lower than comparable offerings, partners with school districts, and operates a subsidy program. - The author highlights a persistent shortage of Black educators and leaders in arts education and ongoing financial barriers for families. Summary: The author connects personal experience of limited access and narrow casting to her decision to build a community-focused arts program that centers Black students and role models. Her academy seeks to expand participation by reducing cost, working with schools and delivering programming in local community spaces, and she frames representation as both symbolic and relational.