ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A unique partnership is taking veterans into the theatre to see the glitz of a traveling Broadway show. The partnership takes the special group of New Mexicans into a world they’ve barely been exposed to.
“They come back not necessarily a completely different person, but you can see the light in their eyes just from the excitement of the experience,” Civic Engagement Specialist, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Wayland Strickland said.
Some ideal scenic byways for winter in New Mexico
That feeling is what Strickland, the program organizer, hopes dozens of veterans are able to take away through a newer program that has come up this year. Tickets to some of the biggest shows that have come through Popejoy Hall in 2025 are something the Broadway for Veterans program has given out for free to dozens of veterans and their families. Similar to the Broadway for Teens program, over the last year, they’ve welcomed 70 veterans to take a seat.
“From the outside looking in, if they’ve never been to a Broadway show before, if they’ve never been to somewhere like Popejoy Hall before, it can be a little bit intimidating,” Voluntary Services Specialist, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Lemuel VonHentschel said…