FREEPORT — On a crisp fall evening in New York City, the lights of Broadway glowed a little brighter for one former Highland Community College student. 

When the curtain rose for “Death Becomes Her” on Oct. 21, Alex Hartman stepped onto a stage she had been chasing since she first learned to put one foot in front of the other. 

Approximately 30 friends and family traveled from across the country to witness her Broadway debut. At the closing, as the cast gathered for bows, the leads brought Hartman to the front to take another bow, celebrating her first performance.

Later, as fans and friends waited outside the stage door, she exited the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre and was met with boisterous cheers and applause. 

For her father, longtime Freeport musician and Highland instructor John Hartman, it was an emotional scene he’ll never forget.

“I don’t really know if I have the words for it,” he said. “When she walked out that stage door, people were screaming and clapping. That did it.”

A Childhood Filled with Music, Movement, and Spirit

Alex Hartman grew up in a household where music was a constant.

“Music was always in the air,” she said. “Watching my dad create and perform taught me that art is both work and joy.”

When John Hartman was asked how his career in the fine arts may have inspired Alex, he was quick to note that her spark came early and independently. 

“She has been an inspiration to me really. She never needed me to give her confidence.”

He recalled how his daughter danced almost as soon as she could walk. As the years went by, she refined her skills. She thrived on movement and challenge. She pursued higher education and training with steely focus. She auditioned tirelessly. And when she was ready to leap into her career, she did so with both feet.

Around 2011, Alex Hartman left Freeport with just over $1,000 she had saved and the kind of determination that comes from years of discipline and preparation. She worked odd jobs in retail, waitressed, taught lessons, trained, and auditioned. And she went on to land plenty of rewarding roles outside of Broadway.

“I spent years and years and years training, and I still train consistently,” she said. “If you love it, you love it, and I do, which keeps me saying ‘yes.’”

Then came the call Alex Hartman will never forget. “I got a FaceTime call from my agent,” she said. “I know that only happens when they have a Broadway offer for their clients.” As Alex finished the call, her wife ran out the door and came back with a bottle of champagne. 

Highland: A Creative Home Where Confidence Took Root

Before New York, before national tours, before Broadway, Alex Hartman spent two important years at Highland Community College. She remembers it as a place full of friends, music, and early artistic growth.

“I loved being a part of the Royal Scots, doing plays and musicals, and taking music classes with some of my best friends,” she said. “Al Redford made a huge impact on my musical career.”

In fact, her dad and Allen Redford taught her musical theory classes at Highland.

“Because of knowledge gained from Al and my dad, I tested out of all music theory with flying colors when I transferred to Illinois State University.”

Redford, a retired Highland music instructor and former Royal Scots director, remembers her clearly. 

“Alex was an excellent student while attending Highland. She was smart, enthusiastic, and took her education seriously.” 

He added, “Her dedication to excellence, her kindness and her passion for what she does were as evident at that time as they are now.”

Highland’s Fine Arts programs have long been a cultural cornerstone in northwest Illinois, providing a home where emerging and established artists can learn, perform, and explore. With a 398-seat theatre, a rotating schedule of live productions, vocal and instrumental ensembles, and the Highland Gallery open throughout the year, the Ferguson Fine Arts Center offers a depth of opportunity not always found at a rural community college.

Dr. Randy Haldeman, Highland’s current music director, believes Alex’s achievement reflects the broader mission of the department. 

“Talent alone isn’t enough. You need discipline, resilience, adaptability and what I call professional fluency,” he said. “At Highland, we emphasize these qualities alongside technical excellence.” 

Haldeman added that the skills gained in the arts are “valuable in virtually any field.” He also wants students and families to know that arts careers are real and needed. “There are currently more than ten unfilled full time music positions within a thirty-minute drive of Highland.”

John Hartman affirms this belief. 

“Whether you make it to the biggest stage or not, the effort, mindset and determination is going to make you more determined in every aspect of your life.”

A Message to the Next Generation of Dreamers

Alex Hartman has lived the reality of the performing arts world. She knows the uncertainty and the joy. She also knows what aspiring artists need to hear.

“Never stop training,” she said. “Be kind to everyone. Always. It’s a very small world.” 

She added that the secret is to show up authentically at every audition. “You actually want to shine as an individual.”

After years of professional growth, dozens of roles, relentless training, and now her Broadway debut, she sums up her journey from the rural Midwest to the big stage with one sentence.

“Moving to NYC from Freeport made me scrappy, gritty, graceful and wildly grateful.”

Alex Hartman’s story is proof that big dreams can grow from small towns, community college, and steady movement. It’s also a reminder that somewhere on the stage of a Highland concert, a theatre production, or student gallery opening, a future artist might be just beginning to imagine what is possible.