The challenges of 2020 provided millions of people worldwide with the opportunity to take a fresh look at how the world worked. This was the case for Pine Crest School alumnus Kobi Kassal ’15, who was living and working in Boston at the time.
What started out as a weekly two-hour radio show, “Theater Talk Boston” at Boston University, where Kobi earned his degree in hospitality administration and marketing, has evolved into Theatrely, a media platform by and for millennial and Generation Z theater enthusiasts.
Kobi Kassal ’15 (left) on Theater Talk Boston (Photo credit to BU WTBU/DFP)
“Theatrely is the only Gen Z-led theatrical media company that centers around the internet generation’s perspective. We are a fresh, new voice of the next generation, for the next generation,” said Kobi.
“I was always a theater nerd,” he said. “The radio show was a place to play show tunes on the radio. Eventually, many of the local theaters started reaching out to us, asking if we would cover some of their performances. They wanted younger folks to come to the theater, and the theaters were happy to engage younger, college students for a change.”
“Theater Talk Boston” grew and became the preeminent theater show in the city. The show covered new musicals in town, and even had the opportunity to interview the cast of “Wicked.” After graduating, and with the advice of an academic counselor, Kobi continued the radio show but set his eyes on rebranding it into something more.
“We transitioned our focus to a new website with written content, video content, and social media,” said Kobi. “I always wanted to do more. My team and I all had full time jobs, so it was difficult to dedicate the time needed to grow the vision—then the pandemic began. Most people in the theater were furloughed or layed off. I was able to work from home and was able to reflect on what to do with the show. We knew we wanted to be Broadway-focused in New York City, so we spent nine months researching and speaking with publicists, actors, and others in the industry to learn more about what audiences wanted. Simultaneously, we needed to figure out what we wanted to do and how we could do it.”
Their dedicated and meaningful research uncovered an arena that Kobi knew Theater Talk Boston could grow into. “We found that there wasn’t a place covering Broadway for us—millennials, Gen Z— so we said ‘we’ll do it,’” Kobi continued.
Around the same time, a trip home to Boca Raton for the holidays brought Kobi and fellow Pine Crest School alumna, “lifer,” and dear friend Jordanna Brody ’15 together for a sushi dinner.
Jordanna graduated from Emerson College with a degree in theater education and performance. While also living in Boston, the two remained close. “I was a guest on the radio show a couple of times,” said Jordanna. “When we had dinner that night, I was looking for something to do—a creative outlet—and we both thought ‘why shouldn’t this be something we do together?’ It was the perfect opportunity for me to help and make it happen.”
For Kobi and Jordanna, working together seemed like an obvious path for the pair who have been friends since they were in pre-kindergarten at Pine Crest.
“I wasn’t sure he would ask me for help,” continued Jordanna, “but he did, and I appreciate that.”
Jordanna Brody ’15 and Kobi Kassal ’15 (Michael Kushner Photography)
“Jordanna and I were at Pine Crest everyday of our lives from pre-k to twelfth grade,” said Kobi. “There are many types of students at Pine Crest, and we were the type that did everything. We were at school from 7:30 a.m. for musical practice, and at one point for me it was for swim practice, but we were always spending time together. Mr. Testa, Mrs. Blakely, and Mrs. Ortega really fostered our love for the arts and were instrumental in driving our passion for the theater. We know how we work professionally and as friends.”
Jordanna added “we have had several opportunities to work together. Outside of formal activities, we were in the drama club, and we were the co-presidents of the Gourmet Club. We have the kind of relationship where we butt heads but we know how to work through it. It’s interesting to see new people join our staff and see our unspoken understanding of one another. In Middle School, people would say we fought like an old married couple, because we both knew we were right. But we will usually come around to see that the other person is right too.”
“Coming into this role, I knew I had someone I can trust and rely on and who understands who I am,” Jordanna mentions confidently.
After nine months of research and decision making, and with a new business partner, Theatrely officially launched in December of 2020. As the pair got to work, the Theatrely team’s comfort with digital media positioned them well for navigating the adaptations made by the industry during the pandemic. “We launched in the middle of a global crisis,” said Kobi. “We were covering a lot of Zoom musicals. When Broadway finally came back, we were here and ready to go.”
In addition to being comfortable with the digital nature of theater at that time, Theatrely editors and contributors are “digital natives,” people brought up with digital technology and familiar with computers and the internet from an early age. Having grown up in the digital age with social media as a dominant platform, they have been on the forefront of theater coverage in a way that the industry has been slower to adapt to. They have brought performances, actors, and other theater professionals to social media in a way that fosters connection with young theater lovers regardless of their location in the world.
Reflecting on their Pine Crest foundation, Jordanna continued “Kobi and I always talk about this—I have such a strong work ethic and it's because of Pine Crest. You have to have a strong work ethic because of all of the opportunities available. You have to learn how to work hard because you don’t want to miss anything. Everyone at Pine Crest wants to do well. This is something I believe connects Pine Crest alumni that you don’t often see in other places.”
Agreeing with Jordanna, Kobi added “even if you went to Pine Crest for a year or two, you probably still learned a lot about work ethic and being proactive—if you want to succeed you have to do that for yourself.”
Returning to Theatrely and the nascent company’s growth and popularity, Kobi and Jordanna are excited for what is to come.
“We appreciate theater criticism and realize it has been very homogenous,” said Jordanna. “The idea that anyone can review performances and audiences would read them is exciting. This content is written for me and has a similar perspective to mine as a young person today. We aim to expand the conversation about and around theater by informing, uplifting, and empowering the next generation. Our take on theater, both Broadway and beyond, is at the core of what we create.”
“We are now considered a top five outlet covering theater,” said Kobi. “This little radio show is now a huge outlet. We have five full-time editorial members, and our friend and fellow alumnus Alan Koolik ’15 covers Los Angeles for us. We have 34 other contributors in major cities including Boston, Chicago, and London,” Kobi says. “It’s just grown so much quicker than anyone thought. We appreciate the opportunity to continue to create innovative content from a fresh, diverse perspective that is vital to the health and growth of the industry.”