Happy Holidays and Merry New Year! A look back at 2025...

Dear Friends, Family, Fellow Dreamers, and People Who Accidentally Stayed on Our Mailing List Since 2017,

Greetings from BIG Studio / Boldly Inspiring Greatness HQ, where the coffee is strong, the harmony is stronger, and someone is always crying happy tears (it’s usually me)!

This time of year always feels so nostalgic to me, so in an effort to enjoy that feeling, here is your first annual Christmas letter from all of us here at BIG Studio and Boldly Inspiring Greatness, Inc.

If this were the 1990s, this letter would arrive folded just so, possibly with a family photo where someone blinked, someone wore a sweater that felt like a choice at the time, and the dog was included because obviously. Consider this our digital version… same heart, less toner, more fun. ;)

So. 2025. Whew. What a year!

This year at BIG Studio Omaha and Boldly Inspiring Greatness, Inc., we did what we always do: we gathered humans, made brave art, sang our faces off, told meaningful stories, and built community in ways that were messy, magical, exhausting, healing, and wildly worth it.

The BIG Highlights Reel 

• Kids who walked in whispering their names now take up space like they own the room (because they do).

• Teens discovered not just how to perform—but how to recover, reconnect, and trust themselves again.

• Adults showed up after long workdays and full lives to remember that they still get to dream.

• Ensembles grew, classes evolved, productions came to life, and our studio stayed exactly what we want it to be: brave, relational, and deeply human.

We launched new programs, refined old favorites, welcomed first-timers and returning family members alike, and continued our not-so-quiet mission of cultivating courage, confidence, and creativity—onstage and off.

And here’s the thing I am surprised by over and over, yet is so simple:

This work works because of community.

Because people show up. Because they say yes. Because they believe art can change a life… sometimes subtly, sometimes dramatically, sometimes in sequins and red lipstick.

At BIG, we build brave and supportive communities where all people can learn and experience the performing arts, and we are grateful to partner with you as we all grow a little bigger, braver, and bolder each time we show up.

A Little Gratitude Moment 

If you sang, acted, danced, volunteered, donated, cheered from the audience, trusted us with your kid, trusted us with yourself, or shared our name with a friend: THANK YOU! Truly. You are part of this story, whether you realize it or not. We are so grateful you are a part of this wild and crazy community. We do this for you, with you, and because of you. Thank you. 

And to my board of directors at BIG, Inc - you are the most beautiful, wild, amazing, brilliant group of women and you run the world. Thank you for trusting the vision, for loving me through the executive DYSfunction ;), and for being YOU! You are helping us truly build a foundation where we all as a community will build truly BIG things with a lasting impact.

Looking Ahead (Because of Course We Are)

For several years, I’ve had a practice of choosing a single word for the upcoming year. As we head into 2026, I couldn’t land on just one, so since I’m extra and make my own rules, our focus at BIG will be consistency and sustainability. We want to build something that lasts, grows wisely, and continues to serve people well for a long time.

Which brings us to the gentle, very-1990s-inspired ask…

A Year-End Invitation for Giving

If BIG has mattered to you, or if you believe in a world where people are seen, heard, and celebrated through the arts, you’re invited to make a tax-deductible year-end donation to our nonprofit, Boldly Inspiring Greatness, Inc. (501(c)3) before December 31, 2025.

Your gift helps:

• Provide scholarships and access

• Sustain high-quality, heart-forward programming

• Keep BIG a place where people feel safe enough to be brave, to step outside their comfort-zone, and to maybe, just maybe, surprise themselves at how far they can go and how BIG they can dream. 

No pressure. Just possibility.

Want to Be Part of the Action?

If you’re reading this thinking, “Wait… I want in,” good news:

• We have classes.

• We have ensembles.

• We have space for beginners, returners, and “I haven’t done this since high school but my soul misses it” humans. 

There is a seat for you. Always. 

As we wrap up this year, I’m deeply aware that what we’re building isn’t just a studio or a nonprofit. It’s a living, breathing community. One built on authenticity, honesty, excellence, and a whole lot of laughter between warm-ups.

So, from all of us at BIG:

May this season bring a deep breath, a moment of gratitude, and room to take stock of what truly matters.

May 2026 arrive with intention and collective courage.

And may you always know: this work is stronger because of you.

With so much love and gratitude,

Becca Jackson Cusick

Founder, BIG Studio Omaha

Executive Director, Boldly Inspiring Greatness, Inc.

P.S. If this were really the ’90s, I’d now apologize for the length of this letter and promise it wouldn’t happen again. No such promises. I’ll see you consistently and sustainably in 2026 - now get yourself in here after you sleep off that sugar crash!