Today, Rosie
O'Donnell, the 13-time Emmy Award-winning comedian, television talk show
host, author, film, television, and stage actress kicked off this year's Kids' Night on Broadway, the
annual event during which young people ages 6 to 18 can attend a Broadway show
for free when accompanied by a full-paying adult. Ms. O'Donnell serves as this
year's National Ambassador for Kids' Night.
Kids' Night on
Broadway is the most popular audience development program of The
Broadway League and carries the message that Broadway is an open and accessible
experience for both kids and adults. In the 2006-2007 season, children
and teens accounted for a record 1.42 million tickets sold in New York alone.
Twenty-five Broadway and Off-Broadway shows participating in Kids' Night, including: Altar Boyz, Avenue Q, Chicago, A Chorus Line, The Color
Purple, Come Back Little Sheba, Curtains, The Fantasticks, The Farnsworth
Invention, Grease, Hairspray, Is He Dead?, Legally Blonde The Musical, The Lion
King, Disney's The Little Mermaid, Mamma Mia!, Mary Poppins, Monty Python's
Spamalot, The Phantom of the Opera, Rent, Spring Awakening, Stomp,
Wicked, Xanadu, and The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
With the purchase of Kids' Night theatre tickets, families were
offered free or discounted family fun including a Pre-Theater Fan Festival at
Madame Tussauds New York on February 5. The Fan Festival commenced at 3PM, and
afforded young people the opportunity to experience how live theatre is created
through special activities hosted by the cast and crew of participating shows.
Some activities for the Madame
Tussauds' event included special theatrical makeup stations, Broadway
dance lessons, karaoke, and many other unique theatre activities. Many Broadway
stars were on hand to sign autographs in Autograph Alley and Fans were invited
to tour Madame Tussauds for free.
At the Spotlight Live events on
February 6th and 12th, kids are invited to be a part of the show with Camp Broadway.
Learn what it takes to bring Broadway to life 8 Times a week with Camp Broadway.
Kids are also invited to sing Broadway Karaoke and win great prizes.
The final event on February 13th will be held at the newly built New York Times Theatre. Camp Broadway
will again teach kids what it takes to bring a Broadway show to life.
Afterwards kids are invited to be a part of history with members of the cast of
Legally Blonde to attempt to set the Guinness Book of World Records for
the biggest "Bend And Snap."
Some special perks to Kids' Night include: Area restaurants offer
family-friendly dinner discounts and a free entrée for each child accompanied
by an adult who purchase a regularly priced entrée. Special parking discounts
are also available for all four nights. Cast members of participating shows add
special fun to the evening with individual post-performance curtain speeches
thanking kids for being part of the audience. At the theatre, all those in
attendance receive a special souvenir Playbill, entirely written by local
adolescents who love theatre, provided by Theatre Development Fund (TDF).
To purchase tickets, more information or to view the list of discounted
restaurants and parking garages, log on to www.kidsnightonbroadway.com
or call the Broadway Line (1-888-Broadway). Tickets can also be purchased
via Telecharge.com or
Ticketmaster (depending on ticket agent), or at the individual theatre boxes.
Photos by Peter James
Zielinski
