Camp Broadway Auditioning Military Kids for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Camp Broadway LLC, an award-winning Broadway industry leader in enrichment programming for children, is celebrating the important role that military families play in supporting America.

Beginning today through September 15, Camp Broadway is seeking to cast 125 boys and girls of all ethnicities and cultural backgrounds, ages 9-16, to perform as part of The Camp Broadway Kids Ensemble in the 2017 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The City of San Antonio's Office of Military Affairs Director, Major General Juan G. Ayala, USMC (Retired) and Deputy Director, Lt. Col. Karen Rolirad, USAF (Retired) hosted the announcement of Camp Broadway's This Is A Great Country today at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, now known as Military City USA.

"Camp Broadway is honored to have been selected by Macy's Annual Events Team to present a new rendition of Irving Berlin's American anthem 'This Is A Great Country' featuring a cast of children from families who dedicate their lives to supporting and defending our country," says Susan E. Lee, Chief Strategy Officer for Camp Broadway LLC. "The Thanksgiving Day Parade provides the ideal stage for kids to come together in song and dance to celebrate what it means to live in these United States."

To be eligible to audition for The Camp Broadway Kids, a child must represent an immediate* family member who is active duty military personnel, reservist, veteran, wounded warrior or fallen hero from any branch of the United States Armed Forces who served after 1955. Applicants do not need previous performing experience to audition. (*Immediate family is defined as the applicant's parents and grandparents, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles and in-laws, as well as adopted, half and step family members.)

The ensemble's Thanksgiving Day performance marks Camp Broadway's 10th appearance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. As the nation's biggest Thanksgiving celebration, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is broadcast nationally on NBC in a three-hour broadcast from 9:00 AM - Noon; in all time zones. Regularly one of the country's most viewed events, millions of families tune-in every year to watch the excitement and spectacle march through the streets of New York City.

Las Casas Foundation, the presenter of Camp Broadway's annual summer camp at the historic Majestic and Charline McCombs Empire Theatres, spearheaded the selection of San Antonio as the site to launch this national casting search to honor the city's large active and retired military populations. To support Camp Broadway's This Is A Great Country, Foundation President, Kevin Parman, and Director of Operations, Doren Fein also announced that the organization intends to provide financial assistance to enable 10 talented and deserving children living on or around the bases in San Antonio to participate in this beloved annual holiday event.

"Las Casas Foundation is honored to play a role in helping Camp Broadway recognize and celebrate military families by providing funding for a group of children from San Antonio's military community to travel to New York City for this event," says Parman. "Providing access to the performing arts is central to our mission and we believe the opportunity to perform a Broadway caliber musical number in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience these children will never forget."

Brad Bradley, Broadway actor and musical theatre director/choreographer, will stage Camp Broadway's This Is A Great Country. Bradley, whose family members have served for three generations in the US Navy, Air Force, Army, and Coast Guard, was on hand at the announcement to lead a workshop with local kids to coach them the lyrics and dance sequence set to "You're A Grand Old Flag" required as part of each child's video audition submission.

To be considered for Camp Broadway's This Is A Great Country, children must create and submit a one minute audition video that includes a vocal selection and dance steps set to "You're A Grand Old Flag". For more information on the program and complete instructions on how to submit an audition video, families should visit www.campbroadway.com/this-is-a-great-country to complete their application and video submission no later than September 15, 2017.

Camp Broadway's This Is A Great Country national audition is hosted online by Acceptd, the world's largest arts network connecting artists and arts opportunities, with additional support by ACTIVE Network. Once cast, San Antonio based Alamo Travel Group will assist military families from across the country with all their travel and housing needs.

Founded in 1995 as Broadway's original summer camp, Camp Broadway mission is to make theatre arts an accessible and relevant way for creative children to build confidence, hone presentation skills, and discover their unique talents at every stage of their lives. Camp Broadway is now a respected industry leader in audience engagement and a trusted source for parents and teachers seeking quality year- round enrichment programs, experiential events and educational workshops. Every year, thousands of children and students from around the world travel to New York City to attend Camp Broadway's annual musical theater camp on Broadway and participate in its pre-show workshops offered to enhance their theatergoing at many Broadway shows. Camp Broadway's touring camp is presented by partner theaters in Atlanta, Buffalo, Greenville, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Miami, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, Tempe and Westhampton Beach. The Camp Broadway Kids are featured frequently in special appearances at Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and other premier entertainment venues. In 2016, Camp Broadway was honored with a Special Drama Desk Award for "introducing young people to the magic of theater and for playing a crucial role in creating tomorrow's audiences for over 20 years." To learn more, visit www.campbroadway.com.

With more than 50 million viewers across the country and more than 3.5 million spectators that line up along the streets of New York City each year, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is a national icon that has grown into a world-famous holiday event. Since 1924, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has marked the official start of the holiday season. Growing in size and scale, the Parade proudly marches down a more than 2-mile route in New York City with more than 8,000 participants in tow including Macy's employees, their families, celebrities, athletes, clowns and dance groups spreading holiday cheer. The Parade also features America's best marching bands, fabulous floats and Macy's signature giant helium character balloons. For more information on the Macy's Parade, visit www.macys.com/parade or call the Parade hotline at 212.494.4495.

Las Casas Foundation is dedicated to the development of the performing arts through education and scholarships, and the restoration and preservation of historic theatres. Las Casas Foundation offers a variety of educational initiatives to nurture and grow the performing arts, including the Las Casas Performing Arts Scholarship Program, which awards more than $100,000 in scholarship funds annually, as well as additional educational and training opportunities like Behind the Scenes and Camp Broadway in San Antonio. For more information, visit www.lascasasfoundation.org.

San Antonio has been home to a consistent military presence for nearly 300 years. It's why we're called Military City USA. Today the city has one of the nation's largest active and retired military populations. It is the home to the Department of Defense's largest medical center at Joint Base San Antonio Fort Sam Houston and is proud to welcome the families of the 39,000 students who graduate from military training here each year, because training, equipping and caring for America's service members is a way of life. For more information, visit www.visitsanantonio.com.

Acceptd was founded to better connect applicants with opportunities and streamline the recruiting and review process for decision-makers. The company believes the right opportunities should be accessible to any applicant regardless of geography or socio-economic status. For more information, visit www.getacceptd.com.

ACTIVE Network is the premier global marketplace for activities and events, connecting participants and activity organizers, while offering actionable business intelligence through industry-leading data solutions and insights platform that helps organizers drive increased participation and revenue. ACTIVE Network processes registrations and payments for organizers of activities and events worldwide. Founded in 1999, ACTIVE Network is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. For more information, go to www.ACTIVEnetwork.com.