Camp
Broadway, the award-winning theater arts education company, is
auditioning and looking for 600 performance-loving kids, ages 11-14, to
perform an original opening number--entitled "Give me A Drum"--live in
the Opening Number of the 80th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade,
which will be televised on NBC-TV on November 23 beginning at 9 a.m.
Videotape submissions are now being accepted. In addition, Camp
Broadway will also hold auditions in select cities nationwide.
The
New York audition will be held at Ripley Greer studios, 520 Eighth
Avenue, 16th floor, from 10:00AM. Those auditioning should bring a
completed application, wear dance shoes and comfortable clothes and be
ready to dance. The children will learn a combination by a Broadway
choreographer.Camp Broadway has been selected to perform the parade's opening number, "Give Me A Drum", written by Michael Feinstein with lyrics by Bill Schermerhorn,
Macy's Creative Director; "it celebrates kids being in the Parade and
the fantasy world of the 80th Anniversary of the Macy's Thanksgiving
Day Parade," state press notes. The opening number will be
choreographed by Tony Parise, Camp Broadway's Artistic Director and a
veteran--as performer and/or choreographer--of many musicals. Camp
Broadway has created a special one-week program leading up to the
parade performance, including a series of Broadway workshops, classes
and rehearsals to prepare the kids for the nationally televised
performance.
For the 11 years, Camp Broadway "has offered
theater-loving kids across America the opportunity to participate in
exciting, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities in live theater. Working
collaboratively with Broadway's most distinguished performers, writers
and designers, Camp Broadway has hosted more than 65,000 students at
pre-theater workshops and special events. The company has provided tens
of thousands of children the opportunity to work side-by-side with
Broadway professionals at year-round performing arts programs. Camp
Broadway's participation in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is the
highlight of a busy year."The Camp Broadway "We Give Thanks
Today" program includes: all rehearsals and run-throughs; a Broadway
dance workshop; a Herald Square camera blocking rehearsal; a Cast Party
pizza party, parade costume; costume fitting and make-up tips;
professionally choreographed musical routine; nationally televised
parade performance; commemorative CD recording of original song;
commemorative t-shirt; commemorative Macy's Parade Pin, and snacks and
drinks.
Camp Broadway, recipient of the 2002 Standing Ovation
Award from the Educational Theatre Association, is a theater arts
education and audience development company dedicated to helping
educators, students and families to experience theater in creative and
meaningful ways. Programs are designed to serve the unique needs of
both the education and theater industry by connecting professional
artists with young audiences, ages 6-17, throughout the year. Feinstein,
one of the premiere interpreters of American popular song, has been a
household name since the success of his 1988 one-man Broadway show, Isn't It Romantic.
He enjoys an active performance calendar, including major concert
halls, symphony orchestras, intimate jazz clubs and college campuses.
More than a mere performer, he is nationally recognized for his
commitment to the American popular song, both celebrating its art and
preserving its legacy for the next generation.In 2003 he received his fourth Grammy Award nomination for his Concord Records release, "Michael Feinstein
with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra," his first recording with a
symphony orchestra. Recently he hosted and produced "The Great American
Songbook," a PBS Special and DVD set from Warner Brothers that traces
the history of popular music in our country. His record label Feinery,
a new Concord subsidiary, records favorite current artists and restores
recordings & broadcasts showcasing the nation's most enduring
entertainers. His Manhattan nightclub, Feinstein's at the Regency,
presents the top talents of pop and jazz; he appears there for sold-out
holiday engagements every year. His most recent CD, "Hopeless
Romantics," is a celebration of the music of Harry Warren, recorded
with the legendary jazz pianist George Shearing.
In addition
to his work for Macy's, Schermerhorn has written the book and lyrics
for several musical projects, working with performers as diverse as Bob
Hope, Deborah Voigt, Jon Secada, Ann Hampton Callaway and Harvey Fierstein
to beloved characters such as Paddington BearTM, Yogi Bear and Clifford
the Big Red DogTM. He also erved as Artistic Director and scriptwriter
for the outdoor Times Square concerts "Broadway on Broadway '95" and
"Stars in the Alley '96" in association with Times Square BID & The
League of American Theatres & Producers. He is working on two new
musicals, Beyond the Dream with Brian Besterman and The Music Boys with Milton DeLugg, as well as an upcoming musical project with Michael Feinstein. Visit www.campbroadway.com for Audition Guidelines and National Summer Tour Information, email info@campbroadway.com, call 212-575-2929. For more information on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, please visit or call the Macy's Parade Hotline at 212-494-4495.
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