"Generation Broadway" Web Site Launched Just for Kids

The League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc. has launched "Generation Broadway" (www.generationbroadway.com), the first-ever Broadway web site just for kids. The site offers a unique Broadway experience through interactive features that put kids right at the pulse of the Great White Way.

Generation Broadway offers the following:

• "Spotlight," providing the latest in Broadway news and events.
• "What's On," keeping kids up-to-date on what's playing both on Broadway and the road.
• "Backstage Pass," filled with theater trivia, history, and fun facts to make any kid into a Broadway buff.
• "Play the Part," introducing kids to theatre games and exercises, including an activity section for young theatre "techies."

In addition, the site serves as an information portal for parents and teachers with extensive resources ranging from theatre history and bibliographies, guidelines for securing rights for theatrical productions, and links to other popular Broadway websites.

"We know that theatregoers who are exposed to the theatre at a young age are more likely to see shows as adults," commented Jed Bernstein, President, League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc. "Generation Broadway is designed to enhance a young person's Broadway experience, building on his or her curiosity, and hopefully encouraging repeat visits to Broadway over a lifetime."

"Generation Broadway" was designed by Yellow Gecko, Inc. The site's content comes from League creative staff, college interns, artists-in-residence, and theatre professionals.

Broadway's young audience has been growing in recent years. Children and teens accounted for nearly 1.3 million tickets last season, the second largest number in the past decade.

To continue to develop this generation and future generations of theater-goers, the League engages in various audience development and marketing activities. Among these programs are "Kids' Night on Broadway", which reaches thousands of children each year (this year, expanded to four nights). The League also publishes the free Generation Broadway Newsletter, which has served 50,000 kids since its inception in 1997

Other League audience development programs targeted at young people include Educator "Apple" awards, recognizing the efforts of schools across the country that promote theater education. The League also supports education through grants aimed at developing innovative educational programs relating to the presentation of Broadway shows in New York and on tour.

The League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc., founded in 1930 as the League of New York Theatres and operating under the "Live Broadway" trademark, is the national trade association for the Broadway industry. The League's 500-plus members include theatre owners and operators, producers, presenters, and general managers in 140 North American cities, as well as suppliers of goods and services to the theater industry. Each year, League members bring Broadway to nearly 25 million people in New York and across the U.S. and Canada.