BergenPAC and Westfield Garden State Plaza Team Up For A Free Children's Broadway Series

The 15-week series, Broadway at Westfield Garden Plaza which began on March 19, continues this Saturday, May 21 with the music and characters of the Disney adventure "Moana." There are two half hour performances every Saturday at 11:00- 11:30 a.m. and 1:00- 1:30 p.m. at Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, NJ on Level 2 Macy's Court Area, near Shake Shack. Presented in partnership with Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC), the series features songs and scenes from your favorite Broadway shows and modern movies.

The remaining performances include "Moana," "Seussical," "The Little Mermaid," "Cinderella," "Encanto," and "Annie." An itinerary is included below. "Seussical" and "Annie" will be performed by students from The Performing Arts School (PAS) at bergenPAC. PAS is northern New Jersey's premier arts education program offering classes in a variety of performing arts disciplines and opportunities to participate in live performances for young people of all ages and backgrounds. Since its inception, PAS has positively impacted thousands of children and continues to make a difference in the community.

Sharing the same backyard, bergenPAC and Westfield Garden State Plaza have solidified a strong and consistent community partnership. Since the relationship began in 2015, they have jointly produced various programs such as an emerging artist series and a premier series where singer-songwriters and Broadway actors perform their repertoire. The family series has always been a huge success and evolved over the years to what is now known as Broadway@GSPlaza. Using bergenPAC's buying power and production expertise, they present great entertainment for mall patrons-everything from princesses, bubble artistry, puppets, magic, and talented PAS student performers. In exchange, the Garden State Plaza provides bergenPAC with an outreach platform and the space to present the arts outside of their historic theater located in downtown Englewood, NJ. The partnership also gives students of The Performing Arts School at bergenPAC the opportunity to perform live on stage, engage with the audience, and provide children with access to the arts.

Alexander Diaz, Creative Director of Education and Outreach for The Performing Arts School at bergenPAC, attests to the benefit of this partnership and said, "[it] is vitally important to the community as it gives opportunities for our students to perform live on stage and make a positive impact on the young audiences in attendance. These shows are fun, energetic and give the audience free access to top talent entertainment with performances from our Performing Arts School students."

"Westfield Garden State Plaza's partnership with bergenPAC has allowed local families to conveniently and affordably share the magic of Broadway performances with their children," said Lisa Herrmann, Senior Director of Marketing, Westfield Garden State Plaza. "The series is an example of our commitment to offer diversified family entertainment and we look forward to working with bergenPAC to continue these high-energy shows."

All general admission tickets are complimentary, but a limited number of VIP tickets can be purchased for $10 and include an AMC kids' movie theater ticket, a kid's meal at Chik-Fil-A, a LEGO toy, and more. All proceeds benefit the Bergen Performing Arts Center's not-for-profit theater and performing arts school in Englewood, NJ. To purchase VIP tickets, visit https://www.westfield.com/gardenstateplaza/broadway. Information can also be found at https://www.bergenpac.org/education-1/gsp.

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