DISNEY ON BROADWAY ANNOUNCES THE 2nd ANNUAL WOMEN’S DAY ON BROADWAY: INSPIRING CHANGEMAKERS

HOME OF DISNEY’S FROZEN 

Free Registration Now Available at WomenOfBrodway.com

In celebration of International Women’s Day, Disney on Broadway announces the 2nd annual “Women’s Day on Broadway: Inspiring Changemakers.” 

Following its launch in 2018, the event aims to engage attendees of all genders and backgrounds in a day of open and honest dialogue about gender equality in the theatre industry and beyond, immersing participants and audience members in a series of conversations, empowering each attendee to drive change and make an impact.

“We began ‘Women’s Day on Broadway’ last year to provide a platform for women in the theatre industry to share their experiences and celebrate their accomplishments,” said Anne Quart, Disney Theatrical Production’s SVP of Production and Co-Producer. “The response to last year’s event was overwhelmingly positive, and it was clear that we needed to create a sustainable, annual event that could dive deeper into those discussions, to inform, inspire and provide actionable paths towards equality.”

This year’s event will focus on changemakers driving progress within the theatre and entertainment industry, highlighting ways each person can become an agent of change. The event will feature panel conversations and a variety of speakers and presentations.

“Women’s Day on Broadway” will be held on Tuesday, March 12th, at the St. James Theatre, home of Broadway’s new musical Frozen.  Disney on Broadway invites professionals of all genders and backgrounds working in entertainment and those interested in the topic to attend the event free of charge.

For more information and to reserve your free general admission seat and to see content from last year’s event, visit the new home for Women’s Day on Broadway,www.womenofbroadway.com.

Specifics for the event will be provided at a later date.

DISNEY THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS CELEBRATES 25 YEARS AT BROADWAYCON 2019

Last night (Friday, January 11, 2019) Disney Theatrical Productions hosted “Disney Theatrical at 25: The Stars Align” at BroadwayCon in Manhattan. The lively panel was made up of some of the stars who created these indelible shows and characters in their original productions. Moderated by Disney Theatrical Productions head Thomas Schumacher, the panel was a fascinating and hilarious discussion filled with behind-the-scenes stories. Panelists included Christian Borle (Tony®-winning Black Stache in Peter and the Starcatcher), Ashley Brown (title role in Mary Poppins), Merle Dandridge (Kala in Tarzan), Susan Egan (Belle in Beauty and the Beast), James Monroe Iglehart (Tony-winning Genie in Aladdin), and Patti Murin (Anna in Frozen). 

About Disney Theatrical Productions

DISNEY THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS, a division of The Walt Disney Studios, was formed in 1994 and operates under the direction of Thomas Schumacher.  Worldwide, its 10 Broadway titles have been seen by over 160 million theatergoers and have been nominated for 62 Tony®Awards, winning Broadway’s highest honor 20 times.  With more than 20 productions currently produced or licensed, a Disney musical is being performed professionally somewhere on the planet virtually every hour of the day. 

The company’s inaugural production, Beauty and the Beast, opened in 1994. It played a remarkable 13 year run on Broadway and has been produced in 37 countries worldwide.

In November 1997, Disney opened The Lion King, which received six 1998 Tony Awards including Best Musical. After 21 landmark years on Broadway, it has welcomed more than 95 million visitors worldwide to date, and can currently be seen in nine productions worldwide.  Having played 20 countries on every continent except Antarctica, The Lion King’s worldwide gross exceeds that of any film, Broadway show or other entertainment title in box office history.

Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida opened on Broadway next, winning four 2000 Tony Awards.  It was followed by Mary Poppins, a co-production with Cameron Mackintosh, which opened in London in 2004 and went on to enjoy a six year Tony-winning Broadway run.  

Tarzan®, which opened on Broadway in 2006, went on to become an international hit with an award-winning production enjoying a 10-year run in Germany.  In January 2008, The Little Mermaid opened on Broadway and was the #1-selling new musical of that year.

Disney Theatrical Productions opened two critically acclaimed productions on Broadway in 2012, receiving seven Tony Awards between them:Peter and the Starcatcher and Newsies, each of which enjoyed a two-year run with the latter launching a two-year North American tour and a record-breaking Fathom Events’ in-cinema release.

Aladdin, Disney Theatrical’s 2014 hit, continues selling out on Broadway and has launched five additional productions around the globe.  Its newest hit, the 2018 Tony-nominated Best Musical Frozen, continues setting records in its Broadway run.

Other successful stage ventures have included the Olivier-nominated London hit Shakespeare in Love, stage productions of Disney’s High School Musical, Der Glöckner Von Notre Dame in Berlin, and King David in concert.  DTP has collaborated with the country’s leading regional theatres to develop new stage musicals including The Jungle Book, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Freaky Friday.

About BroadwayCon

BroadwayCon is theatre’s answer to comic-con, tailor made for fans. From January 11-13, 2019, join some of Broadway’s biggest fans, performers, and creators from classic and current shows as we gather at the Hilton Midtown to perform, discuss, debate, and celebrate theatre. BroadwayCon 2019 will feature panels, performances, interviews, workshops, singalongs, and more, all packed into an epic three-day weekend. Past panels have included previews from upcoming Broadway shows, conversations with the casts and creatives of this season’s hits, and discussions featuring the industry’s top producers and designers, not to mention the giant Opening Celebration and nighttime fun and games. BroadwayCon is produced by Mischief Management.

BROADWAY & THEATER MINI-REVIEW ~ TONY2016 NOMINEE MUSINGS!

Lapacazo, What Do You Know? I know about the theater Here is a mini review to help you make good theater decisions.

African-Americans and all people of color and diversity, also attend theater and purchase tickets on Broadway for a myriad of shows. We are, God Bless Our Collective Souls, a curious people and capable of indescribable depths of empathy. The lives of quirky, challenged characters, that are the fabric of the very best theater is something — dare I say — we understand instinctively. Toss in good music and we become the backbone of a loyal following that can make or break a project.

Here is a mini review of recent Broadway shows and I am going to use my “Harlem Rating:” four $ signs = great.

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (3 Tony nominations) $$$$

This well reviewed revived musical comedy (1964) is powerful and honors the ebullience of the human spirit, as embodied by the lead character, Tevye, living in a Russian shtetl in the early 20th, and played by Danny Burstein, a Broadway veteran and five-time Tony nominee. He’s so good in the role that it made my knees buckle. Choreographer, Hofesh Shechter, nominated for a Tony this year, demonstrated that dance is an essential part of storytelling.

ECLIPSED (6 Tony nominations) $$$$

Danai Gurira wrote this soul searching and unflinching peek into the lives of women, caught in the brutal violence of Liberian civil war. It’s perfect. Under the careful hands of Tony nominated director, Liesl Tommy, a native of South Africa and the first African/African-American woman to be nominated for a Tony Award, demonstrates that as a storyteller, Tommy is born to her profession.

THE COLOR PURPLE (4 Tony nominations) $$$$

Hallelujah, seems the right word to encompass this stripped down version of the musical, based on the novel written by Alice Walker. In a tweet [quote] Lin-Manuel Miranda said that he “went to church” after watching a matinee performance. The heart-pounding gospel-atomic powered musical is making Tony nominated Cynthia Erivo, a new star and giving theater credibility to Danielle Brooks, nominated for a Tony award, under “featured in a musical category.”

ON YOUR FEET! THE STORY OF EMILO and GLORIA ESTEFAN (1 Tony nomination) $$$

The music of the Estefefan empire and the performances of Ana Villafañe (as Ms. Estefan) and Josh Segarra (Emilo) make this a must see. Under Tony nominated choreographer, Sergio Trujillo, the sizzling dance numbers bring audiences to their feet. The strong ensemble of dancers include Luis Salgado who also acts as dance captain for this vibrant production.

At the meet the Tony nominees event this “birdy heard”: :

Renee Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton) : “Hamilton reflects a huge part of our culture, our story, our people and it connects to the truth and they understand.” Daveed Diggs (Hamilton) is nominated for best performance by an actor in a musical for playing two roles—Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson: “Lafayette, has no problem breaking the 4th wall. I come out blowing kisses and waving to the audience. While playing Jefferson that does not happen. He is aware of everything and is just waiting for a moment to connect.“

Brandon Victor Dixon (Shuffle Along, Or the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed) highlighted that the original musical, Shuffle Along, which debuted in 1921, was ground breaking: “It was the first musical with a jazz score among other firsts. That includes launching the careers of Josephine Baker, Paul Robeson, and Florence Mills who became the biggest entertainment star — white or black — at the time. There are many milestones that Shuffle Along created that no one really knows anything about, yet.”

Eclipsed producers Stephen C. Byrd and Alia Jones-Harvey, the only lead African-American producers on Broadway, the six time nominated play is making history again with the nomination for South African born director, Liesl Tommy: “Liesl Tommy is the first woman of color to be nominated in the category of best direction for a play. There has only been three female Broadway directors—ever—and our company has debuted two of them: Debbie Allen with “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof” and now, Tony nominee, Liesl Tommy.”

www.tonyawards.com - June 12th on CBS