Broadway stars take to the stage to get out the vote : NPR

A nonetheless from Broadway Votes’ “Carrying the Message” video. The video is a part of a marketing campaign that engages New York theater expertise to encourage audiences to go to the polls.

Jenny Anderson/Broadway Votes

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Jenny Anderson/Broadway Votes

A brand new video encouraging Broadway followers to vote has being popping up on social media feeds recently.

Set at a employees’ rally on the flip of the final century, the musical quantity referred to as “Carrying the Message” performs off the Nineties musical Newsies, a couple of group of disenfranchised newsboys.

The unique creators of Newsies, together with composer Alan Menken and director Kenny Ortega, are behind this new take for the 2024 election. It additionally contains a slew of Broadway expertise equivalent to Nikki M James, who starred within the Tony Award-winning political musical Suffs.

This music video is one among a variety of methods — each on-line and on stage — during which the brand new nonprofit Broadway Votes has been working to encourage Broadway audiences to go to the voting sales space.

“As a result of Broadway particularly is a industrial business, little or no partisan work will get performed, it felt like this unimaginable alternative to leverage the abilities of people that work within the business and encourage individuals throughout the nation to get out and vote,” stated Catherine Markowitz, theater producer and co-founder and director of Broadway Votes.

Broadway Votes has additionally been mobilizing New York’s phases and stars to interact audiences recently by way of curtain-call bulletins in regards to the significance of voting at exhibits like As soon as Upon A Mattress, Hadestown and Little Store of Horrors.

The nonprofit additionally organized a get-out-the-vote live performance in New York’s Occasions Sq., a music video that includes Tony Award successful performer Alex Newell and the Broadway Inspirational Voices singing group in a efficiency of a brand new association of “Preserve Marching” from Suffs, and varied on-line giveaways and contests, together with a fancy dress contest judged by Broadway celebrities Betsy Wolfe, J Harrison Ghee and Rachel Bloom. The winner will likely be introduced on election day.

Knowledge shared through e-mail with NPR from the arts-focused voter registration nonprofit Headcount exhibits these efforts have to date led to hundreds of voter registrations.

Broadway Votes has additionally impressed some previously reticent theater insiders to turn out to be politically engaged.

“I’ve at all times discovered myself in between two worlds,” stated performer Tommy Bracco, who stated he divides his time between his largely red-leaning household on Staten Island and blue-leaning leisure business colleagues in Manhattan. “And since so many individuals near me are so enthusiastic about this, I’ve sort of felt afraid to make use of my voice [for political causes].” 

Now he is enjoying one of many leads within the “Carrying the Message” music video.

“Broadway Votes inspired me to make use of my voice for the primary time ever,” Bracco stated. “In a world the place the whole lot is so divided, Broadway Votes is bringing individuals collectively.”