FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
Curtain Up! Mainstage on Duffy Square
12:00–1:00 PM - Official Curtain Up! Kick-Off
Hosted by
Norm Lewis and
Michael Urie, Curtain Up! will Kick-Off with guest speakers from
Playbill,
The Broadway League, and
Times Square Alliance, with special guest speakers Commissioner
Anne Del Castillo of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development
Vikki Been, and Senate Majority Leader
Charles Schumer. Special performances will be part of the event by
Brian Stokes Mitchell and
Jessica Vosk, with music director
John McDaniel. The event will ignite excitement on the mainstage and include a celebratory countdown to the official event start!
1:30–2:30 PM - Dear White People Panel
Presented by Netflix, join
Kandi Burruss as she hosts a conversation with stars from the Netflix series
Dear White People> and Broadway celebrities, discussing the crossover of theatre to TV/Film and the remarkable steps towards diversifying the arts for BIPOC members of the community. Panelists include
Marque Richardson, Logan Browning, DeRon Horton, and
Bryan Terrell Clark.
3:30–4:30 PM - The Playbill Variety Show
Playbill is curating an hour of Broadway news updates, stories, interviews, and surprise performances in the middle of Times Square. Join Playbill’s Creative Director,
Bryan Campione, as he invites stars, and more to the stage for a fun celebration of theatre, Broadway and
Curtain Up! Guests include:
Joshua Henry (
Carousel, Shuffle Along, Violet, Porgy and Bess, American Idiot, The Scottsboro Boys, In The Heights);
Tom Viola - Executive Director of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS;
Joseph Benincasa – President/C.E.O. of The Actors Fund;
Frank DiLella - Emmy Award Winning Host of Spectrum News NY 1’s
On Stage; and more!
5:30–6:30 PM – The Jimmy Awards® Reunion Concert!
Hosted by Broadway’s
Jelani Alladin, this event brings together alumni of the famed Jimmy Awards®/National High School Musical Theatre Awards® program in a free, outdoor concert with live music. Join us for a chance to catch up with some of the Jimmy Awards alums who have graduated to roles on Broadway and National Tours. They’ll each have a moment in the spotlight with solo numbers from classic and contemporary Broadway shows, and they’ll join together for a grand finale. The concert will feature the two top winners from the virtual 2021 Jimmy Awards making their New York performance debuts and will include
Bryson Battle, John Clay III, Sofia Deler, Caitlin Finnie, Elena Holder, Lily Kaufmann, McKenzie Kurtz, Sam Primack, Josh Strobl, and
Ekele Ukegbu. This concert is directed by
Seth Sklar-Heyn, with music direction by
Daryl Waters. For more information on The Jimmy Awards program, visit
www.JimmyAwards.com.
The Playbill Piano Bar
(Located in Times Square between 45th and 46th Streets)
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM - Wake Up, Broadway! presented by Broadway Podcast Network
–Join co-hosts,
Ayanna Prescod and
Christian Lewis of
What’s Up Broadway? a BPN original podcast delivering the latest news, interviews, and chatter from Broadway and beyond, as they welcome esteemed guests from BPN and the Broadway community. Prescod, our very own “Gossip Girl”, is omniscient on everything buzzworthy happening on the Great White Way, don’t miss this informative hour.
–Join the
Be More Chill celebration of
Joe Iconis’ birthday and the fans who made the show what it is today. Hosted by
How to Be More Chill’s Ilana Levine and
Sam Maher with Iconis and special guest appearances. Fans are encouraged to submit questions on Instagram
@howtobemorechill to be answered live. Fresh off its West End Premiere, the show continues to thrill fans and is a stalwart of the international pop culture zeitgeist.
1:00–1:30 PM - Divas of Broadway Sing-Along
Join 2021 Richard Rodgers Award Winner
Brandon James Gwinn (pianist at the world-renowned Marie’s Crisis and producer of Trixie Mattel’s albums) as he plays some of the greatest hits from the divas of Broadway on the
Sing for Hope Piano!
2:30–3:00 PM - Sing-Along with Joe Iconis
Join
Joe Iconis (Composer,
Be More Chill) as he plays through some of his best known (and super fun) songs on the
Sing for Hope Piano! Special guests include:
Amina Faye, Jason SweetTooth Williams, Kelly McIntire, and
Mike Rosengarten.
3:00–3:30 PM - New Broadway Hits Sing-Along
Join 2021 Richard Rodgers Award Winner
Brandon James Gwinn (pianist at the world-renowned Marie’s Crisis and producer of Trixie Mattel’s albums) as he plays some of pop and contemporary hits from Broadway on the
Sing for Hope Piano!
4:30–5:00 PM - WICKED Sing-Along
We couldn’t be happier to have pianist
Adam Laird play thrillifying songs from the Broadway sensation,
WICKED! Audiences can sing-along to their favorite songs in the heart of Times Square on the
Sing for Hope Piano!
6:30–7:30 PM - Curtain Up After Dark
Join Broadway guest performers
Joshua Henry and
Jason Robert Brown as they take to the stage and perform their favorite tunes under the setting sun and the lights of Times Square.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18
Curtain Up! Mainstage on Duffy Square
10:30–11:15 AM - “The Broadway Morning Warm-Up”
Join Co-Founders,
Alexis Carra (
Wicked) and
Chryssie Whitehead (
A Chorus Line), of Broadway Arts Community, a performing arts and mentorship training company, as they “get the celebration started” Saturday morning! Together with BAC Guest Faculty
James T. Lane, Tyler Hanes, and
Jessica Lee Goldyn, and their BAC students, Alexis and Chryssie will lead a warm-up for an incredible day of all-things Broadway!
12:15–1:45 PM - Black to Broadway – It’s “Play” Time!
As Broadway performances resume following the global pandemic and social reckoning that have taken place over the past 18 months, no less than seven new productions of plays by Black writers are slated to open this fall—including four by Black women. Join us for an entertaining and informative live conversation in the heart of the Broadway Theatre District that will give the theatergoing public a chance to get to know some of the writers, directors, and performers who are bringing these works to Broadway stages. These works represent a broad spectrum of production styles and voices, and the event will spotlight what makes each one uniquely relevant and entertaining.
Harriette Cole, the nationally renowned lifestylist, and branding coach and DREAMLEAPERS founder, will introduce the speakers and lead the discussion. Panelists include
Keenan Scott II (
Thoughts of Colored Man),
Antoinette Nwandu (
Pass Over),
Lynn Nottage (
Clyde’s) and
Douglas Lyons (
Chicken & Biscuits).
The event is part of The Broadway League’s ongoing Black to Broadway initiative to inspire, engage and build awareness among the Black community with Broadway.
3:00–3:45 PM - The Playbill Variety Show
Playbill is curating an hour of Broadway news updates, stories, interviews, and surprise performances in the middle of Times Square! Join Playbill’s Creative Director,
Bryan Campione, as he invites stars, and more to the stage for a fun celebration of theatre, Broadway and
Curtain Up!
Performances include:
–A celebration of the 100th anniversary of Irving Berlin’s Music Box Theatre, featuring performances of iconic musical theatre classics from Broadway stars
Bryce Pinkham (
Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder) and
Shereen Pimentel (
West Side Story), with music director David Hancock Turner.
–An interview with
Lauren Gaston and
Austin Sora from the
Broadway Green Alliance!
–A special AAPI conversation and performance produced by
Valerie Lau-Kee, join special Broadway guests including
Minami Yusui,
Jose Llana,
Lourds Lane and pianist
Ted Arthur in celebrating the AAPI Community on Broadway!
–and more!
5:00–6:30 PM- ¡Viva! Broadway When We See Ourselves Concert
A musical celebration of the joy, diversity, and extensive contributions of the Latin and Hispanic Broadway! We are celebrating the beginning of the 2021 National Hispanic Heritage Month and welcoming the return of live Broadway performances. The free concert will lift-up the incredible history Broadway Latinx artists have shared throughout the decades and invite audiences to join us in the continued work that lies ahead.
The event celebrates some of the most familiar names of Latinx representation on Broadway such as
Daphne Rubin-Vega, Robin de Jesús, Bianca Marroquín, and more, and elevate the talented ensemble members who always lead the way. The creative team includes
Luis Salgado (director and choreographer),
Gabriela Garcia (associate director/choreographer),
Eric Ulloa (writer),
Jaime Lozano (musical direction), and
Sergio Trujillo (creative consultant).
Performers:
Bianca Marroquín, Ayodele Casel, Janet Dacal, Robin DeJesús, Alma Cuervo, Linedy Genao, Nicholas Edwards, Eliseo Roman, Daphne Rubin Vega, Josh Segarra, Caesar Samayoa, Jennifer Sánchez, Henry Gainza, Claudia Mulet, David Baida, Florencia Cuenca, Marielys Molina, Natalie Caruncho, Angelica Beliard, Sarita Colon, Gabriel Reyes, Roman Cruz, Steven Orrego Upegui, Adriel Flete, Noah Paneto, Harolyn Lantigua, and more. Featured Tango performance by
Valeria Solmonoff & Iakov Shonsky are a part of the event with special guests
Luis Miranda, Rick Miramontez, Emilio Sosa, and
Sergio Trujillo present for this special celebration.
Viva Broadway is a national Broadway League audience development partnership with the Hispanic community that helps bridge the world of Broadway with Latinx audiences around the country. This long-term initiative aims to celebrate Latinx talent and increase awareness of and engagement with Broadway. More info at Viva.Broadway.org
The Playbill Piano Bar
(Located in Times Square between 45th and 46th Streets)
11:30 AM – 12:15 PM - Wake Up, Broadway! presented by Broadway Podcast Network
–Join co-hosts,
Ayanna Prescod and
Christian Lewis of
What’s Up Broadway? a BPN original podcast delivering the latest news, interviews, and chatter from Broadway and beyond, as they welcome esteemed guests from BPN and the Broadway community. Prescod, our very own “Gossip Girl”, is omniscient on everything buzzworthy happening on the Great White Way, don’t miss this informative hour.
–
Freestyle Love Supreme cast members,
Kaila Mullady,
Anthony Veneziale,
Tarik Davis, and
James Monroe Iglehart join
Jan Friedlander Svendsen, Chief Creative Officer of the Charity Network and host of
Broadway Gives Back to discuss the hit Broadway show returning to the Booth Theater in October.
2:00–2:30 PM - The Golden Age of Broadway Sing-Along
Join Playbill’s own
Logan Culwell-Block as he plays songs of the past, that still have an imprint on Broadway fans and audiences on the
Sing for Hope Piano!
2:30–3:00 PM - Sing-Along with Rob Rokicki
Join
Rob Rokicki (Composer,
The Lighting Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical) on the
Sing for Hope Piano, as he plays songs fans of his music can sing-along to!
4:00–4:30 PM – A.J. Holmes: Live in Times Square
Join Broadway’s
A.J. Holmes (
The Book of Mormon,
South Park, Starkid Productions) as he takes to the
Sing for Hope Piano and shares songs and stories from his new one-man musical,
Yeah, But Not Right Now.
4:30–5:00 PM – Musical Theatre Hits Sing-Along with Concord Theatricals
Join
Michael Riedel and pianist
Zachary Orts to warm up those pipes: it’s time to belt out your favorite musical theatre songs from the
Concord Theatricals catalog on the
Sing for Hope Piano!
6:30–7:30 PM - Curtain Up After Dark Presents: Lauren Molina
Join Broadway performer
Lauren Molina (
Rock of Ages, Sweeney Todd) and star of The Skivvies as she tells stories and performs some of her favorite tunes under the setting sun and the lights of Times Square, along with special guests
Nick Cearley and
Eric Shorey!
