Playbill, in partnership with The Broadway League, the Times Square Alliance, and title sponsor Prudential announces details and talent for Curtain Up!, a three-day outdoor experience in Times Square presented by title sponsor Prudential; sponsored in part by Lexus, Netflix, and United Airlines; with additional support from Audible and the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.
Curtain Up! will take place outdoors in Times Square, on Broadway stretching between 45th and 48th Streets. Twenty-two unique events will take place on stages in Duffy Square (7th Ave. & 47th St.) and between 45th & 46th Streets.
The three-day celebration will include the following headlining events:
The Curtain Up! Kick-Off Event on Friday, September 17 at 12 PM will feature speakers and special guests Brian Stokes Mitchell and Jessica Vosk with music director John McDaniel and additional participants to be announced. The event will ignite excitement on the mainstage and include a celebratory countdown to the official start of the festival.
The Jimmy Awards® Reunion Concert! will take place on Friday, September 17 at 5:30 PM in Duffy Square. Hosted by Jelani Alladin, this concert event will bring together alumni of the famed Jimmy Awards®/National High School Musical Theatre Awards® program.
Black to Broadway – It’s “Play” Time is a panel event which will take place on September 18 at 12:15 PM in Duffy Square. 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 this entertaining and informative live conversation to get to know some of the writers, directors, and performers who are bringing these works to Broadway stages. Participants include artists from: Chicken and Biscuits, Thoughts of a Colored Man, Clyde’s, Lackawanna Blues, Skeleton Crew, Pass Over and Trouble in Mind. Harriette Cole, the nationally renowned lifestylist, and branding coach and Dreamleapers founder, will moderate.
¡Viva! Broadway When We See Ourselves concert will take place on Saturday, September 18 at 5:00 PM in Duffy Square, This event is a musical celebration of the joy, diversity, and extensive contributions of the Latin and Hispanic Broadway with artists including Daphne Rubin-Vega, Robin de Jesús, Bianca Marroquín, Ana Villafañe and more to be announced.
Curtain Up: This is Broadway!, a grand, outdoor event that marks the culmination of the Curtain Up! Festival will take place on Sunday, Sept 19 at 11:00 AM in Duffy Square. This concert will spotlight marquee talent from returning and new Broadway productions, showcasing Broadway to the world, trumpeting the message that BROADWAY IS BACK! This concert will celebrate all of Broadway and the re-opening of New York City.
Current shows and performers participating include 18 Broadway musicals: Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations, Aladdin, Caroline, or Change, Chicago, Come From Away, Company, Dear Evan Hansen, Diana the Musical, Girl from the North County, Hadestown, Jagged Little Pill, The Lion King, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Phantom of the Opera, Six, Tina- The Tina Turner Musical, Waitress, Wicked, five Broadway plays: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Lackawanna Blues, Pass Over, Thoughts of a Colored Man and To Kill A Mockingbird. Additional special guests will be announced soon.
*Shows and performers are subject to change.
Throughout the celebratory weekend, Broadway fans will have the unique opportunity to join with a wide variety of interactive experiences and intimate concerts peppered throughout the festival, including Broadway sing-a-long’s, The Sing for Hope Piano, variety shows, after dark events and special Broadway Podcast Network recordings.
All details for Curtain Up! can be found at Playbill.com/CurtainUp as they are announced. Playbill is also creating a specially customized Playbill that is the Guide To All-Things Curtain Up! that will be handed out to attendees throughout Times Square during the event, with a virtual copy available on the website.
Event organizers will continue to follow the city, state and federal COVID-19 guidelines and will inform the public of any changes to the event protocols or schedule.
Join the conversation about Curtain Up! by following @Playbill, @TimesSquareNYC, and @BroadwayLeague and using #CurtainUpBroadway.
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