Photo Coverage: 12th Annual Kids' Night on Broadway

Today, Rosie O'Donnell, the 13-time Emmy Award-winning comedian, television talk show host, author, film, television, and stage actress kicked off this year's Kids' Night on Broadway, the annual event during which young people ages 6 to 18 can attend a Broadway show for free when accompanied by a full-paying adult. Ms. O'Donnell serves as this year's National Ambassador for Kids' Night.

Kids' Night on Broadway is the most popular audience development program of The Broadway League and carries the message that Broadway is an open and accessible experience for both kids and adults.  In the 2006-2007 season, children and teens accounted for a record 1.42 million tickets sold in New York alone.

Twenty-five Broadway and Off-Broadway shows participating in Kids' Night, including: Altar Boyz, Avenue Q, Chicago, A Chorus Line, The Color Purple, Come Back Little Sheba, Curtains, The Fantasticks, The Farnsworth Invention, Grease, Hairspray, Is He Dead?, Legally Blonde The Musical, The Lion King, Disney's The Little Mermaid, Mamma Mia!, Mary Poppins, Monty Python's Spamalot, The Phantom of the Opera, Rent,  Spring Awakening, Stomp, Wicked, Xanadu, and The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein

With the purchase of Kids' Night theatre tickets, families were offered free or discounted family fun including a Pre-Theater Fan Festival at Madame Tussauds New York on February 5. The Fan Festival commenced at 3PM, and afforded young people the opportunity to experience how live theatre is created through special activities hosted by the cast and crew of participating shows.  Some activities for the Madame Tussauds' event included special theatrical makeup stations, Broadway dance lessons, karaoke, and many other unique theatre activities. Many Broadway stars were on hand to sign autographs in Autograph Alley and Fans were invited to tour Madame Tussauds for free.

At the Spotlight Live events on February 6th and 12th, kids are invited to be a part of the show with Camp Broadway. Learn what it takes to bring Broadway to life 8 Times a week with Camp Broadway. Kids are also invited to sing Broadway Karaoke and win great prizes.

The final event on February 13th will be held at the newly built New York Times Theatre.  Camp Broadway will again teach kids what it takes to bring a Broadway show to life. Afterwards kids are invited to be a part of history with members of the cast of Legally Blonde to attempt to set the Guinness Book of World Records for the biggest "Bend And Snap."

Some special perks to Kids' Night include: Area restaurants offer family-friendly dinner discounts and a free entrée for each child accompanied by an adult who purchase a regularly priced entrée. Special parking discounts are also available for all four nights. Cast members of participating shows add special fun to the evening with individual post-performance curtain speeches thanking kids for being part of the audience. At the theatre, all those in attendance receive a special souvenir Playbill, entirely written by local adolescents who love theatre, provided by Theatre Development Fund (TDF).

To purchase tickets, more information or to view the list of discounted restaurants and parking garages, log on to www.kidsnightonbroadway.com or call the Broadway Line (1-888-Broadway).  Tickets can also be purchased via Telecharge.com or Ticketmaster (depending on ticket agent), or at the individual theatre boxes.

Photos by Peter James Zielinski