Andrew Lippa Pens Opening Number For 79th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Featuring Camp Broadway

By: BWW News Desk Oct. 07, 2005

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CAMP BROADWAY, the award-winning theater arts education company, of 480 performance-loving kids, ages 9-13, will perform live in the Opening Number of the 79th Annual Macy*s Thanksgiving Day Parade® which will be televised live on NBC this November 2005.

CAMP BROADWAY has been selected to perform the parade's opening number, We Give Thanks Today, written by Broadway composer Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party) with lyrics by Bill Schermerhorn, Macy*s Creative Director. It celebrates kids across America waking up on Thanksgiving morning to the fantasy world of the Macy*s Thanksgiving Day Parade®. This opening number will be choreographed by Tony Parise. Camp Broadway has created a special one-week program leading up to the parade performance, including a series of Broadway workshops, classes and rehearsals to prepare the kids for the nationally televised performance.

For the past decade, CAMP BROADWAY has offered theater-loving kids across America the opportunity to participate in exciting, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities in live theater. Working collaboratively with Broadway's most distinguished performers, writers and designers, Camp Broadway has hosted more than 65,000 students at pre-theater workshops and special events. The company has provided tens of thousands of children the opportunity to work side-by-side with Broadway professionals at year-round performing arts programs. Camp Broadway's participation in the Macy*s Thanksgiving Day Parade® is the highlight of a busy year.

The Camp Broadway We Give Thanks Today program includes:
*All rehearsals and run-throughs
* Broadway dance workshop
* Herald Square camera blocking rehearsal
* Cast Party pizza party
* Parade Costume
* Costume fitting and make-up tips
* Professionally choreographed musical routine
* Nationally televised parade performance
* Commemorative CD recording of original song
* Commemorative t-shirt
* Commemorative Macy*s Parade Pin
* Snacks and drinks

CAMP BROADWAY®, recipient of the 2002 Standing Ovation Award from the Educational Theatre Association, is a theater arts education and audience development company dedicated to helping educators, students and families to experience theater in creative and meaningful ways. Programs are designed to serve the unique needs of both the education and theater industry by connecting professional artists with young audiences, ages 6-17, throughout the year.

Andrew Lippa, composer, wrote the book, music and lyrics for The Wild Party which was given its world premiere in 2000 at the Manhattan Theater Club in New York City. The Wild Party won the Outer Critics Circle Award for best Off-Broadway musical of the season and Mr. Lippa won the 2000 Drama Desk Award for best music. The show was nominated for 13 Drama Desk Awards including best new musical. In 1999 Mr. Lippa contributed three new songs to the Broadway version of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown (including My New Philosophy for Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth) and created all new arrangements. He wrote the music and co-wrote the book (with Tom Greenwald) for John & Jen which played in New York City in 1995 at The Lamb's Theater.

Mr. Lippa's recordings include The Wild Party (RCA Victor) which he also produced, You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown (RCA Victor) which earned him a Grammy Award nomination for his producing efforts, and John & Jen (Fynsworth Alley) which he associate produced. In addition, he produced the original cast recording of Bat Boy for RCA Victor and his singing voice can be heard on The Sondheim Album on Fynsworth Alley. Vocal selections from The Wild Party and John & Jen are published by Hal Leonard.

Mr. Lippa is currently at work on several projects for stage and film including music for A Little Princess (book and lyrics by Brian Crawley) which is coming to Broadway. He is contributing new songs for an international arena version of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and most recently completed work on a song that was featured in the film Legally Blonde 2. His new musical, Jerry Christmas (written with Daniel Goldfarb), had its first reading at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, CA in May, 2003. He is a proud graduate of the University of Michigan, a former middle school music teacher and the cantor at Congregation Beth Tikvah in Richmond, British Columbia during the High Holidays.

WILLIAM SCHERMERHORN, lyricist, As VP / Creative Director of Macy*s Annual Events, Bill Schermerhorn is no stranger to fireworks and large-scale, theatrical events on a national level. From concept development through the script-writing process and staging to the final "curtain", Bill is the leader of the creative team responsible for such major events as Macy*s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Macy*s 4th of July Fireworks, The Boston Common Tree Lighting, Macy*s Holiday Parade at Universal Studios Orlando, Macy*s Santaland and other holiday activities at The World's Largest Store.

As part of his job description, Bill has written the book and lyrics for several musical projects, working with performers as diverse as Bob Hope, Deborah Voigt, Jon Secada, Ann Hampton Callaway and Harvey Fierstein to beloved characters such as Paddington BearTM, Yogi Bear and Clifford the Big Red DogTM. Recent projects include Macy*s Puppet Theatre's annual holiday musical Percy, The Poor Little Penguin, featuring the voices of Florence Henderson and an all-star Broadway line-up, and Beneath A Summer Sky: An Independence Day Celebration, his second Macy*s 4th of July Fireworks collaboration with composer Doug Katsaros. Bill recently produced the 2005 Macy*s Fireworks score, American Medley, performed by Skitch Henderson and The New York Pops.

The Broadway musical theatre continues to be a favorite passion. Bill served as Artistic Director & Script Writer for the outdoor Times Square concerts Broadway on Broadway '95 and Stars in the Alley '96 in association with Times Square BID & The League of American Theatres & Producers. In his spare time, he is working on two new musicals, Beyond the Dream with composer / musical arranger Brian Besterman and The Music Boys with songwriter ("Orange Colored Sky") and former Tonight Show and The Gong Show band leader Milton DeLugg, as well as an upcoming musical project with Michael Feinstein. Bill is a member of The Dramatists Guild, Inc.

TONY PARISE, choreographer, has been CAMP BROADWAY® Artistic Director since 2000. Tony began his theatrical career as a performer. He appeared in the national tour of A Chorus Line, and was on Broadway in 42nd Street, Me and My Girl, and City of Angels. Now on the other side of the footlights, Tony choreographed the wacky new version of Pirates of Penzance that was presented on the good ship Peking docked at New York's South Street Seaport for which he was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award. Other off-Broadway credits include: Pageant, Raft of the Medusa, and Balancing Act. Tony has had the honor of choreographing Bernadette Peters in both her Carnegie Hall and Radio City debuts. He has directed and/or choreographed Hello, Dolly! starring Madeline Kahn, Where's Charley? starring Jo Sullivan and Emily Loesser, Mame, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Oliver! starring Ellen Greene, La Cage Aux Folles, The Music Man, Crazy for You, Funny Girl, South Pacific, The Sound of Music, You Can't Take it With You, Dames at Sea, The Wizard of Oz, the U.S. premiere of Discovering Elvis, and national companies of Grease! starring Cindy Williams and Eddie Mecca, Anything Goes, 42nd Street and Me and My Girl starring Tim Curry. Internationally, Tony has mounted companies of 42nd Street in London, Australia, New Zealand, and Korea, Me and My Girl in Mexico City, Anything Goes in Berlin, and has choreographed for Italian TV in Milan. Teaching credits include master classes throughout the country and abroad with such organizations as: AMDA, Boston Ballet, New Zealand School of Dance, and the Philadelphia College of Performing Arts.

Visit http://www.campbroadway.com for applications, program fees and additional information. For more information, email info@campbroadway.com or call 212-575-2929.

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