BC/EFA's GYPSY OF THE YEAR to Return This December

Broadway's brightest will celebrate six weeks of dedicated fundraising in a spectacular showcase of songs and skits when the 29th Annual Gypsy of the Year competition returns at 4:30 pm Monday, December 4, 2017, and at 2 pm Tuesday, December 5, 2017, produced by and benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

For two extraordinary afternoons at the New Amsterdam Theatre (214 West 42nd Street, New York City), Gypsy of the Year (#gypsyoftheyear) will celebrate the talented singers and dancers in the ensembles of shows, historically and affectionately known as "gypsies." More than 200 singers, dancers and special guests will perform original skits, songs and dances, with awards presented to the best presentation and for the top fundraisers from the preceding six weeks.

Starting tonight, theatre lobbies in New York City and beyond will be filled with casts, crew members and volunteers accepting donations with Broadway Cares' signature #redbuckets in hand. Every dollar placed in a bucket at Broadway, Off-Broadway and national tour theatres will help provide lifesaving medication, healthy meals, emergency financial assistance and more to the most vulnerable among us. A $10 donation covers HIV tests at a health clinic. A $50 donation provides 40 nutritious meals in a soup kitchen for the most vulnerable among us.

Additionally, audiences at many shows can purchase autographed memorabilia, like signed posters, Playbills and prop pieces. Some shows will offer one-of-a-kind experiences, including backstage tours and meet-and-greets, in exchange for a donation.

Ten Broadway shows are set to begin their appeals tonight and tomorrow: Aladdin, Anastasia, The Book of Mormon, A Bronx Tale The Musical, Cats, Come From Away, The Lion King, Miss Saigon, School of Rock - The Musical and Wicked. Scheduled to join the fundraising next week are Beautiful - The Carole King Musical, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Dear Evan Hansen, Hamilton, Kinky Boots, The Phantom of the Opera and Waitress. More shows will be added throughout the six-week campaign. Last year, 55 Broadway, Off-Broadway and national tours raised $4.5 million.

Seth Rudetsky, beloved host of SiriusXM Satellite Radio's "On Broadway" channel and longtime friend of Broadway Cares, will return to host the December 4 and 5 shows.

Since 1989, the 28 editions of Gypsy of the Year have raised more than $72.7 million to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Advance tickets to Gypsy of the Year can now be purchased online at broadwaycares.org. VIP and Priority tickets are $375 and $250, respectively, and other tickets are available at $130, $50 and $30.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is one of the nation's leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources, and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 BC/EFA has raised more than $300 million for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is the major supporter of the social service programs at The Actors Fund, including the HIV/AIDS Initiative, the Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative and the Samuel J. Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts. Broadway Cares also awards annual grants to more than 450 AIDS and family service organizations in all 50 states.

For more information, visit Broadway Cares online at broadwaycares.org, at facebook.com/BCEFA, at instagram.com/BCEFA, at twitter.com/BCEFA and at youtube.com/BCEFA.