Tony Career Day Brings Bway to High School Students, 5/23

On Tony Career Day, New York City Department Of Education theatre students from all five boroughs will gather together on Tuesday, May 23rd to learn what it really takes to be a theatre professional.

Tony Career Day is an arts-in-education program designed to explore professional opportunities in the theatre. Under the guidance of theater professionals, 550 New York City high school students will identify career paths in management, production, performance, design and technical theatre, allowing the opportunity to investigate how these vocations align with their professional goals.

All students and teachers will participate in three separate panel discussions focusing on careers backstage, theatre management and the roles of production and creative teams. The seminars will take place inside some of Broadway's most historic theatres.

The day will culminate in a panel discussion, moderated by CBS2 TV news anchor (and Broadway supporter) Dana Tyler, with notable Broadway performers discussing their careers. Participants will include Tony winners Michael Cerveris, Sara Ramirez (Spamalot), Phylicia Rashad (A Raisin in the Sun) and Anika Noni Rose (Caroline, or Change).

This program is intended to support the "Careers and Life Long Learning" strand of the Theatre Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts, a curriculum used in the New York City Department of Education when teaching theatre.

Participating teachers and their students have been selected based on teacher participation in Theatre Blueprint training during the 2005-2006 school years.

Participating Schools:

• Hillcrest High School - Queens

• Frank Sinatra School of the Arts High School - Queens

• Fort Hamilton High School - Brooklyn

• Port Richmond High School - Staten Island

• Edward R. Murrow High School - Brooklyn

• Repertory Company High School for Theatre Arts - Manhattan

• Washington Irving High School- Manhattan

• Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music, Art and Performing Arts- Manhattan

• Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing & Visual Arts- Manhattan

• High School for Media and Communications - Manhattan

• Harlem Renaissance High School - Manhattan

• Professional Performing Arts High School - Manhattan

The American Theatre Wing's Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards will be celebrating their 60th Anniversary on June 11th. The 2006 Tony Awards are presented by the League of American Theatres and Producers and the American Theatre Wing.

The Tonys are presented by the League of American Theatres and Producers and the American Theatre Wing. At the League, Gerald Schoenfeld is Chairman and Jed Bernstein is President. At the Wing, Sondra Gilman is Chairman, Doug Leeds is President and Howard Sherman is Executive Director. For Tony Award Productions, Elizabeth I. McCann is Managing Producer and Joey Parnes is Coordinating Producer. Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss/White Cherry Entertainment are Executive Producers of the 2006 Tony Awards. Weiss will also serve as Director of the 2006 Tony Awards.

The official Tony Awards web site, www.TonyAwards.com, is developed, designed, and hosted by IBM, an official partner of the Tonys.

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