ArtsBridge Foundation Hosts Open Auditions for Christmas Parade

ArtsBridge Foundation is working to recruit 80 to 100 Georgia theater students for the organization's new partnership with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA).

ArtsBridge Foundation invites current Georgia theater students ages 14 to 25 to audition for spots in the opening number of the Children's Christmas Parade. The parade - a CHOA tradition that draws a wide audience along the parade route and via live TV broadcast - takes place Dec. 7 in Midtown Atlanta.

The event is the largest winter holiday parade in the Southeast attracting thousands of spectators and more than a half-million online and television viewers via WSB-TV Channel 2, Atlanta's ABC affiliate, providing Georgia theater performers a nice addition to their performance résumé.

Students selected from the auditions with ArtsBridge Foundation will appear at the start of the parade, setting the cheerful tone for the event that traditionally includes Santa and Mrs. Claus, the Distinguished Clown Corps, top marching bands, floats, giant balloons and student performance groups. ArtsBridge Foundation participants will join more than 2,500 cast members and a special CHOA youth patient selected as the parade's grand marshal.

CHOA and ArtsBridge Foundation forged the partnership as an extension to The Shuler Hensley Awards, a.k.a. The Shuler Awards or The Shulers, held each spring to award the state's top honors in musical theater. This year marks the 39th edition of the Children's Christmas Parade, a free event accessible by MARTA, and the 12th edition of The Shulers.

Georgia theater students who wish to audition should visit the ArtsBridge Foundation website ArtsBridgeGA.org or the application page (http://bit.ly/2Zjbp4y) for links to apply online. Auditions will take place Aug. 24 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Applicants may try out for spots involving full-speed choreography, choreography with counts and vocals. A completed and signed parade applicant is required for the audition process. Confirmed participants must be available for monthly rehearsals to be held Sept. 21, Oct. 19, Nov. 16 and Dec. 6-7. Check the links above for more specifics, or contact ArtsBridge Foundation Director of Arts Education Angela Farr Schiller via 770-916-2808 or afarrschiller@artsbridgega.org for more details.

ArtsBridge Foundation is dedicated to providing quality arts education and community programs that engage, motivate, inspire, and elevate the next generation of artists and arts supporters. ArtsBridge provides arts education opportunities to K-12 students through programs at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, including field trips, professional development, family programs, and the annual Shuler Awards. Since inception in 2007, ArtsBridge served more than 380,000 students and educators from 67 Georgia counties, plus students from five bordering states. ArtsBridge Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. To learn more visit ArtsBridgeGA.org.