Broadway stars take to the stage to get out the vote : NPR

A brand new video encouraging Broadway followers to vote has being popping up on social media feeds recently.

Set at a staff’ rally on the flip of the final century, the musical quantity referred to as “Carrying the Message” performs off the Nineties musical Newsies, a few group of disenfranchised newsboys.

The unique creators of Newsies, together with composer Alan Menken and director Kenny Ortega, are behind this new take for the 2024 election. It additionally includes a slew of Broadway expertise corresponding to Nikki M James, who starred within the Tony Award-winning political musical Suffs.

This music video is certainly one of quite a lot of methods — each on-line and on stage — by which the brand new nonprofit Broadway Votes has been working to encourage Broadway audiences to go to the voting sales space.

“As a result of Broadway specifically is a industrial business, little or no partisan work will get achieved, it felt like this unimaginable alternative to leverage the abilities of people that work within the business and encourage individuals throughout the nation to get out and vote,” mentioned Catherine Markowitz, theater producer and co-founder and director of Broadway Votes.

Broadway Votes has additionally been mobilizing New York’s levels and stars to interact audiences recently by curtain-call bulletins concerning the significance of voting at reveals like As soon as Upon A Mattress, Hadestown and Little Store of Horrors.

The nonprofit additionally organized a get-out-the-vote live performance in New York’s Instances Sq., a music video that includes Tony Award profitable performer Alex Newell and the Broadway Inspirational Voices singing group in a efficiency of a brand new association of “Maintain Marching” from Suffs, and varied on-line giveaways and contests, together with a dressing up contest judged by Broadway celebrities Betsy Wolfe, J Harrison Ghee and Rachel Bloom. The winner shall be introduced on election day.

Information shared by way of e mail with NPR from the arts-focused voter registration nonprofit Headcount reveals these efforts have to date led to 1000’s of voter registrations.

Broadway Votes has additionally impressed some previously reticent theater insiders to change into politically engaged.

“I’ve all the time discovered myself in between two worlds,” mentioned performer Tommy Bracco, who mentioned he divides his time between his principally red-leaning household on Staten Island and blue-leaning leisure business colleagues in Manhattan. “And since so many individuals near me are so keen about this, I’ve form of felt afraid to make use of my voice [for political causes].” 

Now he is taking part in one of many leads within the “Carrying the Message” music video.

“Broadway Votes inspired me to make use of my voice for the primary time ever,” Bracco mentioned. “In a world the place the whole lot is so divided, Broadway Votes is bringing individuals collectively.”