The original music written for this year's gala was chosen through the BSA Songwriters Project. Composers were asked to write music based on essays and letters written by students who are a part of BSA workshops in the townships surrounding Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. Songwriters selected for the evening include Declan Bennett, Sean Bradford, Joey Contreras, Jared Dembrowski, Rick Elice, Faye Greenberg, David Lawrence, Michael Lluberes, Annie Pasqua, Jenna Pasqua, Alan Schmuckler, Pebe Sebert and Will Van Dyke.
Featured guests include pop star Lance Bass, theatre producer (and last year's honoree) Michael Butler and New York Yankees pitcher David Robertson.
Performers and presenters include Broadway Inspirational Voices, Rosie's Broadway Kids, Declan Bennett (American Idiot), Andrew Keenan-Bolger (Mary Poppins), Sean Bradford (The Lion King), Lilli Cooper (Spring Awakening), Emma Hunton (Spring Awakening), Frankie James Grande (Mamma Mia!), Jeremy Gumbs (The Scottsboro Boys), Adam Kantor (Avenue Q), Chelsea Krombach (Promises Promises), Rachel Potter (The Addams Family), songwriter Katie Thompson, Lisa Nicole Wilkerson (The Lion King), as well as Samantha Jonas, one of BSA's outstanding South African students.
This year's honoree is the organization Keep A Child Alive, which is dedicated to providing life-saving AIDS treatment, care, nutrition, support services and love to children and families affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India. Keep A Child Alive was founded by Leigh Blake and Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys. Broadway in South Africa has worked at Keep A Child Alive sites in South Africa since 2008.
The event chair is Ward H. Simmons, VP of marketing and PR at Hugo Boss, a sponsor for the evening. Other early sponsors for the evening include South African Airways, Southern Sun Hotels, Design Compendium, Montecasino, Stella Artois, Tequila Avion, C2 Imaging and Paper Boy Productions. Manhattan Center is at 311 W. 34th Street. VIP floor seats and a limited number of $25 balcony seats can be purchased by visiting www.broadwayinsouthafrica.org. For information regarding floor seating, VIP and/or sponsorship opportunities, contact Broadway in South Africa at [email protected].
Broadway in South Africa "aims to develop cross-cultural exchange between youth in need and artists who seek to use their talents for change." The organization's philosophy is that "all children deserve the opportunity to explore their own creative potential, and build life skills necessary to develop productive lives."
For more information, visit www.broadwayinsouthafrica.org.
