BroadwayWorld announced today the launch of BROADWAY'S NEXT ON STAGE - a new, online musical theatre singing competition for student performers sponsored by Broadway Records! Inspired by your favorite network TV singing contests, the site is inviting high school and college aged students to submit videos of themselves performing a song from the musical theatre canon to enter the competition.
Entries for college students aged 18 to 22 (including recent graduates) are currently open and can be submitted at broadwayworld.com/nextonstage Submissions are open through midnight on May 8th.
Entries for high school students aged 14-17 can be submitted at broadwayworld.com/nextonstagehighschool
Those moving on to the next round each week will have Friday through Monday to record and submit a new song for the next round of the competition!
As we move down to the top 10, we will feature weekly live shows on Facebook with Broadway judges who will provide feedback and have the opportunity to move one of the contestants on to the next round by unanimous decision.
Both the college and high school winner will receive a Broadway prizepack with merch from the BroadwayWorld Theatre Shop, CDs from Broadway Records, and $1000 to a charity of their choosing, and both first-place winners will also have the opportunity to record a single, to be released by Broadway Records, with the profits from the recording being donated to The Actors Fund.
"Students across the country missing out on their long-awaited performance opportunities, we felt it was our responsibility to step in and help in any way we could." said Robert Diamond, Editor in Chief of BroadwayWorld.
"We had immense success with our virtual showcase which allowed for college students to audition for agents, managers, and casting directors in place of the traditional annual NYC showcase most schools organize. We've had everyone from major Broadway and national tours, to feature film and network television casting reach out for contact information. We're thrilled to be able to continue to shine a light on the students who are the future of the American musical theatre."
About BroadwayWorld
BroadwayWorld is the largest platform covering Broadway, the West End and beyond to 100 US cities, and 45 countries worldwide on digital screens of all types and sizes. BroadwayWorld delivers complete up-to-the-minute Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional theatre news, in-depth interviews, extraordinary photo coverage, entertaining video features, lively message boards, ticket discounts, reviews, merch and more.
About Broadway Records
Broadway Records (Van Dean, President) is the Grammy® winning record label dedicated to preserving musical theatre and theatre vocalists. Recent releases include the Grammy® and Tony Award-winning The Color Purple (2015 revival), the Tony Award® winning and Grammy® nominated revival of Once On This Island, the Grammy® nominated Matilda The Musical, Fiddler on the Roof (2015 revival) and My Fair Lady (2018 revival), Anastasia, Bandstand, Groundhog Day, The Lightning Thief and NBC's television events, "The Wiz Live!" and "Peter Pan Live!". The label's critically-acclaimed "Live at Feinstein's/54 Below" series features top Broadway stars including Patti LuPone, Aaron Tveit, Annaleigh Ashford, Norbert Leo Butz, Sierra Boggess, Laura Benanti, Emily Skinner & Alice Ripley, Adam Pascal & Anthony Rapp, Micky Dolenz and many others. Broadway Records launched the Broadway for Orlando initiative (in partnership with creators Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley) culminating in the all-star benefit single, "What the World Needs Now is Love," which leaped to #1 on iTunes with no radio airplay. Broadway Records philanthropic endeavors also include the From Broadway With Love benefit concerts for Sandy Hook, Orlando (Emmy Award for Sound) and Parkland. To learn more, visit BroadwayRecords.com.
About Hennepin Theatre Trust
Hennepin Theatre Trust advances the cultural and economic vitality of Minnesota through leadership of a dynamic arts district in downtown Minneapolis and educational programming that reaches every area of the state. Our historic theatres — Orpheum, State and Pantages — light up Hennepin Avenue with the best of Broadway and diverse, top-tier entertainment. The beautifully renovated building at 900 Hennepin provides a creative community space for performances and other events and serves as our organization’s headquarters. Annually, the Trust serves more than 7,000 high school students statewide and brings nearly 600,000 people to the Hennepin Theatre District to experience art on the street and stage. Hennepin Theatre Trust is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.
We are committed to transforming the community in which we do business, which includes transforming visitors’ experiences in downtown Minneapolis. We accomplish this by:
- Bringing the best of Broadway, international, national and local entertainment to our stages
- Connecting more people to unexpected art experiences, like the iconic Bob Dylan mural and our art-in-underused spaces project, Made Here
- Enhancing our community offerings through education and access programs that bring arts and culture to more people
- Strengthening our partnerships with businesses, organizations, local leaders and arts organizations
