BE THE NEXT DOROTHY: STARDOM CAN BE FOUND JUST OVER THE RAINBOW
Those looking to be the next Broadway star need to look no further than the Yellow Brick Road. The Harold Arlen Foundation is sponsoring a nationwide talent search to Be The Next Dorothy, which will be held exclusively at General Growth Properties (GGP) malls.
If you are between the ages of 16-23 and can sing and act, then this is your chance to be cast in the musical, “WiZaRD,” which opens at New York City’s Jazz at Lincoln Center in December 2010. The musical production , “WiZaRD,” was created, written and directed by singer/crooner George Bugatti and is produced by the Harold Arlen Foundation.
This national, grassroots competition will be held exclusively at 11 of GGP’s shopping centers across the country. Be The Next Dorothy kicks off at Glendale Galleria in Glendale, California on Saturday, July 31st and the winners will be announced on September 3rd at the South Street Seaport in New York City. For complete contest rules and registration visit: www.wizardthemusical.com.
Additional audition cities include: Las Vegas (Fashion Show); Denver (Park Meadows); Dallas (Stonebriar Centre); Chicago (Northbrook Court); St Louis (Saint Louis Galleria); Atlanta (North Point Mall); Jacksonville (Regency Square Mall); Boston (Natick Collection); New Jersey (Paramus Park); and New York City (South Street Seaport), where the final auditions will be held. Tony nominated producer Tom Gregory (Guys & Dolls) will emcee all 11 auditions. See below for tour dates.
It’s personal for Sam Arlen, son of the legendary Wizard of OZ composer as to why he is co-producing this talent search and the forthcoming musical production. “We wanted to create a wholesome family contest and a show that would give us all a break from what seems to be a relentless assault on our innocence, just like my father did as composer of “The Wizard of Oz.’”
Once the judges have narrowed down the contestants to the final three, America decides who will Be The Next Dorothy. Besides the coveted role of Dorothy in “WiZaRD;” there also will be a “People’s Choice” component to the contest, where the winner will receive a GGP Shop Etc. gift card. The entire competition will be filmed for an online reality series where America can follow all the contestants during the entire 11-city run.
# # #
About the Harold Arlen Foundation
The Harold Arlen Foundation was founded in 2008 by the composer’s son Sam Arlen, and business partners George Bugatti and Mary Shriver. It is the Foundation’s mission is to provide free music classes and theater tickets to the under-served children of public school systems across America. Sam is the publisher of most of his father’s catalogue. George Bugatti is a noted singer/pianist and recording artist, and Mary Shriver is a marketing and public relations specialist. Together they pledge to preserve the American Jazz Pop Standard songbook and the music of Harold Arlen, who not only wrote the score to the “The Wizard of Oz”, which earned Arlen an Academy Award for the song “Over The Rainbow, but composed some of America’s most beloved songs including: “I’ve Got The World On a String,” “Come Rain or Come Shine,” “Old Black Magic,” “One For My Baby,” “Stormy Weather” and “Accentuate The Positive.” www.haroldarlenfoundation.org
“WiZaRD” is a musical production centered on the hits of Oscar winning composer Harold Arlen. The show unfolds in the mythical radio studios of WZRD whose set design combines the nostalgic feel of yesteryears studios with the high tech studios of today. This collection of vignettes, based on Arlen’s most nostalgic songs, includes a Wizard of Oz scene, taken from the imagination of Frank Baum on the eve of the creation of his Oz characters. Audiences are taken on a journey from the Cotton Club years, through the golden age of Hollywood, to the Broadway stage …And to the land of OZ!
The new DOROTHY will make her debut alongside The THREE CROONERS, in this heartwarming family friendly stage production slated to open at Jazz At Lincoln Center, December 2010. WiZaRD premiered in June of 2007 at the Ford Amphitheater in Los Angeles and has since been work shopped in 22 performing arts centers across America.
Be The Next Dorothy Tour Dates
Mall Date Market
Glendale Galleria July 31 & August 1 Glendale, CA (Los Angeles)
Fashion Show August 2 & 3 Las Vegas, NA
Park Meadows August 5 & 6 Littleton, CO (Denver)
Stonebriar Centre August 11 & 12 Frisco, TX (Dallas)
Northbrook Court August 14 & 15 Northbrook, IL (Chicago)
Saint Louis Galleria August 17 & 18 St. Louis, MO
Regency Square Mall August 23 & 24 Jacksonville, FL
North Point Mall August 25 & 26 Alpharetta, GA (Atlanta)
Natick Collection August 28 & 29 Natick, MA (Boston)
Paramus Park August 30 & 31 Paramus, NJ
South Street Seaport September 1 – 3 New York, NY
About GGP
GGP currently has ownership interest in, or management responsibility for, more than 200 regional shopping malls in 43 states, as well as ownership in planned community developments and commercial office buildings. GGP’s portfolio totals approximately 200 million square feet of retail space and includes more than 24,000 retail stores nationwide. GGP’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol GGP. www.ggp.com
For additional information, contact Jeff Abraham at Jonas Public Relations at 310-656-3355 or jeff@jonaspr.com
