Maryland Public Television (MPT) will present Hal Prince’s Broadway, a one-hour special on Saturday, October 14. The program will premiere at 7 p.m. on MPT-HD and the MPT live stream. It will re-air on Sunday, October 15 at 1 p.m. and will be available to stream on-demand on the free PBS App following the premiere.
Filmed recently at MPT’s Irene & Edward H. Kaplan Production Studio, the broadcast features symphonic, vocal, and dance performances by more than 160 of the region’s most talented young collaborative artists from Young Artists of America™ (YAA), a North Bethesda-based nonprofit training program. Conceived, written, and curated by YAA, Hal Prince’s Broadway originated as a one-night-only performance in April at the Music Center at Strathmore.
The program includes performances of some of Hal Prince’s iconic work as a Tony Award-winning Broadway producer and director over a more than 70-year career. The YAA cast performs more than a dozen songs from classic musical theater productions including Cabaret, Company, Evita, Follies, A Little Night Music, Show Boat, Sweeney Todd, and West Side Story. The show also explores the circumstances and fortune, both good and bad, that led Prince to create some of the most beloved theater of all time. A video preview is available at mpt.org/info/halprincesbroadway/.
MPT first collaborated with YAA in 2017 for the TV production Young Artists of America: The Songs of Tim Rice, a tribute to the legendary Broadway musical theater lyricist. The program was honored with a regional Emmy® Award from the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
“We at YAA are thrilled to return to MPT to create this inspirational homage to the legendary Broadway impresario, Hal Prince. Hal charted new paths in the theater, never shying away from crafting impactful stories that lifted up performers and audiences alike. To be able to curate this program where our young people were able to see themselves in Hal’s successes and failures as they themselves learn to become more impactful storytellers is exactly the reason we do what we do at Young Artists of America,” says YAA’s Producing Artistic Director Rolando Sanz.
YAA offers orchestral and musical theater training programs for elementary through high school aged students throughout the year. Its student performers come from more than 80 schools in Maryland, northern Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
About Maryland Public Television
Maryland Public Television (MPT) is a statewide, public-supported TV network and Public Broadcasting Service member offering entertaining, educational, and inspiring content delivered by traditional broadcasting and streaming on TVs, computers, and mobile devices. A state agency, it operates under the auspices of the Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission. MPT creates and distributes local, regional, and national content and is a frequent winner of regional Emmy® awards. MPT’s commitment to educators, parents, caregivers, and learners of all ages is delivered through instructional events and Thinkport.org. MPT’s year-round community engagement activities connect viewers with resources on a wide range of topics. For more information visit mpt.org.
About Young Artists of America
For over a decade, Young Artists of America™ (fondly known as YAA) has created a brave space for young performing artists to hone their craft in the arts of musical theatre, welcoming students of all levels to find their voice and work with top-level teaching artists and professional mentors. Based out of Montgomery County, YAA offers orchestral and musical theater training programs for elementary through high school students throughout the year and presents high-caliber productions at state-of-the-art venues for the community. YAA invites you to join our award-winning, inclusive community of storytellers and theatre-lovers. For more information visit www.yaa.org or follow them on Instagram @YoungArtistsUS and Facebook @YoungArtistsAmerica.
