Broadway Cares has added a new event to its fundraising lineup. “Broadway: Standing By” will celebrate understudies, swings and standbys, featuring a cast of covers in a variety show. The new annual event will replace “Red Bucket Follies” as the culminating celebration of Broadway Cares’ Fall Fundraising Competition.
First held in 1989 as the “Gypsy of the Year Competition,” the event was later renamed “Red Bucket Follies” and traditionally served as the culminating celebration of Broadway Cares’ fall fundraising campaign, during which audiences of Broadway and touring productions are invited to donate directly to the nonprofit. The “Red Bucket Follies” traditionally recognized the top fall fundraisers and included original songs and skits by the companies of Broadway productions competing for performance prizes.
The inaugural edition will take place at the New Amsterdam Theatre at 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 7 and at 2 p.m. on Dec. 8. The event will be hosted by longtime “Oh, Mary!” understudy Hannah Solow, with additional performers to be announced at a later date. Funds raised thorugh ticket sales will benefit Broadway Cares, a national grantmaking organization supporting essential services for people living with HIV/AIDS and other illnesses across the country.
“Understudies, swings and standbys are the backbone of our theater community,” said Broadway Cares executive director Danny Whitman in a statement. “Their talent, dedication and artistry make extraordinary things possible onstage every night. ‘Broadway: Standing By’ is a chance to celebrate those performers and the hundreds more they represent on Broadway, Off-Broadway, on tour and in theaters across the country.”
“Broadway: Standing By” is sponsored by the New York Times and United Airlines.
