As Broadway prepares to begin a new season, The Broadway Festival returns for a third year next month with three days of outdoor entertainment.

Playbill, The Broadway League, the Times Square Alliance, Prudential Financial, the New York City Mayor’s office, Music Performance Trust Fund, The Film Fund, Open Jar Studios, and Hotel Edison have all come together to present Curtain Up!

From September 8 to 10 Broadway will take to the streets of New York City’s Times Square with interactive events and performances all free and open to the public.

The events kick off at 2:30pm on September 8 with speakers from the sponsors. 

On September 9 Brittney Johnson (Glinda in “Wicked”) will host “Now What?” – a competition for budding actors around the country.  The winner will have the opportunity to network with theater professionals and maybe even walk away with a $10,000 prize.

Curtain Up! Will conclude on September 10 with a concert of current Broadway productions.

Other scheduled events include Broadway Sing-Alongs, Rockers on Broadway Ailey’s Revelations dance workshop, Dueling Pianos, and a Broadway Block Party.

President of the Broadway League Charlotte St. Martin spoke of the event saying, “what better way to kick off a new Broadway season than to celebrate the Curtain Up Broadway Festival in Times Square.  This incredible three day festival will host special concerts, sing-alongs, and workshops, just to name a few of the many exciting events planned.  Last season, Broadway had a total attendance of 12.3 million, indicating just how much live theatre means to so many and its pivotal role in NYC’s economic development.  We’ll wrap up the weekend with the Curtain Up! LIVE form Bradway finale concert on Sunday, September 10th and thank WABC for returning to live broadcast the star-studded show.”

Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Playbill Alex Birsh added, “we at Playbill are extremely excited to help bring the Curtain Up Broadway Festival to Times Square once again with out friends and partners at Prudential, The Times Square Alliance, and The Broadway League.  It brings us so much excitement to welcome all patrons of Times Square to celebrate Broadway in such a fabulous way.  Join us in the fun as we celebrate Broadway’s new season during our three days in Times Square, culminating in our finale concert on Sunday.”

Prudential’s Chief Marketing Officer Susan Somersille Johnson also spoke on the Festival saying, “at Prudential, we recognize that Broadway and local theatres help driver inclusion and expand access to the arts for millions of people in New York City and across the globe.  We are proud to be partnering once again with Playbill, the Broadway League, and the Times Square Alliance to help stimulate the local economy and positively impact the industry while giving aspiring and emerging artists the opportunity to capitalize on their ‘Now What?’ moments.”