More than 20 tweens and teens from the New York metro area have been chosen to perform on CAMP BROADWAY's ZhuZhu Pets float during the 85th Anniversary Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Following five weeks of national auditions, CAMP BROADWAY®, the award-winning theater arts education company, has announced its cast of 132 theatre-loving kids (ages 12-16) from across the country to perform in the 85th Anniversary Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade®. Twenty two of those tweens and teens hail from the New York metro area, including Long Island, NYC, and the NYC suburbs, and 13 are from the New Jersey area. All 132 of these talented performers will appear on the ZhuZhu Pets®Zhu-niversefloat and perform an original song on the national broadcast of the parade on Thanksgiving morning, November 24.
Under the direction of CAMP BROADWAY's Artistic Director Tony Parise (Broadway credits include Me and My Girl and 42nd Street), the cast has been selected from a nationwide pool of more than 1,000 auditionees to perform the original number There's No Place Like HereTM, a song featured in the 3D-animated direct-to-DVD movie "Quest for ZhuTM."
"Camp Broadway seems to be drawing more and more talented kids," says Parise, who is now in his 15th year with CAMP BROADWAY. "The auditions this year were a pleasure because of that, but made it much more difficult to pick only 132 performers."
CAMP BROADWAY has created a special one-week program leading up to the parade performance, including a series of Broadway workshops, classes, and rehearsals to prepare participants for the nationally televised performance. Continues Parise, "This program is the 'real deal,'" Parise says. "We will be preparing for a nationally televised event, so there will be much expected of the cast."
Participants from the NY metro area are as follows:
Taryn Agonis, 12, Fairfield CT
Cali Albanese, 16, Wilton CT
Danielle Allen, 15, Riverhead NY
Martha Bennett, 12, Belle Harbor NY
Karley Bourke, 14, Southhampton NY
Brianna Bova, 14, Staten Island NY
Toryn Cairo, 15, Shoreham NY
Ryan Claffery, 12, New York NY
Liana Costable, 16, White Plains NY
Jaclyn Counter, 16, Milford NY
Brendan Cram, 15, Southington CT
Rose Davis, 15, Westhampton NY
Madelene Fialla, 15, New York City NY
Kristen Gregory, 15, Stony Brook NY
Megan Haase, 15, Bridgewater CT
Tyler Hill, 13, Suffolk County NY
Natalie Hunter, 16, Kings Park NY
Sabrina Kull, 14, Hampton Bays NY
Christian Louca, 12, Dobbs Ferry NY
Tia McDonald, 14, Jamaica NY
Christiana Moyle,14, Westhampton NY
Natasha Tavares, 13, Forest Hills NY
Participants from New Jersey include:
Meaghan Beese, 16, Carlstadt NJ
Nikki Castagne, 13, Old Bridge NJ
Nia Deliso, 16, Middletown NJ
Alysa Finnegan,13, Port Monmouth NJ
Meghan Johnson, 14, Metuchen NJ
Kristina Lachaga, 16, Ringoes NJ
Carmine Mastrokostas, 11, Freehold NJ
Paige Matzerath, 15, Hazlet NJ
Karlee Roberts, 12, North Arlington NJ
Elana Tiberi, 15, Old Bridge NJ
Nicholas Wainwright, 15, Brick NJ
Kristen Welsh, 14, Milltown NJ
Gabrielle Williamson, 15, Hazlet NJ
About the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
With more than 50 million viewers across the country and more than 3.5 million spectators that line up along the streets of New York City each year, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is a national icon that has grown into a world-famous holiday event. For more than 80 years, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has marked the official start of the holiday season. Growing in size and scale, the parade proudly marches down a more than two-mile route in New York City with more than 8,000 participants in tow, including Macy's employees, their families, celebrities, athletes, clowns, and dance groups spreading holiday cheer. The parade also features America's best marching bands, fabulous floats, and Macy's signature giant helium character balloons. For more information on the Macy's parade, visit www.macys.com/parade or call the parade hotline at 212-494-4495.
