An immersive movie-going experience, Broadway Live Cinema Festival, is coming to Times Square this summer ahead of Broadway's planned reopening in September. The screenings will incorporate live performances by Broadway stars, with a slate featuring In The Heights, Chicago, Little Shop of Horrors, the original West Side Story, and The Wizard of Oz.
The inaugural festival runs from July 15–August 8 at AMC Empire 25 in NYC. After the live cinema performance, audiences have access to Feinstein's/54 Below at the AMC Rooftop, where they can enjoy an outdoor afterparty. Additional performances, panels, Q&As, and cabaret shows will also be presented.
The full lineup of performers and events will be announced at a later date. Festival tickets will go on sale the week of June 7. The festival will follow CDC, state, and local COVID-19 protocols, including use of AMC’s Enhanced Safe & Clean practices.
The in-cinema offerings will be directed by Tony nominee Kristin Hanggi (Rock of Ages) with musical direction by Tony recipient Jason Michael Webb (Choir Boy). Serving as choreographers are Sunny Hitt and Luis Salgado, with more to be announced. The creative team also features production designers Anita La Scala and Rob Bissinger, projection designer Lucy Mackinnon (Jagged Little Pill), sound designer Matt Kraus, and lighting designer Amith Chandrashaker. The casting director is Stewart/Whitley.
The Broadway Live Cinema Festival is produced by Daniel Wise, Zvi Septimus, and Tony winner Jeff Croiter, in association with AMC Theaters. Feinstein’s/54 Below serves as partner and rooftop lounge programmer, curated by Jennifer Ashley Tepper. The executive producer is MEP, which also provides general management.
“This past year, we have lived through a collective trauma, and as we emerge, we recognize the power storytelling has to restore the spirit,” says Hanggi. “That is why we come together, sit in the dark, and listen to stories: because these art forms have the power to heal, uplift, and connect. Stories unify us. And so, this festival’s focus is on community: the community of Broadway, of New York, and of what it is to be human.”
Following the NYC launch, the Broadway Live Cinema Festival is set to expand, with recurring programming to run at multiple AMC Theatres across the country.
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