FREE BOOKS IN CELEBRATION OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S 450TH BIRTHDAY!
SHAKESPEARE SONNETS TO BE GIVEN OUT AT SELECT BROADWAY SHOWS ON APRIL 23
In celebration of William Shakespeare’s 450th birthday on April 23, 2014, the Broadway League is pleased to announce a series of joint activities with World Book Night U.S, a non-profit campaign to give printed books to light or non-readers.
World Book Night U.S. will provide free copies of the Dover edition of Shakespeare’s Sonnets to the Broadway League for use at national Family First Nights events for students and families, Kids’ Night on Broadway programs throughout the country, and will be distributed to students participating in the Broadway League’s high school internship program. These events will occur throughout the year in New York and on the Road at Broadway League member venues that are hosting Touring Broadway productions.
Family First Nights provides specially-priced theatre tickets for families, selected by local partner social service agencies, who may not otherwise be able to attend Broadway and Touring Broadway shows. Kids’ Night on Broadway, a national audience development program, is when kids ages 6 to 18 can see Broadway shows for free when accompanied by a full-paying adult. A Kids’ Night on Broadway ticket includes restaurant discounts, parking discounts, educational programs, and special events.
Additionally, copies of the sonnets will be placed on theatre seats during the April 23 matinee and/or evening performances of Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Matilda The Musical, Newsies, and The Lion King. Curtain speeches and letters in the books will encourage audience members to give their book to someone who may not be a regular reader.
