| Source: China Inspection and Quarantine Times 2007-3-30 |
By staff reporter Wang Libin
Nederlander, one of the largest Broadway theater chains in New York City, announced in Beijing on March 21 that it has established a joint venture and will establish a first-class professional theater network covering major Chinese cities to present well-known Broadway musicals.
The Sino-American joint venture, named Beijing Oriental Broadway International Theater Company, is the first of its kind specializing in performance brokerage and theater management that has been approved by the Ministry of Culture in accordance with the revised Regulations on the Administration of Commercial Performing Arts. Robert Nederlander Sr., patriarch of the Nederlander family and symbol of the first-rate Broadway theaters in America, said that this is the first company to take a long-term development perspective and a nationwide approach in facility management, programming, ticketing, marketing, audience development and other areas so as to ensure the continuous presentation of top-notch Broadway shows to China.
To achieve this goal, the Broadway China Network of the Nederlander New Century will comprise a host of theaters, producers, audience service companies and marketing institutions. They will work together to execute innovative strategies, promote Broadway shows and build up the customer groups of live theater performances.
It is learnt that the first show to be presented by the Broadway China Network will be the Tony Award winning 42nd Street. The show, to be presented this autumn, is a Broadway musical with ever-lasting interest. The show tells a story about how young actress Peggy Sawyer grows from a chorus girl to a Broadway star. The 150-minute musical classic features a large team of singers against the street sights of New York City. In addition, another Tony Award winner, The King and I, will be presented in some other cities.
Mme Chen Jixin, Chinese partner of the joint venture, announced that the Broadway China Network and the Song Qingling Foundation have entered into a strategic alliance, under which part of the box office revenue from the markets to be selected by the two sides will be donated to the Song Qingling Music Foundation and the two sides will jointly sponsor summer musical camps. |
