Motown Museum announced today a series of exciting events offering Detroit Motown fans and theatregoers the opportunity to celebrate the opening of the acclaimed Broadway musical Motown The Musical playing at Detroit’s Fisher Theatre from October 21 to November 16 with a complete Motown experience. Both events are presented by Art Van Furniture as the premiere sponsor and will benefit the Museum. Robin R. Terry, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Motown Museum, made the announcement.
As the historic place where the Motown Sound is preserved and protected for generations to come, Motown Museum is proud to play a central role in the musical’s Detroit run. These exclusive celebrations will offer local patrons and supporters of Motown Museum a unique two-day experience full of music, cuisine and mingling with Motown alumni and luminaries, all concluding with the viewing of Motown The Musical in preferred seating.
The events include:
- Homecoming Reception—Tuesday, October 21, 2014: Patrons of Motown Museum will join Motown alumni, local dignitaries and Motown founder Berry Gordy at Detroit’s Roostertail for dancing to live music and signature Hitsville cocktails and cuisine. As an added bonus, attendees will also get a sneak peak of the new Motown Museum float appearing in this year’s America’s Thanksgiving Day parade, also sponsored by Art Van Furniture. For the first time in the history of the Parade Company, this new Motown inspired float will share with local and national audiences how the unmistakable Motown Sound was born in Detroit.
- Patrons Gala Reception—Wednesday, October 22, 2014: From 5-7 p.m. at the St. Regis Hotel, patrons of Motown Museum will kick off their evening with a lavish Patrons Gala Reception and Strolling Supper. Attendees will enjoy a complete red carpet experience by striking a Hitsville pose, enjoying a strolling dinner and mingling with Motown luminaries, including Berry Gordy before heading over to the Fisher Theatre to view the musical in preferred seating with a complimentary gift bag.
Sponsorship levels include a $500 “Hitsville U.S.A. Patron” ticket, which offers access to both the Motown Homecoming Reception at the Roostertail and Patrons Gala Reception at the St. Regis Hotel with preferred main floor seating at the Fisher Theatre. There is also a $250 sponsorship level ticket available—the “Studio A Patron”— which includes priority seating for the musical, an intermission cocktail and a Motown gift bag, including a Motown Museum tour.
“These events offer a unique opportunity for local supporters of the Motown legacy to support the Museum’s mission to educate future generations of creative minds and protect the physical space and artifacts where the legendary Motown Sound was born,” said Terry. “The musical’s Detroit run is a special one and we are honored to have Art Van Elslander serve as our premiere sponsor and Mr. Gordy and other members of the Motown family back home to join us as we celebrate Motown’s continued cultural influence that has now made its way to the Broadway stage.”
In addition to these events, the Museum’s Motown EDU program—the educational programming arm that provides learning experiences for local Detroit youth—will present a program at Detroit’s Renaissance High School on Thursday, October 23. Motown The Musical Director Charles Randolph Wright and cast members will perform and host an informative Q&A session for students, which will be broadcast to more than 1,000 Detroit Public Schools students. This session comes on the heels of Motown EDU’s first summer camp program, where local students had an opportunity to explore entrepreneurship, while learning about Berry Gordy’s path to success as the founder of Motown Record Corporation.
The Museum will also be the home to an open casting search for both the Broadway production of Motown The Musical and the national tour, offering local performers a rare opportunity to audition on Tuesday, October 21 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Museum will host auditions in the famed Studio A where Motown’s legendary artists and groups recorded iconic and much-loved music that is featured in the musical. The musical is seeking African-American men and women, ages 20s to 40s, with exceptional voices and an African-American boy, age 8 to 13, to play young Michael Jackson / Berry Gordy / Stevie Wonder. No prior theatre experience is necessary.
For more information on these events or to purchase tickets, please contact Tonette Bryant-Carter at Motown Museum at 313.875.2264 or via email at motownevents@motownmuseum.org.
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