Expanding Relationship with Tony Awards, WOWOW Will Produce First Broadway Themed Concert for Japan.
Tokyo, Japan - June 13, 2016 - WOWOW, Japan's leading premium pay TV broadcaster, announced today that it will produce a brand new, high-end concert that will promote Broadway theatres as well as the annual Tony Awards®, which WOWOW has an existing broadcast partnership with.
The concert will take place in Tokyo in Spring 2017. Performers will include top Broadway actors/actresses and Japan's top music stars.
The concert set list will consist of renowned Broadway musical songs and memorable performances from the Tony Awards®.
The premium musical concert will have official recognition from the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League. As well as growing the Broadway musical fandom in Japan, this concert project aims to increase the number of Japanese visitors to Broadway. WOWOW plans to produce this musical concert as an annual event for the continuous promotion of Broadway culture.
Kayo Washio, who runs WOWOW's Los Angeles office, and is producing the concert event for WOWOW, said, "We have a great partnership with the American Theater Wing and The Broadway League and like any great partnership, want to expand on it and explore new and exciting ways to collaborate. We are delighted to bring a concert experience to Japan that is unique in nature and can grow into a marquee annual event."
"There is nothing quite like the thrill of a live performance, and we are thrilled to increase our partnership with WOWOW to bring the magic of Broadway and the best of the Tony Awards through this concert to fans in Japan," Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League, and Heather Hitchens, President of the American Theatre Wing, said.
WOWOW already offers a variety of major stage show programs such as straight plays, musicals, ballets, traditional Japanese theatre, and opera (WOWOW is official broadcaster of New York's' famed Metropolitan Opera "The Met").
WOWOW has an agreement to broadcast the Tony Awards® that see the annual show broadcast live in Japan, exclusively on WOWOW. The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards® are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.
About the Tony Awards
The 2016 American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. At The Broadway League, Robert E. Wankel is Chairman and Charlotte St. Martin is President. At the American Theater Wing, William Ivey Long is Chairman and Heather A. Hitchens is President. Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss of White Cherry Entertainment are the Executive Producers of the 2016 Tony Awards. Mr. Weiss will also serve as Director of the 2016 Tony Awards.