BROADWAY IN RIGA - A PUBLIC DILPOMACY SMASH!

UNCLAS RIGA 000371 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958:N/A TAGS: SCUL KPAO PREL LG SUBJECT: BROADWAY IN RIGA - A PUBLIC DILPOMACY SMASH! ¶1. SUMMARY: BROADWAY COMPOSER AND LYRICIST STEPHEN SCHWARTZ VISITED RIGA MAY 7-11, 2007, TO PROMOTE AMERICAN MUSICAL THEATER AS A UNIQUELY AMERICAN ART FORM. SCHWARTZ WAS ACCOMPANIED BY TONY AWARD WINNING ACTRESS DEBBIE GRAVITTE AND BROADWAY PERFORMER SCOTT COULTER, WHO TAUGHT A SERIES OF MASTER CLASSES TO LATVIAN ACTORS ON THE TECHNIQUES OF THE BROADWAY MUSICAL. THE CULMINATION OF THEIR VISIT WAS TWO CONCERTS OF SCHWARTZ'S GREATEST SONGS SUNG BY THE GROUP OF VETERAN BROADWAY MUSICAL THEATER PERFORMERS. THE VISIT ATTRACTED PRESS ATTENTION AND WAS A HUGE BOOST TO OUR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY EFFORTS. END SUMMARY. ¶2. DURING THE WEEK OF MAY 7-11, 2007, RENOWNED BROADWAY COMPOSER AND LYRICIST STEPHEN SCHWARTZ, TONY AWARD WINNING ACTRESS DEBBIE GRAVITTE, AND BROADWAY PERFORMER SCOTT COULTER WERE IN RIGA TO PROMOTE AMERICAN MUSICAL THEATER AS A UNIQUELY AMERICAN ART FORM. SCHWARTZ LED A SERIES OF MASTER CLASSES WITH LATVIAN MUSICAL THEATER PERFORMERS DESIGNED TO TRAIN LATVIAN ACTORS IN THE TECHNIQUES OF BROADWAY MUSICALS. ALTHOUGH MUSICALS ARE PRODUCED FREQUENTLY IN LATVIA, THE COUNTRY DOES NOT HAVE AMERICAN-STYLE MUSICALS IN THE THEATERS' REPERTOIRE. ONE OF THE MAIN BARRIERS FOR STAGING AMERICAN MUSICALS IS THE LATVIAN ACTORS' INSUFFICIENT VOCAL AND DANCE SKILLS NECESSARY TO PRODUCE THE LARGE BROADWAY STYLE MUSICALS. IN ADDITION, LATVIAN THEATERS LACK THE DIRECTORS, CHOREOGRAPHERS AND PRODUCERS NECESSARY TO STAGE AMERICAN MUSICALS. ¶3. SCHWARTZ, GRAVITTE, AND COULTER ALSO CONDUCTED A PANEL DISCUSSION WITH PERFORMERS FROM SEVERAL LATVIAN THEATERS ABOUT THEIR BACKGROUNDS, TRAINING, AND EXPERIENCES IN US MUSICAL THEATER. LATVIAN THEATER STUDENTS WERE ABLE TO ASK THE AMERICAN ACTORS QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THEY LEARNED THE ART OF PERFORMING IN MUSICAL THEATER. ¶4. THE CULMINATION OF THE WEEK WAS TWO CONCERTS OF SCHWARTZ'S GREATEST SONGS PERFORMED BY THE THREE VETERAN BROADWAY PERFORMERS EACH WITH AN AUDIENCE OF 1000 PEOPLE. ONE CONCERT WAS ATTENDED BY LATVIAN PRIME MINISTER AND SEVERAL MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNMENT, MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT, RIGA'S MAYOR AS WELL AS LATVIA'S CULTURAL AND SOCIAL LEADERS. PRIOR TO THE CONCERTS AMBASSADOR CATHERINE TODD BAILEY GAVE WELCOMING REMARKS WITH THE LATVIAN MINISTER OF CULTURE THAT HIGHLIGHTED THE STRONG BILATERAL RELATIONS BETWEEN LATVIA AND THE US AND THE IMPORTANT ROLE CULTURAL EXCHANGES HAVE IN ENHANCING BILATERAL RELATIONS. ¶5. THE PROJECT WAS INSPIRED BY AMBASSADOR BAILEY, AND THE AMBASSADOR WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN MANAGING THE OUTREACH DURING SCHWARTZ'S VISIT. AMBASSADOR BAILEY HOSTED A LUNCHEON IN HONOR OR MR. AND MRS. SCHWARTZ IN THE LATVIAN NATIONAL OPERA THAT BROUGHT TOGETHER LEADERS IN THE OPERA COMMUNITY TO DEVELOP THEIR AWARENESS OF US MUSICAL THEATRE. ¶6. THE TRIP WAS ARRANGED BY THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF COMPOSERS, AUTHORS, AND PUBLISHERS (ASCAP),THE ORGANIZATION RESPONSIBLE FOR COLLECTING ROYALTIES FOR ON BEHALF OF ALL U.S. MUSICAL ARTISTS, THROUGH THEIR THEATER EDUCATION PROGRAM. ASCAP FOUNDATION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR KAREN SHERRY ALSO PARTICIPATED IN THE TRIP. ¶7. THE TRIP WAS EXTREMELY WELL RECEIVED, GARNERING LARGE PRESS AND MEDIA ATTENTION IN ALL MEDIA FROM MAINSTREAM TV NEWS TO SOCIETY FOCUSED TABLOIDS. LATVIANS ARE VERY PROUD OF THEIR CULTURE AND BRINGING THIS UNIQUE ASPECT OF AMERICAN CULTURE, BROADWAY THEATRE, TO RIGA GAVE MANY LATVIANS A PERSONAL SENSE OF THE STRENGTH OF OUR BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP. SCHWARTZ AND TEAM WERE GENUINELY IMPRESSED WITH THE EXCEPTIONALLY WARM WELCOME THEY RECEIVED FROM THE LATVIAN PEOPLE, AND THE VISIT WAS A HUGE EVENT IN OUR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY OUTREACH.