BC/EFA Re-Titles Gypsy of the Year After 29 Years; Newly Renamed THE RED BUCKET FOLLIES

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS this afternoon announced that after 29 years, its annual Gypsy of the Year competition will reappear in December 2018 under the new title The Red Bucket Follies.

The Red Bucket Follies (#redbuckets) builds on the 29-year legacy of the Gypsy of the Year Competition. The show will continue to showcase ensemble members and special guests performing original skits, songs and dances, with awards given to the best presentation and for the top fundraisers from the six weeks' efforts.

The Red Bucket Follies, which will be produced by and benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, will be performed at 4:30 pm Monday, December 3, and at 2 pm Tuesday, December 4, at the New Amsterdam Theatre (214 West 42nd Street, New York City), home to Disney's Aladdin.

"These are divided, contentious times," Tom Viola, executive director of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, said. "Lines are drawn that few can or are willing to reach across in consensus. But the theatre community is known for love and acceptance, and the spirit of our events reflect that. Though it saddens me - and I know it will others - to rename this event, we do not want Broadway Cares to create division in our community. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS' legacy is one of embrace, inclusion and bringing people together. Our commitment to those defining motivations is bigger and more important than a single word or the name of an event. Even with all the diverse opinions that go into any endeavor in this wildly creative, deeply caring and, yes, at times, contentious neighborhood, there are bigger battles we must take on together."

BC/EFA also announced the start of their fall fundraising initiative. Beginning next Friday, theatre lobbies in New York City and beyond will be filled with casts, crew members and volunteers accepting donations with Broadway Cares' signature #redbuckets in hand. Every dollar placed in a red bucket will help provide lifesaving medication, healthy meals, emergency financial assistance and more to the most vulnerable among us. A $10 donation covers HIV tests at a health clinic. A $50 donation provides 20 nutritious meals in a soup kitchen for the most vulnerable among us.

The red bucket has come to represent Broadway Cares to theatregoers in the same vibrant way as the now-iconic red ribbon, featured prominently in the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS logo for more than 25 years. Seen in the lobby of theatres in New York City and across the country, the red bucket illustrates the organization's commitment to fundraising and grant-making. The renaming of Gypsy of the Year to Red Bucket Follies embraces the buckets as symbols of care, action and comfort.

Last year, 56 Broadway, Off-Broadway and national tours raised $5.6 million. Since 1989, the 29 editions of Gypsy of the Year raised $76 million to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Red Bucket Follies will build on that tradition. Tickets to Red Bucket Follies will be available at broadwaycares.org beginning Friday, October 19. For more information, please visit Broadway Cares online at broadwaycares.org.