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BE THE NEXT DOROTHY
STARDOM CAN BE FOUND JUST OVER THE RAINBOW

LOS ANGELES – July 12, 2010) – Those looking to be the next Broadway star need to look no further than the Yellow Brick Road.  The Harold Arlen Foundation is sponsoring a nationwide talent search to Be The Next Dorothy, which will be held exclusively at General Growth Properties (GGP) malls. If you are between the ages of 16-23 and can sing and act, then you have chance to be cast in the musical, "WiZaRD,” opening in New York City, December 2010.  The musical production , “WiZaRD," was created, written and directed by singer/crooner George Bugatti  and is produced by the Harold Arlen Foundation. 

This national, grassroots competition will be held exclusively at 11 of GGP’s shopping centers across the country.  Be The Next Dorothy kicks off at Glendale Galleria in Glendale, California on Saturday, July 31st and the winners will be announced on September 3rd at the South Street Seaport in New York City.  For complete contest rules and registration visit: www.wizardthemusical.com.

Additional audition cities include: Las Vegas (Fashion Show); Denver (Park Meadows); Dallas (Stonebriar Centre); Chicago (Northbrook Court); St Louis (Saint Louis Galleria); Atlanta (North Point Mall); Jacksonville (Regency Square Mall); Boston (Natick Collection); New Jersey (Paramus Park); and New York City (South Street Seaport), where the final auditions will be held.  Tony nominated producer Tom Gregory (Guys & Dolls) will emcee all 11 auditions. See below for tour dates.
It’s personal for Sam Arlen, son of the legendary WIzard of OZ composer  as to why he is co-producing this talent search and the forthcoming musical production.  “We wanted to create a wholesome family contest and a show that would give us all a break from what seems to be a relentless assault on our innocence, just like my father did as composer of “The Wizard of Oz.’”

Once the judges have narrowed down the contestants to the final three, America decides who will Be The Next Dorothy.  Besides the coveted role of Dorothy in “WiZaRD;” there also will be a "People's Choice" component to the contest, where the winner will receive a GGP Shop Etc. gift card.  The entire competition will be filmed for an online reality series where America can follow all the contestants during the entire 11-city run. 

In addition, director Michael Bay’s production company, The Institute, signed on to bring Be The Next Dorothy to television.  “Family entertainment on television is sorely needed in the marketplace and I believe this project can be huge.” said Bay’s Co-Founder and Executive Producer Scott Gardenhour.

About the Harold Arlen Foundation

The Harold Arlen Foundation was founded in 2008 by the composer’s son Sam Arlen, and business partners George Bugatti and Mary Shriver. It is the Foundation’s mission is to provide free music classes and theater tickets to the under-served children of public school systems across America.   www.haroldarlenfoundation.org

Sam is the publisher of most of his father’s catalogue. George Bugatti is a noted singer/pianist and recording artist, and Mary Shriver is a marketing and public relations  specialist. Together they pledge to preserve the American Jazz Pop Standard songbook and the music of Harold Arlen, who not only wrote the score to the “The Wizard of Oz”, which earned Arlen an Academy Award for the song “Over The Rainbow, but composed some of America's most beloved songs including: "I've Got The World On a String," “Come Rain or Come Shine," "Old Black Magic," "One For My Baby,” “Stormy Weather” and “Accentuate The Positive.”   

The man behind the curtain for both Be The Next Dorothy and “WiZaRD” is Harold Arlen Foundation Co-Founder George Bugatti.  A protégé of the late great Steve Allen, Bugatti is an acclaimed singer whose first CD was produced by the television legend.  As a performer, George has also attracted the attention of another great icon, Tony Bennett, who recently invited him to perform in one of Tony's concerts.  Bugatti remains in demand as a performer, having recently opened for Don Rickles and Brad Garrett.

A graduate of The High School of Performing Arts in New York and an attendee of The Julliard School, George is not only the torch carrier of the Great American Songbook, but is the leading voice today of the Arlen Songbook and has single handedly spearheaded, with the blessing of Sam Arlen, a number of Arlen projects including Be The Next Dorothy and “WiZaRD” which he has written and directed. "George is to Arlen what Michael Feinstein is to the Gershwin Songbook," says Sam Arlen. www.georgebugatti.com 

WiZaRD is a musical production centered on the hits of Oscar winning composer Harold Arlen. The show unfolds in the mythical radio studios of WiZaRD whose set design combines the nostalgic feel of yesteryears studios with the high tech studios of today. This collection of vignettes, based on Arlens most nostalgic songs, includes a Wizard of Oz scene, taken from the imagination of Frank Baum on the eve of the creation of his Oz characters.

Audiences are taken on a journey from the Cotton Club years, through the golden age of Hollywood, to the Broadway stage ...And to the land of OZ!

The new DOROTHY makes her debut alongside The THREE CROONERS, in this heartwarming family friendly stage production slated to open at Jazz At Lincoln Center, December 2010.

Wizard premiered on June 6th 2007 at the Ford Amphitheater in Los Angeles and has since been workshopped in 22 performing arts centers across America.

Bookitinvegas.com is an official sponsor of “Be the Next Dorothy.”  www.Bookitinvegas.com is the premier and only Destination Management Company dedicated solely to booking corporate and social events in Las Vegas for all size groups.  

About GGP
GGP currently has ownership interest in, or management responsibility for, more than 200 regional shopping malls in 43 states, as well as ownership in planned community developments and commercial office buildings. GGP’s portfolio totals approximately 200 million square feet of retail space and includes more than 24,000 retail stores nationwide. GGP’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol GGP.  www.ggp.com