Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

Tue., Nov 13

Larry Nye, associate professor of theatre, will be in New York City during Thanksgiving week to choreograph the finale for the famed Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The number Nye will choreograph is from the show Yes Virginia the Musical, written by the creative team at Macy's and developed this summer at Stagedoor Manor, a well-known performing arts camp in the Catskills where Nye has worked as the director of dance for the past several summers. The musical was based on the Macy's team's Emmy award-winning TV special of the same story. The Macy's team won the Daytime Emmy this year for the song they created (and Stagedoor performed) to open the holiday parade last year; this number was also choreographed by Nye.

This year's finale will include 136 Stagedoor kids from around the world, Nye says. To accompany the number, he explains, there will also be four balloons -- the Virginia balloon and three elf balloons -- and the Santa float "with the big guy himself." 

To kick off the new musical, says Konnie Kittrell, the show's producer from Stagedoor, it was given free to 100 schools this holiday season, two from each state. Macy's also gave each school $1000 to produce the show. After this Christmas, the show will be released and available for everyone. The song from the show that will be performed in the parade is called "Santa By the Book" and is about how Santa looks different to children around the world, but the love and giving are the same. Seven Santas from seven world locations -- Hawaii, Russia, France, Talin, Sweden, England, and Holland -- will be a part of the spectacle.

In the original story of "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus," little Virginia goes to the library to see if she can find the "truth" about Santa in a book. The song introduces the "real" Santa -- Macy's jolly star -- and serves as the parade finale.