InterviewWhat Does It Take to Put On the Macy鈥檚 Thanksgiving Day Parade?Macy鈥檚 creative producer Wesley Whatley lets us in on the casting process, the curation of the Broadway performances, and what the eight hours leading up to the Parade looks like.
By
Ruthie Fierberg
November 23, 2019
Wesley Whatley
Six months before the 92nd Annual Macy鈥檚 Thanksgiving Day Parade launched November 22, 2018, from 77th Street in Manhattan, Wesley Whatley sent out notices of congratulations to the marching bands he selected鈥or the 93rd Macy鈥檚 Thanksgiving Day Parade that will air November 28, 2019. As the creative producer of Macy鈥檚 Branded Entertainment, Whatley operates on an 18-month production schedule for each annual Parade.
Over his 16-year tenure with Macy鈥檚, Whatley and team (which at its smallest is two people and at its largest was four) are in charge of programming and casting every single performance in the Macy鈥檚 Thanksgiving Day Parade. That includes everything from creating and storyboarding an opening number to songwriting (Whatley won the 2010 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Original Song for his parade composition) to finding Santa and, of course, selecting the Broadway shows that will land a coveted spot on the broadcast. 鈥淎ny creative element that鈥檚 a performance, it鈥檚 our job to deliver it,鈥� says Whatley.
Marching bands, as mentioned, are the first selected so that they can plan their trip to New York and raise funds to get here with 18-months notice. At the 12-month mark, Whatley begins coordinating with production on designing balloons and building floats, which continues into the final weeks before the parade. Six months out, Whatley casts the rest of the performance groups: dance ensembles (like this year鈥檚 610 Stompers and National Dance Institute), cheerleading squads (like Spirit of American Cheer), and choirs (like Young People鈥檚 Chorus of NYC). They also cast and coordinate the Clown Units, consisting of Macy鈥檚 employees and their families who graduate from Macy鈥檚 Clown U, as well as Stilt Walker Units.
For the 93rd Annual edition, Whatley is responsible for 11 marching bands of approximately 2,793 total members; 10 performances groups of 600 cheerleaders and 600 dancers; 100 choral singers; 1,000 clowns; 22 stilt walker units; plus the companies of four Broadway musicals and the Radio City Rockettes.
In the summer lead-up, the team focuses on celebrity booking and it isn鈥檛 until November 1 that the crew chooses the Broadway shows鈥攃onsidering the biggest shows, the most successful productions, and the most buzzed about titles.
For Whatley, nailing the Broadway section is more than his job; it鈥檚 his answer to the self-described 鈥渢heatre kid鈥� who grew up watching the parade. 鈥淚 can remember being at my grandmother鈥檚 on Thanksgiving morning and waking up鈥攖he first one in my family to wake up to watch the first hour鈥攂ecause in south Georgia [where I鈥檓 from] and she was in south Alabama, there was really no Broadway access for me.鈥�
鈥淭he Parade is about spectacle and large scale performances,鈥� he continues, 鈥渟o we do look for the best of Broadway that鈥檚 really going to be delivering a big performance in whatever way that could be defined.鈥�
The individual theatre producers, NBC, and Whatley鈥攐n behalf of Macy鈥檚鈥攃ollaborate to set the number or medley for each musical鈥檚 performance. 鈥淲hen you talk to the composer, the choreographer, they all know those 鈥楳acy鈥檚 Parade鈥� moments in the show they could deliver,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey see the audience respond and sometimes they have a better idea than we do.鈥�
But Whatley and NBC producers need to ensure the performance, on a bare 34th Street, will read for a live audience and viewers at home. 鈥淚鈥檓 a huge fan of Broadway and it鈥檚 special to see these stories told, of course, in their theatre, but it is always a really special challenge for the creative staff of these shows to figure out: How can I tell this story on the street and really honor the material without the set?鈥� Whatley points out.
鈥淭he objective for all of us is: how do we show this show off? How do we tell that story succinctly and clearly and how can it be entertaining?鈥� he continues. 鈥淲e, basically, are willing to do whatever that takes.鈥�
Wesley Whatley
And over the past decade, Macy鈥檚 has played with that idea鈥攁lways looking to innovate. The performances for the 2013 revival of On The Town, where three sailors begin backstage before officially starting the Parade walk uptown鈥攊nstead of at Macy鈥檚鈥攁nd for On Your Feet! that began with a conga line leading the front of the Parade鈥攁lso uptown鈥攎ark two distinct successes in using the Parade format in conjunction with the musical鈥檚 story.
In fact, storytelling is Whatley鈥檚 foremost priority. His goal is to capture a narrative from the Parade鈥檚 start, Thanksgiving, to its end, Christmas. 鈥� 鈥楾he holidays are here鈥� is a line that we鈥檙e embracing this holiday season from a creative perspective,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat phrase has been woven through the show,鈥� from a literal banner to the singing Christmas Tree鈥檚 musical message.
Whatley also counts on celebrity performers to add to that story while appealing to the widest audience possible. 鈥淰ariety and diversity. Those two values steer our decision-making,鈥� he says. Which is why this year鈥檚 roster features stars like Billy Porter and Idina Menzel, as well as the long-running band Chicago, Latin pop star Ozuna, and 12-year-old rapper That Girl Lay Lay. Whatley prides himself on the principle that 鈥渆verybody will have a moment in the Parade that鈥檚 theirs.鈥�
Of course, it wouldn鈥檛 be a Macy鈥檚 Parade without Tom Turkey leading the way and Santa鈥檚 sleigh bringing up the rear. 鈥淗ow do we take innovation and tradition and deliver a show that not only meets expectations, but surpasses them each year?鈥� asks Whatley. 鈥淢y goal, personally, is to surprise our audience. It can be challenging after 93 years.鈥� Fortunately, Whatley isn鈥檛 afraid of a challenge.
THE MORNING OF Where you鈥檒l find Whatley on Parade day:
1AM Wakeup call
2AM Whatley goes into the production truck to produce and monitor the broadcast. 鈥淢y job that day is to make sure the telecast goes off without a hitch,鈥� he says.
3础惭鈥�5础惭 Finish the cue-to-cue rehearsal, which began Wednesday afternoon.
7础惭鈥�8础惭 Broadway show rehearsal. Each musical gets 15 minutes. 鈥淭hey rehearse Monday and Tuesday nights at 34th Street and we do a full staging rehearsal with Broadway and the performance groups,鈥� says Whatley. 鈥淏ut on Parade morning, it鈥檚 their only time in costume and their last opportunity to prepare before we go on air.鈥�
9AM Showtime!
11:59AM Santa鈥檚 Sleigh rolls through and another Parade is in the books.
From Hello, Dolly! to Waitress: 半岛体育 Looks Back at Past Thanksgiving Day Parade Performances
From Hello, Dolly! to Waitress: 半岛体育 Looks Back at Past Thanksgiving Day Parade Performances
A number of this season鈥檚 Broadway shows will be spotlighted during the NBC telecast of the 91th Annual Macy鈥檚 Thanksgiving Day Parade, which will be broadcast November 23 at 9 AM ET.
33 PHOTOS
Michael Cerveris and Alice Ripley were in The Who's Tommy together on Broadway in 1993. They were reunited at the Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1997 when Michael was in Titanic and Alice was in Side Show.
Adrian Bryan-Brown
Disney's Beauty and the Beast in the 1995 Parade
Top: Carol Channing in performance with Hello, Dolly! 1995 Bottom: Matthew Broderick, Lillias White and cast rehearse for How to Succeed 1995
