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Broadway Star Audra McDonald Named Grand Marshal Of The Tournament Of Roses
Two-time Grammy and six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald was announced as the 2024 Tournament of Roses grand marshal on Friday.
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Courtesy The Tournament of Roses
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Two-time Grammy and six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald was announced as the 2024 Tournament of Roses grand marshal on Friday.
She'll ride in the 135th Rose Parade and join the pre-game celebration of the 110th Rose Bowl game on News Year's Day.
Tournament of Roses President Alex Aghajanian said the theme, “Celebrating a World of Music,” encompasses a wide variety of genres that bring people together, something the grand marshal also excels in.
"There can only be one grand marshal who not only gracefully epitomizes our theme,” Aghajanian said.
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The Fresno-raised McDonald said she grew up ringing in the new year with the Rose Bowl and her family and dreamed of touching the floats as a child.
McDonald said her father, who died in 2007, was a huge football fan. He rooted for the now-Las Vegas Raiders and the Fresno State Bulldogs.
"My dad would just be so thrilled to know, surprised but very thrilled to know — that I was serving as the Rose Parade grand marshal," she said.
On top of her Grammy and Tony awards, McDonald won an Emmy in 2015, was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2017 and received the 2016 National Medal of Arts from former president Barack Obama.
McDonald has also advocated for marriage equality, anti-bullying campaigns and founded the nonprofit Black Theatre United to bring awareness to systemic racism in theater and beyond.
Aghajanian called McDonald “one of the most accomplished and rewarded performers in American theater history."
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McDonald said she and her family are grateful to kick off 2024 in her home state, “underneath the California sunshine, surrounded by flowers, football, fans and music."
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