Up with People started in 1965, as a cast of 140 volunteers performing "Sing-Out 65" at a summer convention of Moral Re-Armament on Mackinac Island, Michigan. MRA is an international group, and so people from many countries were represented in the Sing-Out 65. The cast of Sing-Out 65 traveled to Japan at the invitation of the Prime Minister, with cast members staying in private homes, including the homes of members of parliament. The cast performed on Japanese television and on the Kabuki Stage in Tokyo.