Sixteen High Schools Announced As THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN Grant Recipients

The Educational Theatre Foundation (ETF), The Music Man Foundation (TMMF), and Music Theatre International (MTI) have announced 16 recipients of “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” Grant, awarded to high school theatre programs nationwide to allow them to mount productions of the newly revised version of the classic Meredith Willson and Richard Morris property.

The grant program, announced earlier this year, is open to any accredited high school in the United States and seeks to enhance the capacity of school theatre programs to impact students, educators, and their communities-at-large. Grant applicants were asked to demonstrate their vision for their production and plans to use it as a tool to engage their school and surrounding population in themes present in the musical, like women's and immigrants' rights, community-building, and the civic-minded spirit of the historical Molly Brown.

Due to robust interest in the program, the partnering organizations agreed to extend six additional $10,000 grants to the first round of applicants, bringing the total awarded to $160,000 across 16 schools nationwide. Additional grants are set to be awarded in the spring of 2024 after a second round of submissions.

The winning schools' productions of “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” will take place in 2024 or 2025, with exact dates to be announced later. The winning schools, listed alphabetically, are:

Aloha High School; Beaverton, OR
Arts High School; Newark, NJ
Brownell Talbot College Preparatory School; Omaha, NE
Byng High School; Byng, OK
Clear Brook High School; Friendswood, TX
Columbus School for Girls; Columbus, OH
Garden City High School; Garden City, KS
Grants Pass High School; Grants Pass, OR
Harry S. Truman High School; Levittown, PA
Lake City High School; Coeur d'Alene, ID
Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls; Philadelphia, PA
Maryvale Preparatory School; Lutherville, MD
Morris Area High School; Morris, MN
Seaside High School; Seaside, CA
Walnut Hills High School; Cincinnati, OH
Woodmont High School; Piedmont, SC

In their grant applications, teachers repeatedly expressed their intention to connect to the historical figure of Molly Brown and the relevant lessons students might take away from the opportunity to explore her life more deeply. “Molly is a prime example of what one person can do to make an impact and we feel her story is one worth telling,” wrote Michelle Smith, Thespian troupe director at Clear Brook High School. “Producing this work is an opportunity to encourage the changes we want to see.”

"We are an extremely diverse community made up of immigrants from all over the world,” wrote Alice Hilt, Thespian troupe director at Garden City High School. “Having a large percentage of first and second-generation immigrants, I believe Molly's story will resonate with the students and local population.”

“We were overwhelmed by the response to this grant opportunity,” said representatives from the three partner organizations. “It was clear that the musical's themes resonated with students and teachers, a testament to the passion they feel about creating a better world for one another,” continued Matt Conover, Chair of the Educational Theatre Foundation's board of trustees. “We are thrilled to watch these students not only portray Molly's life story on stage but also bring her fiery spirit alive in their communities.”

“The Unsinkable Molly Brown” is the rags-to-riches story of Molly and Leadville Johnny Brown, owners of the richest mine in the U.S. at the turn of the twentieth century. The show features music and lyrics by the incomparable Meredith Willson, and a book and additional lyrics by Tony-nominated author Dick Scanlan (“Thoroughly Modern Millie,” “Renascence”) based on the original book by Richard Henry Morris.

MTI plans a wider release of the show to all theatrical organizations in 2024. Find a free read of the revised script as well as selections from a new cast recording on MTI's website.

The Educational Theatre Foundation (ETF) is the fundraising arm of the Educational Theatre Association. ETF's mission is to provide all students with equitable access to quality theatre education. The Foundation achieves this mission by providing financial support to programs that expand access to and participation in school theatre for underserved and marginalized communities and fund theatre programs' growth and sustainability.  

The Music Man Foundation is named after the Tony-winning musical written by Meredith Willson. Meredith's widow, Rosemary, started the Foundation in 1998 as the Meredith and Rosemary Willson Charitable Foundation and substantially increased the Foundation's endowment upon her death in 2010. The Foundation's mission is to empower organizations using music to catalyze enduring change and to amplify its founders' musical legacy. Over the last decade, the Foundation has awarded more than $22 million to 80 organizations. In addition to creating “The Music Man,” Meredith Willson wrote the music and lyrics for “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” and beloved songs “It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas” and the University of Iowa fight song. 

Music Theatre International (MTI) is one of the world's leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting theatres from around the world the rights to perform the greatest selection of musicals from Broadway and beyond. Founded in 1952 by composer Frank Loesser and orchestrator Don Walker, MTI is a driving force in advancing musical theatre as a vibrant and engaging art form. 

MTI works directly with the composers, lyricists and book writers of these musicals to provide official scripts, musical materials and dynamic theatrical resources to over 100,000 professional, community and school theatres in the US and in over 150 countries worldwide. 

MTI is particularly dedicated to educational theatre, and has created special collections to meet the needs of various types of performers and audiences. MTI's Broadway Junior shows are 30- and 60-minute musicals for performance by elementary and middle school-aged performers, while MTI's School Editions are musicals annotated for performance by high school students.  

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