Dallas Schools Selected For Disney Musicals In Schools Program

The nonprofit AT&T Performing Arts Center is pleased to announce the five schools that have been selected to participate in the 2019 Disney Musicals in Schools program. The program is an initiative developed by Disney Theatrical Productions to create sustainable theatre programs in under- resourced elementary schools. The five schools are a part of Dallas Independent School District. The five schools include L.O. Donald Leadership Academy, Ronald E. McNair Elementary School, School for the Talented and Gifted in Pleasant Grove, K.B. Polk Center for Academically Talented and Gifted, and Solar Preparatory School for Girls.

The selected schools will begin a 17-week musical theatre residency in the spring. Each school will receive performance rights, education support materials and guidance from two teaching artists. The program features a professional development focus, through which participating school teachers partner with AT&T Performing Arts Center teaching artists to learn how to produce, direct, choreograph and music direct, culminating in their first 30-minute Disney KIDS musical at their school. As a capstone to the experience, AT&T Performing Arts Center will host a Student Share Celebration in which each school performs one number from their show on the Winspear Opera House stage for an audience of students, teachers, family, and community members.

Using the unique world of musical theatre, Disney Musicals in Schools helps foster positive relationships between students, faculty, staff, parents, and the community. Students and teachers work in teams, developing the wide spectrum of skills needed when producing a piece of musical theatre, including: critical thinking, problem solving, ensemble building, communication, self-confidence, and interpersonal skills.

Disney Musicals in Schools was launched in 2010 in response to Disney Theatrical Production's concern that under-resourced public elementary schools were not afforded equitable access to the arts. After successfully offering the program in New York City schools, Disney Theatrical Productions began partnering with organizations in other communities across the United States.

Disney KIDS musicals, created in partnership with Music Theater International (MTI), are 30-minute musicals designed for elementary school performers and have been adapted from the classic Disney films 101 Dalmatians, Aladdin, The Aristocats, Cinderella, The Jungle Book, The Lion King, and Winnie the Pooh.