Photo Coverage: Hillary Swank Hosts Fidelity FutureStage Finale at Imperial Theatre

More than 1,000 hours of classroom work over the course of the school year includes instruction in theater arts disciplines ranging from playwriting and editing to casting, auditioning, set and costume design, directing and final stage production.

The school-year program culminated in the Fidelity FutureStage Finale gala on June 14th, directed by Broadway director Michael Bush, and hosted by two-time Academy Award Winner Hilary Swank. Six student written and performed 10-minute plays will be showcased in a once-in-a-lifetime Broadway debut on the stage of the Imperial Theater, home to Billy Elliot the Musical. All of the plays featured in the June 14th finale will be published by Samuel French, the premier play and musical publishing and licensing company serving the Broadway community. For more about Fidelity FutureStage, visit www.futurestage.com.

The Playwriting Contest is an extension of the theater program, created to give additional students throughout the NYC metro area encouragement and opportunity to participate in theater arts. The contest was open to all high school students attending school in NYC and the surrounding counties - NY, NJ and CT. Students were invited to write a 10-minute, one-act play reflecting the themes from the story of Billy Elliot: fulfilling a dream, discovering a special talent or overcoming adversity. Winner Katarzyna Roszczeda was selected from over 550 submissions by area students. The Fidelity FutureStage Playwriting Contest was administered by education partner Thru The Stage Door.

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