Local Kids From Title I Schools To Perform Disney Musicals

Despite a sea of butterflies in their stomachs, 300 squirmy, fresh-faced elementary students will sing, dance and act their hearts out Monday afternoon before a crowd of proud family and friends.

The Student Share Celebration is the culmination of a 17-week program called Disney Musicals in Schools. Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and Disney Theatrical Group partnered together to secure the schools performance rights and educational materials for each teacher and student. They also placed professional teaching artists in each school every week to help school teachers learn how to produce, direct and choreograph the performances

300 students and 35 teachers from four Title One "under-resourced" Central Florida elementary schools:

- Kaley-Lake Como Elementary (Orange County)

- OCPS-Academic Center for Excellence (Orange County)

- Wicklow Elementary (Seminole County)

- Pleasant Hill Elementary (Osceola County)

Monday, May 21, 2018

4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - tech rehearsals; teacher/student interviews available

6 p.m. - 7 p.m.- Student Share Celebration

Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

Call ahead for media parking - 407.496.0539

The Disney Musicals in Schools program is designed to create sustainable theater programs in schools. The selected low-income, Title I schools participated in a 17-week musical theater residency, led by a team of teaching artists trained by Dr. Phillips Center and Disney Theatrical Productions, at no cost. Each school received performance rights, educational support materials and guidance from the teaching artists. The program featured a professional development focus, through which participating school teachers partnered with Dr. Phillips 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. Kaley-Lake Como Elementary performed Aladdin KIDS; OCPS-Academic Center for Excellence performed The Aristocats KIDS; Wicklow Elementary performed The Jungle Book KIDS; and Pleasant Hill Elementary performed Lion King KIDS.

Following their respective performances, the students are joining together at Dr. Phillips Center as part of the Disney Musicals in Schools Student Share Celebration. This will provide an extraordinary opportunity to perform a selection from their chosen musical on the Walt Disney Theater stage for an audience of fellow students, family members, faculty, and invited guests.