Disney Theatrical Group News

School and amateur licensing for Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's hit musical MARY POPPINS is now available exclusively through Music Theatre International (MTI).

Thomas Schumacher, president and producer at Disney Theatrical Group opens up about plans to bring the Disney mega-hit animated film to the Broadway stage.

New York Stage and Film has announced that its Annual Winter Gala, to be held this year on Sunday, November 16, 2014 at The Plaza Hotel (770 Fifth Avenue, New York City), will honor Tony Award winner Michael Mayer and veteran theatrical press agent Rick Miramontez.

Seattle Theatre Group was recently selected as a regional grantee for Disney Musicals in Schools (DMIS), by Disney Theatrical Group. The designation comes with a $100,000 grant from Disney Citizenship, which will provide a unique educational opportunity to five Title 1 Seattle/King County public elementary schools during after-school hours. The selected schools are: Emerson Elementary, Mt. View Elementary, Van Asselt Elementary, West Seattle Elementary, and White Center Heights Elementary. The program is based on Disney KIDS musicals, written for elementary-aged students, and designed for production in a school setting. These half-hour shows feature accessible music, ensemble casts, and classic Disney stories such as 101 Dalmatians, Aladdin, The Aristocats, Cinderella, The Jungle Book, Sleeping Beauty, and Winnie the Pooh.

Production company Stageworks Media, best known for adapting music, publishing and film studio source material directly for the stock and amateur theatrical licensing marketplace, proudly announces its new global publishing/distribution deal with leading stage publishing and licensing company Playscripts, Inc. The deal's inaugural projects include two new titles from Stageworks' Pop Musicals Collection, Cyrano de BurgerShack by Jeremy Desmon, and Emma! A Pop Musical by Eric Price.

NEWSIES plays its final performance on Broadway tonight Sunday, August 24, but BroadwayWorld (and the rest of New York, we hope) isn't ready to let the musical leave just yet! Throughout the week, we've been spreading the Newsies love by bringing you favorite memories from a slew of the current and past stars of the show. Check out a roundup of the submissions below!

NEWSIES plays its final performance on Broadway this coming Sunday, August 24, but BroadwayWorld (and the rest of New York, we hope) isn't ready to let the musical leave just yet! Throughout the week, we continue the Newsies love by bringing you favorite memories from a slew of the current and past stars of the show!

A great, big Broadway season is on its way, with fourteen productions already slated to open in the next few months. With several weeks until the craziness begins, there is still plenty of time to catch up on what's been going on at Broadway's already occupied theaters . BroadwayWorld will be profiling the hits of the Great White Way that continue to draw crowds after months, years, and (in some cases) decades. Meet the current cast of Broadway's NEWSIES below!

Netflix Inc. and The Walt Disney Studios today announced a new multi-year licensing agreement that will make Netflix the exclusive Canadian subscription television service

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) presents their June panel, Music Licensing vs Musical Licensing Acquiring Rights and Avoiding Wrongs on Tuesday, July 22, 2014 at 7:30pmat The Players Theatre, 115 MacDougal Street, 3rd floor Loft Theatre, NYC. Doors open at 7pm for networking and refreshments, presentations and roundtable introductions start at 7:30pm (come prepared with your best half-minute summary of who you are, and what you need).

Eight outstanding educators from schools and performing arts centers around the country will work one-on-one with Broadway greats at the 5th Annual FREDDIE G BROADWAY EXPERIENCE July 9th - 12th. The event has once again been underwritten by Myrna and Freddie ('G') Gershon, Chairman and CEO of leading theatrical licensor Music Theatre International (MTI). The weekend honors instructors and teachers who are working to make a difference for their students and communities through the process of staging musical theatre productions in their schools and educational theatre groups. In addition to the New York experience, each of the teachers' schools receives $5,000 from Freddie and Myrna to enhance their arts program.

Joining the all-star line-up for the 34th annual broadcast of PBS' A CAPITOL FOURTH,live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, are platinum recording artist and songwriter Phillip Phillips and the world-famous Muppets.

Joining the all-star line-up for the 34th annual broadcast of PBS' A CAPITOL FOURTH,live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, are platinum recording artist and songwriter Phillip Phillips and the world-famous Muppets.

Das Musical, basierend auf dem Buch von P.L. Travers und einem der beliebtesten Disney-Filme aller Zeiten, mit der wunderbaren Geschichte um die Familie Banks und ihr zauberhaftes Kindermadchen, wird am 1. Oktober 2014 seine Premiere im Ronacher feiern. Die Vereinigten Buhnen Wien freuen sich besonders eine großartige Besetzung fur Wien gefunden zu haben! Allen voran als „Mary Poppins' die bezaubernde Annemieke van Dam, dem osterreichischen Publikum vor allem als „Elisabeth' bereits bestens bekannt. Die Rolle des „Bert' wird von David Boyd verkorpert. Das Ehepaar „George' und „Winifred Banks' sind Reinwald Kranner und Milica Jovanovic (LOVE NEVER DIES, Ronacher), „Miss Andrew' Maaike Schuurmans (DER BESUCH DER ALTEN DAME, Ronacher), „Admiral Boom' Dirk Lohr und „Roberston Ay' Niklas Abel (DER BESUCH DER ALTEN DAME, Ronacher).

In 1994, the newly formed Disney Theatrical Group opened Disney's Beauty and The Beast on Broadway at the Palace Theater and became the eighth longest running Broadway show, when it ultimately closed in 2007. Since its inception, this 'tale as old as time' has played everywhere from elementary schools to international opera houses. Now at Wolf Trap, the NETworks Presentations, LLC touring company is playing through Sunday on their final leg of their national tour before taking the summer off.

LIVE FROM GRAMERCY PARK at The Players with LANCE HORNE -- the new concert series dedicated to presenting the best music and theater stars along with dynamic rising talent -- will take place tonight, May 14 at 9:00 PM.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts has been awarded a $100,000 grant from Disney to help bring the Disney Musicals in Schools program to Orange County. The Center was one of only two arts organizations in the nation and the only one in California selected this year to collaborate with Disney Musicals in Schools. The program is an outreach initiative developed by Disney Theatrical Group to create ongoing theater programs in local elementary schools. The Center will select four Orange County public elementary schools to participate in 2014. The grant funds two years of programming ? four schools will be selected this year, and another four next year. The after-school programs are completely free to participating schools. Disney Musicals in Schools helps to keep the arts in schools and utilizes the unique world of musical theater to build positive relationships between students, faculty, staff, parents and the community. Students work in teams to develop or restore self-confidence, strengthen communication and collaboration skills all while learning and enjoying the process of creating a Disney musical theater production.

LIVE FROM GRAMERCY PARK at The Players with LANCE HORNE -- the new concert series dedicated to presenting the best music and theater stars along with dynamic rising talent -- will take place on Wednesday, May 14 at 9:00 PM.

Disney and Sonia Friedman Productions are delighted to announce casting for the forthcoming stage production of Shakespeare in Love. The announcement coincides with the 450th anniversary of William Shakespeare's birth.

Earlier this Spring, TUTS and students from HSMT performed in four nationally distributed choreography DVDs for MTI'd Broadway Junior Collection of Musicals. The choreography DVDs are being produced by iTheatrics, and will feature original choreography by its chief choreographer, Steven G. Kennedy. Also contributing to the creative team are Shay Rogers and Lindsay Weiner Lupi.