STAGES Teams with EdTA to Bring JumpStart Theatre to St. Louis Schools

With a commitment to preserving and advancing the art form of Musical Theatre through performance and education, STAGES St. Louis has announced its partnership with the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA), the nation's preeminent organization dedicated to enriching lives through performing arts education and home of the International Thespian Society.

The EdTA in collaboration with iTheatrics and Music Theatre International created JumpStart Theatre, a three-year program that builds sustainable musical theatre programs in middle schools where none previously existed. Having successfully piloted the program over three years in nine schools in the Cincinnati metropolitan region, the EdTA sought to replicate the model nationwide through partnerships with Educational Departments of respected regional theatre organizations in various communities.

Following a national search of dozens of major regional theatres, STAGES St. Louis and La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, California have been chosen to launch the JumpStart Theatre model as lead partners in the regional unveiling of the EdTA's expansion. Six schools in the St. Louis metropolitan area will participate in this fully funded program throughout 2018-2021, with three selected middle schools beginning the three-year curriculum in 2018 and an additional three schools starting in 2019.

JumpStart Theatre equips non-theatre teachers with the skills and resources to produce their school's first musical through a proven combination of hands-on mentoring and boot-camp style training. STAGES St. Louis will support the initiative locally, offering mentorship and developing ongoing relationships with the selected schools, furthering the mission of STAGES' Performing Arts Academy to inspire passion, creativity, and curiosity in students of all ages.

"Having provided musical theatre training and outreach for many years and witnessing the transformative power of arts education firsthand, we feel JumpStart Theatre is a natural fit for STAGES," remarked Executive Producer Jack Lane. "Being a part of the national expansion of this incredibly important and unique program is an honor and it will certainly shine a spotlight on the profound impact the arts are capable of."

Research clearly indicates that students who participate in theatre grow their literacy, empathy, self-discipline, and self-confidence, putting them on a more positive life path yet, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, only 28 percent of schools in high poverty areas offer theatre instruction. Every child in America deserves access to theatre education, as it teaches essential skills such as collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking. JumpStart Theatre is a blessing to middle school performing arts education in our country and STAGES St. Louis is eager to assist its arrival in the St. Louis community, bringing vital performing arts programs to six schools that currently have none.