Disney Musicals In Schools Puts Students in the Spotlight on the PPAC Stage
The Providence Performing Arts Center is among 26 arts organizations in the world collaborating with Disney Theatrical Group to bring Disney Musicals In Schools to communities
Providence, RI – On June 6, 2022, more than 180 elementary students from Providence and Pawtucket, RI will have the extraordinary opportunity to sing, dance, and act on the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) stage as the result of a grant awarded to PPAC by Disney.
The grant from Disney enables PPAC to offer the Disney Musicals In Schools program to three schools in Providence and one school in Pawtucket, at no cost.
The program is designed to create sustainable theater programming in elementary schools. Through the program, participating schools produce a Disney KIDS musical in their school community and join in a culminating performance at PPAC. The participating schools are Leviton Dual Language School, Alan Shawn Feinstein Elementary at Broad Street, Asa Messer Elementary in Providence, and Elizabeth Baldwin Elementary in Pawtucket.
The selected schools participated in a 17-week musical theater residency, led by a team of nine teaching artists trained by PPAC and Disney Theatrical Group. Each school received performance rights, educational support materials, and guidance from the teaching artists.
The program featured a professional development focus, through which participating schoolteachers partnered with PPAC teaching artists to learn how to produce, direct, choreograph, and music direct, culminating in their first 30-minute Disney KIDS musical at their school; these productions include The Jungle Book KIDS (Leviton Dual Language), Frozen KIDS (Alan Shawn Feinstein Elementary at Broad Street), 101 Dalmatians KIDS (Asa Messer Elementary), and Aladdin KIDS (Elizabeth Baldwin Elementary). The Student Share Celebration on June 6 is the culmination of this year’s program; each school will perform an excerpt from their productions. All the students will perform a special production number “Starts with a Dream,” written by Disney composer Alan Menken.
Disney Musicals In Schools was launched in 2010 in response to Disney Theatrical Group’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 Group began collaborating 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, Frozen, The Aristocats, The Jungle Book, The Lion King, and Winnie the Pooh.
THE PROVIDENCE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER (PPAC) presents a full roster of touring Broadway productions and contemporary engagements. PPAC is committed to providing the community with the highest quality performances, learning opportunities and outreach to enrich the lives of students, educators, and families. Our outreach and engagement programs, including Disney Musicals In Schools, offer unique and valuable opportunities for students from grades K – 12 to engage in the arts while developing critical thinking skills. Learn more about our educational outreach and engagement programs, like Books to Broadway, Experience PPAC, Arts Showcase, Arts Scholarships, and the Reignite Professional Development Series at ppacri.org/outreach
Located in the heart of Providence’s arts and entertainment district, PPAC is the second largest theatre of its kind in the country. The Loew’s Theatre Building, which is the historic home of PPAC, opened in October 1928 and has been applauded for its beauty and grandeur. PPAC is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been ranked by Pollstar as one of the Top Venues in the world. PPAC is managed by Professional Facilities Management and is the home of their corporate office.
DISNEY THEATRICAL GROUP (DTG) operates under the direction of Thomas Schumacher and is among the world’s most successful commercial theatre producers, bringing live entertainment events to a global audience of more than 20 million people a year in more than 50 countries. Under the Disney Theatrical Productions banner, the group produces and licenses Broadway productions around the world, including Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Elton John & Tim Rice’s Aida, TARZAN®, Mary Poppins, a co-production with Cameron Mackintosh, The Little Mermaid, Peter and the Starcatcher, Newsies, Aladdin, and Frozen. Other successful stage musical ventures have included the Olivier-nominated London hit Shakespeare in Love, stage productions of Disney’s High School Musical, Der Glöckner Von Notre Dame in Berlin, and King David in concert. DTG has collaborated with the nation’s preeminent theatres to develop new stage titles including The Jungle Book, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Freaky Friday and Hercules. As a part of the recent acquisition of 21st Century Fox, DTP also heads the Buena Vista Theatrical banner which licenses Fox titles for stage adaptations including Anastasia; Moulin Rouge! The Musical; Mrs. Doubtfire and The Devil Wears Prada.
Disney Theatrical Group also delivers live shows globally through its license to Feld Entertainment, producer of Disney on Ice. In addition, DTG licenses musical titles for local, school and community theatre productions through Music Theatre International, including The Lion King Experience, a unique holistic arts education program wherein accredited elementary and middle schools produce condensed, age-appropriate JR. and KIDS adaptations of The Lion King.
Music Theatre International (MTI) is one of the world's leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting theatres from around the world the rights to perform the greatest selection of musicals from Broadway and beyond. Founded in 1952 by composer Frank Loesser, and orchestrator Don Walker, MTI is a driving force in advancing musical theatre as a vibrant and engaging art form.
MTI works directly with the composers, lyricists, and book writers of these musicals to provide official scripts, musical materials and dynamic theatrical resources to over 70,000 professional, community and school theatres in the US and in over 60 countries worldwide.
MTI is particularly dedicated to educational theatre and has created special collections to meet the needs of various types of performers and audiences. MTI’s Broadway Junior™ shows are 30- and 60-minute musicals for performance by elementary and middle school-aged performers, while MTI’s School Editions are musicals annotated for performance by high school students.
MTI maintains its global headquarters in New York City (mtishows.com), with additional offices in London (MTI Europe: mtishows.co.uk, mtishows.eu), and Melbourne (MTI Australia: mtishows.com.au).