(NEWARK, NJ - August 26, 2015)  – New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) has been awarded a $100,000 grant from Disney to bring the Disney Musicals in Schools program to Greater Newark. The Arts Center is one of only four arts organizations in the nation and the only one in New Jersey 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 elementary schools. 

NJPAC chose five public elementary schools from eligible applicants for the 2015-16 academic year. The selected schools are Branch Brook School, Luis Muñoz Marin School and Mount Vernon School, all in Newark; Rosa Parks Community School in Orange, and John Marshall School No. 20 in Elizabeth. The after-school program is free to these participating schools.

Each of the schools will take part in a 17-week musical theater residency. NJPAC and Disney Theatrical Group will train and assign Arts Center teaching artists, who will conduct the after-school sessions. Performance rights, educational support materials and guidance from the teaching artists will be provided at no cost to the schools. The teaching artists’ roles are to help produce the chosen Disney musical by working with educators to create a sustainable theater program in these schools.

The programs will culminate in a Disney KIDS musical at the school site. Disney KIDS musicals, created in partnership with Music Theater International (MTI), are about 30 minutes in length and have been adapted from the classic Disney films 101 Dalmatians, Aladdin, The Aristocats, Cinderella, The Jungle Book, The Lion King, Sleeping Beauty, and Winnie the Pooh.

On February 8, 2016, NJPAC will host a Student Share Celebration, where each school will have the extraordinary opportunity to perform a selection from its show on the Arts Center’s stage for an audience of fellow students, family members and friends.

Because the $100,000 grant will support two years of programming, another five schools will be selected next year. Disney Musicals in Schools helps to keep the arts in schools and utilizes the unique world of musical theater to build positive relationships among students, faculty, staff, parents and the community. Students work in teams to develop or restore self-confidence, and to strengthen communication and collaboration skills, all while learning and enjoying the process of creating a musical theater production.

Disney Musicals in Schools was launched in response to Disney Theatrical Group’s concern that low-income students in urban public schools were not afforded equitable access to the arts. After successfully offering the program in New York City schools, Disney Theatrical Group began partnering with organizations in other communities around the United States.

About Disney Theatrical Group

Disney Theatrical Group (DTG) operates under the direction of Thomas Schumacher and is among the world’s most successful commercial theatre enterprises, bringing live entertainment events to a global annual audience of more than 19 million people in more than 50 countries.  Under the Disney Theatrical Productions banner, the group produces and licenses Broadway musicals 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, and Newsies. Aladdin is its most recent Tony Award-winning Broadway hit; its most recent London production is the critically acclaimed comedy, Shakespeare In Love. Other successful stage musical ventures have included King David in concert, the national tour of On The Record, several touring versions of Disney’s High School Musical, and Der Glöckner Von Notre Dame in Berlin.  DTP has collaborated with the country’s leading regional theatres to develop new stage titles including Mary Zimmerman’s adaptation of The Jungle Book and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

 

Disney Theatrical Group also delivers live shows globally through its license to Feld Entertainment, producer of Disney on Ice and Disney Live!  For over 30 years, Disney on Ice and Disney Live! have brought beloved Disney stories and characters annually to over 12 million guests in nearly 50 countries worldwide through productions such as Frozen, Princesses & Heroes, Treasure Trove, and Disney Junior Live on Tour! Pirate & Princess Adventure.  In addition, DTG licenses musical titles for local, school and community theatre productions through Music Theatre International.

About Arts Education at NJPAC

NJPAC’s Arts Education offerings reach more than 60,000 students and families through live performances, in-school residency programs and arts training classes. These programs bring the joy of dance, music, theater and poetry directly to the classroom. Through innovative residencies, Teaching Artists create stimulating performing arts experiences that engage students’ imaginations and build self-confidence through positive self-expression. Residencies help students learn to work together and develop their creative independence.

In addition to NJPAC’s innovative In-School Programs, the Arts Center’s comprehensive Arts Education Department offers an Arts Training Program that helps students at every level learn the artistic and technical skills they need to study acting, dance, instrumental music, vocal music, and musical theater. NJPAC also presents a SchoolTime Performance Series, which introduces students and their families to a world of entertainment and culture. NJPAC’s Arts Education programs feature professional artists from a wide variety of traditions and performances of music, dance, storytelling, puppetry and more