(NEWARK, NJ) -- Jersey City, East Orange, and Newark schools have collaborated to create an original musical production about women empowerment and fake friends called Flip The Script.  The show will take place on Friday, June 2 at 3:00pm in The Chase Room at New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark.

Flip the Script, an original musical, tells the story of a 9th grader by the name of Jenna Michaels, who is determined to follow her dreams of making the high school football team. On her journey she discovers who her true friends are and who they are not.

The Johnny Mercer Foundation (JMF) and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) Musical Theater Residency Program began their introduction to the magic of musical theater March 1. The residency was provided free to five schools, which met twice a week for 20 sessions. During these sessions, students learned the diverse history of the American musical, as well as the creation process of a new musical, including lyric writing, rehearsing and performing. The students developed their creativity, self-confidence, and ability to tell their own story through the medium of the American musical. Each class created sections of the joint musical, which was culminated in a full, collaborative show.

The residencies help schools meet their curricular goals; NJPAC’s education programs are developed in accordance with the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards.

The program serves tier one middle schools located in Newark, East Orange and Jersey City. This curriculum is based on the Erin Layton/Georgia State University curriculum supported by The Johnny Mercer Foundation.

The mission of the Johnny Mercer Foundation (JMF) is to support the discipline of songwriting in the tradition of the Great American Songbook as exemplified by the life and work of the legendary Johnny Mercer: lyricist, composer, performer, collaborator and producer.  The Foundation continues Johnny’s legacy by partnering with individuals and organizations dedicated to celebrating and nourishing the disciplines he mastered and the causes he and his wife Ginger Mercer championed. JMF has created a number of dynamic creative joint ventures with several prestigious institutions to facilitate our goals including; the Johnny Mercer Writers Colony at Goodspeed Musicals, Accentuate The Positive Programs (New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Miami), The Musical Theater Program at NJPAC, Georgia State University Fellowship Program, Florida International University Fellowship Program, the Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project with Northwestern University and the Johnny Mercer Archives at Georgia State University, In addition, JMF also supports various charitable causes including UCLA’s Art of The Brain, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (Mark Taper and Johnny Mercer Artists Program) and Braille Institute (Johnny Mercer Children and Adult Choirs). 

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located One Center Street in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is among the largest performing arts centers in the United States and is the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey - where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the State's and the world's best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted more than 10 million visitors (including over 1.5 million children) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents.