What is Disney Musicals in Schools?
Disney Musicals in Schools is an after-school outreach program designed to help underserved schools produce a 30-minute Disney musical at your school with students in grades 3–5 with the help of weekly Playhouse Square’s Disney-trained teaching artist visits and materials at no cost to your school.
The program began at Disney Theatrical Group in New York City in 2009 and was established to create sustainable theater programs in under-resourced public elementary schools. Over 500 schools across the US and the UK have participated in this program since its inception, 28 of those schools in the Greater Cleveland Area through Playhouse Square. Playhouse Square has been a proud producer of Disney Musicals in Schools since 2015.
By providing free performance materials and free professional development to participating teachers, Disney Musicals in Schools has helped schools inspire the next generation of diverse storytellers, artists and audiences.
Program Overview
Playhouse Square will select four Cuyahoga, Lake, or Lorain County public elementary (including charter) schools to participate in this year’s Disney Musicals in Schools program. According to the Ohio Department of Education's 2013 Typology Report, schools must have a student poverty level of 50% or higher to qualify.
Selected Schools Will Receive
Free performance rights (valid for one year) to a 30-minute Disney KIDS musical of your choice! Available titles include:
- 101 Dalmatians
- Aladdin
- The Aristocats
- Finding Nemo
- Frozen
- The Jungle Book
- The Lion King
- Winnie the Pooh
Free “ShowKit” materials, including a director’s handbook guide, student scripts, online links to all choreography and music videos and tracks, and cross-curricular activities.
Free in-school support from a team of two Playhouse Square Disney-Trained Teaching Artists.
Two, 90-minute afterschool rehearsals are required every week for 19 weeks. Playhouse Square Teaching Artists attend one of these two rehearsals per week, while your team of teachers run the second rehearsal each week.
The Teaching Artists will serve as production and creative advisors, training and empowering your School Team to run the program independently by the end of the 19 weeks.
The Playhouse Square Teaching Artists will guide your School Team through production management (developing a rehearsal schedule, running auditions, and addressing technical and physical production requirements) and the creative execution of the show (direction, choreography, acting, and design). They will also advise your School Team on school and community engagement opportunities to support your production.
Disney KIDS Musicals are designed to be produced on any budget. Playhouse Square Teaching Artists will work with your School Team to create a production within the budget your school can allocate to this project.
Finally, our four selected Disney schools will present one musical number from their respective productions in a culminating “Student Share Celebration” at Playhouse Square. This year’s Student Share will take place on March 11, 2024, and we encourage new applicants to join us! Please get in touch with Katelyn Merold for details on how to RSVP!