SMASH's MAKE A MUSICAL PROGRAM Announces Winning Schools for Fall Phase - 10 Winners and 20 Finalists

Ten schools across the nation have been selected for the second phase (Fall, 2012) of "NBC's 'Smash': Make a Musical." The philanthropic initiative, sponsored by NBC's hit musical drama series "Smash" and administered by iTheatrics' Junior Theater Project, works with under-served schools across the country to stage their own productions and implement self-sustaining theater programs.

Over 1,000 schools across the nation applied for the Fall 2012 (phase two) program and 30 finalists were selected by iTheatrics' Junior Theater Project. America cast over 250,000 votes for its favorites at makeamusical.org.

Phase one of "NBC's 'Smash': Make a Musical" launched in January of 2012 with 20 schools in 20 U.S. cities. These phase one schools are performing their first-ever musicals this May and June. Thanks to phase one of the "NBC's 'Smash': Make a Musical" initiative 640 hours of teacher training
has been completed, over 1,000 children are currently rehearsing their very first musical, over 13,000 children now have access to quality arts programs in their schools, and over 52,000 people will attend these school performances.

NBC's drama "Smash" celebrates its season finale on Monday, May 14th (10-11 p.m. ET) and stars Debra Messing, Katharine McPhee, Megan Hilty and Anjelica Huston, among others.

The Fall 2012 (phase two) "NBC's 'Smash': Make a Musical" winners are:

University High School in Los Angeles, CA
LaGrange High School in Lake Charles, LA
Vandercook Lake High School in Jackson, MI
Muskegon High School in Muskegon, MI
Green Hills School in Greendell, NJ
Teaneck Community Charter School in Teaneck, NJ
Big Beaver Falls Area Middle Schools in Beaver Falls, PA
Desert Wind Elementary School (K-8) in El Paso, TX
Ashland Middle School in Ashland, WI
Blennerhassett Middle School in Parkerburg, WV

Nationally recognized master theater teachers will travel to each of these 10 schools to lead two professional development workshops with teachers and students beginning in Fall 2012. These workshops take educators step-by-step through the process of producing their first-ever musical. Schools will be given the rights to produce a show from MTI's Broadway Junior(c) collection of musicals for student performances. At the completion of the program, each school will present multiple public performances of its show for the entire school and the greater community.

The 20 additional finalists will be awarded an MTI Broadway Junior Collection(c) "ShowKit" of resources designed to guide cast and crew through the production process, plus licensing rights to perform a musical.

The 20 additional "NBC's 'Smash': Make a Musical" Fall 2012 finalists are:

Conway Christian School in Conway, AR
Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, CA
Charles E. Hart Middle School, in Washington, DC
Haralson County Middle School in Tallapoosa, GA
Gary Corner College Prep in Chicago, IL
South Middle School in Brockton, MA
Ambrose Elementary School in Winchester, MA
Johnnycake Elementary School in Baltimore, MD
Flint Northwestern High School in Flint, MI
Confluence Academy Walnut Park in Saint Louis, MO
Hunter High School in Gastonia, NC
The Newcomers School in Greensboro, NC
Moreno Valley High School in Angel Fire, NM
The Global Learning Collaborative in New York, NY
Grover Cleveland High School in Ridgewood, NY
Lane Middle School in Portland, OR
Richard Allen Prepartory Charter School in Philadelphia, PA
A+ Academy in Dallas, TX
Ben Franklin Elementary in Wichita Falls, TX
Giaudrone Middle School in Tacoma, WA

The 20 original phase one (Spring, 2012) "NBC's 'Smash': Make a Musical" schools which are presenting their first-ever musicals in their community this May and June are:

Desert Sands Middle School in Phoenix, AZ
Middleton Street Elementary School in Huntington Park, CA
KIPP Bridge Charter School in Oakland, CA
Place Bridge Academy in Denver, CO
Renfroe Middle School in Decatur, GA
The University of Chicago Charter School Woodlawn Campus (UCW) in
Chicago, IL
Watertown Middle School in Boston, MA
Wheaton High School in Silver Spring, MD
Watershed High School in Minneapolis, MN
Brittany Woods Middle School in University City, MO
Leadership and Public Service High School in New York, NY
The Falcon Academy of Creative Arts in Mogadore, OH
Stroud High School in Stroud, OK
Trillium Charter School in Portland, OR
Independence Charter School in Philadelphia, PA
The Academy at Westinghouse in Pittsburgh, PA
W. H. Oliver Middle School in Nashville, TN
Trimble Tech High School in Fort Worth, TX
Sharpstown High School in Houston, TX
Morris E. Ford Middle School in Tacoma, WA

iTheatrics' Junior Theater Project is actively working to build 1,000 sustainable and cost-effective musical theater programs nationwide over the next five years. While this is the first time a program of this nature has been launched nationally, iTheatrics has been involved in similar city-specific projects for Music Theatre International and other organizations in the past. The project was originally developed by Music Theatre International with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., and was featured in the nationally televised PBS documentary "Children Will Listen." In 2005, the New York City Department of Education launched a special
program for New York City public schools titled The Shubert Foundation/Music Theatre International Broadway Junior Project, which to date has built 50 musical theater self-sustaining programs in underserved New York City middle schools with a 100 percent success rate.

"Smash" is a musical drama that celebrates the beauty and heartbreak of the Broadway theater as it follows a cross-section of dreamers and schemers who all have one common desire-to be a "Smash." The cast features Debra Messing, Anjelica Huston, Jack Davenport, Christian Borle, Megan Hilty, Katharine McPhee, Raza Jaffrey, Brian d'Arcy James and Jaime Cepero. The executive producers are Steven Spielberg, Theresa Rebeck, David Marshall Grant, Craig Zadan, Neil Meron, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

iTheatrics uses the transformative power of the arts to make the world a better place. The company adapts existing Broadway and West End musicals for students at all age-including elementary, middle and high school-to perform. In addition, iTheatrics also creates a teacher's tool chest of resources which provides educators with enhancements such as choreography DVDs,
accompaniment CDs, director's guides and curriculum connections. iTheatrics' clients include The Jim Henson Company, Music Theatre International, Disney Theatrical Group, the Roald Dahl Estate and McMillan/McGraw-Hill. Likewise, iTheatrics also develops new musicals for family audiences such as "The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley," "The Phantom Tollbooth" and "Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach." Junior Teaching Intensives from iTheatrics provide professional development for
teachers in the area of musical theater and its Junior Theater Academy provides young artists with an innovative outlet for developing their skills as performers and artists.