Students to Perform at Providence Performing Arts Center at Disney Musicals in Schools Event

On June 3, 2024, 159 Rhode Island elementary school students from Central Falls, Cumberland, Warwick and Pawtucket 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.

This year, the grant from Disney enabled PPAC to offer the Disney Musicals In Schools program to three new elementary schools: Ella Risk Elementary School in Central Falls, Blackstone Valley Prep Elementary School 2 in Cumberland and Norwood Elementary School in Warwick.

Elizabeth Baldwin Elementary School in Pawtucket is returning to the program with a new teaching team. The Disney Musicals in School 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 selected schools participated in a 17-week musical theater residency, led by a team of eight teaching artists trained by PPAC and Disney Theatrical Group, at no cost. 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. Ella Risk Elementary School, Blackstone Valley Prep Elementary School 2 and Norwood Elementary School performed Finding Nemo KIDS and Elizabeth Baldwin Elementary School put on Frozen KIDS.

The Student Share Celebration on June 3 is the culmination of this year's program; each school will perform an excerpt from their productions. The Celebration will open with all Disney Musicals in Schools student participants performing the special production number “It 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 partnering 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, Winnie the Pooh and Finding Nemo.