Junior Theater Fest Renamed 'The FreddieG's' in Honor of Freddie Gershon

The Junior Theatre Fest will pay tribute to the leadership and dedication of Music Theatre International (MTI) Chairman Freddie Gershon by renaming its annual student awards for excellence in theater "The FreddieG's." In 1995, he created MTI Education, the first educational division in a major musical theater licensing firm, which over the past 15 years has literally transformed the marketplace for age appropriate performance material for young performers. During this year's festival, taking place January 15-17, composer Stephen Schwartz ('Wicked') will be on hand to celebrate Gershon's accomplishments within musical theatre.

The Junior Theater Festival is the world's largest musical theater festival dedicated to groups working with elementary and middle school students and is presented by Music Theatre International and is hosted and produced by iTheatrics and Atlanta's Theater of the Stars.  The 2010 Festival will be held at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, GA on January 15-17, 2010.

"The Junior Theater Festival celebrates innovation, enthusiasm, and collaboration," says McDonald. "It allows groups from across the country to show the many ways young people with different interests can work together as a creative team to tell a story musically. In turn, professionals from theater and education encourage teachers and students to achieve their personal best by offering them immediate feedback, support, and ideas." 

"The ultimate goal of the Junior Theater Festival is to celebrate and nurture the love of musical theater in young people," adds Manos.  "We believe that this exposure will help these students perform better in all areas of school and grow up to be more well rounded and productive citizens.  They will also be our artists and audiences of the future."

 

In other new announcements, the inaugural Junior Theater Festival Award honoring Advancement of Musical Theater for Young People will be presented to legendary musical theater composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell). Broadway performer and Talkin' Broadway radio host Seth Rudetsky will serve as a festival guest of honor and will lead a master class for festival attendees.  Rudetsky will also music direct the Junior Theater Festival All-Stars in a musical number for the award ceremonies. 

Drawing over 1500 attendees from nearly 50 schools and educational theater groups from across the United States and Canada, the Junior Theater Festival offers an enthusiastic environment for students and teachers to interact with thousands of others who share their passion for musical theater.  Each group performs a 15-minute selection of a musical for professional adjudication by a panel of distinguished theater professionals. In addition, both students and teachers participate in interactive workshops led by Broadway and West End professionals, gain from professional development, enjoy theatrical fellowship and attend a world-class professional production of Annie at the fabulous Fox Theatre. 

One of the most highly anticipated events of the festival is the Saturday Evening New Works Showcase in which selected groups perform first-look selections from soon to be available titles for all of the other festival attendees.  DisneyMusicals.com has generously agreed to sponsor the 2010 Showcase which is performed on the main stage with professional lighting and sound. 

One remarkable aspect of the Junior Theater Festival has been the support that it has received from the professional theater community.  Festivals have always included the opportunity for the students and teachers to interact with industry celebrities to share experiences that are timely and relevant.  These theater professionals volunteer their time and talent in support of the festival with the desire to make a difference in the lives of these young people at an impressionable age by exposing them to the joy of musical theater.

The first Junior Theater Festival was held in January of 2003 and featured the premieres of new MTI Education Broadway Junior titles Honk JR., Dear Edwina JR. and Godspell JR.  The 2005 festival featured celebrity guest Christy Carlson Romano and the world premiere of the Disney Collection of Musicals.  In 2007 the festival went international, and festival highlights included guest appearances by Zac Efron and American Idol's Michael Orland, plus the world stage premiere of Disney's High School Musical.  In 2009, Disney Theatrical Group President Thomas Schumacher was the keynote speaker with appearances by Broadway stars Henry Hodges, Jenifer Foote and Jenn Colella.  Starting in 2010, the festival will become an annual event.

FESTIVAL CO-HOST and CO-PRODUCER:   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 levels-including elementary, middle, and high school-to perform.  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 Music Theatre International, Disney Theatrical Group and McMillan/McGraw-Hill.  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. iTheatrics' Junior Teaching Intensives 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. 

FESTIVAL CO-HOST and CO-PRODUCER:  One of the oldest regional theaters in America, Atlanta's Theater of the Stars (TOTS) has produced and presented more than 750 productions in Atlanta, across the country and around the world. Founded in 1953, TOTS mounts lavish productions of new and classic musicals at affordable prices with the goal of expanding traditional audiences, enhancing the availability of quality family entertainment, and exposing new audiences to the magic of live theater.  TOTS is an active participant in the national theater community and is a founding member of the National Alliance for Musical Theater, the Independent Presenters Network and the Broadway League.  In 2009, TOTS celebrated the 50^th year of leadership from its producer, Chris Manos.

PRESENTING SPONSOR:  Music Theatre International (MTI), www.mtishows.com, is the leading theatrical licensing agency in the world, representing the performance rights to over 350 musicals.  MTI is particularly dedicated to the idea of theatre as education and has created special collections for younger audiences including The Broadway Junior Collection® which features 70-minute adaptations of major musicals designed for middle school children to perform, and the MTI KIDS Collection®, which provides 30-minute musicals for performance by elementary school children.  MTI recently launched MTI ShowSpace, www.mtishowspace.com - a free online community giving thespians and fans a space to connect with anyone and everyone involved in the theatrical process.

SHOWCASE SPONSOR:  DisneyMusicals.com is the official online home of the Disney Collection, which includes over 15 titles of KIDS, JR., and full-length stage shows available for production in schools and theatres.  From The Jungle Book KIDS to High School Musical JR. to Beauty and the Beast, the website includes an overview of each Disney musical, features photos and videos from licensed productions, answers questions about putting on a show and provides easy access to license applications.

Highlights of the Junior Theater Festival include:

Adjudication in Elementary, Middle, Academy/Senior and Debut Categories: In the spirit of celebration rather than competition, theater groups perform 15-minute selections from their current Broadway Junior or KIDS Collection productions for a panel of leaders in theater and education.  The panel will evaluate each group's music, acting, dance and overall performance. Each cast member will receive valuable feedback about their creativity, engagement in the performance, understanding of the material and connection to the lyrics and movement.  The adjudication categories are divided into four divisions: Elementary, Middle, Academy/Senior

and Debut (for groups making their first appearance at the festival) so that programs with similar objectives and resources can be in the same group.  The most joyful and student-driven performances will be celebrated with awards, and a select few groups will be invited to perform during the closing awards ceremony for their peers.

Technical Theater All-Stars: Each group attending the festiVal May nominate two students who will take a hands-on role in helping to run the festival's many theatrical events.  The young technical artists will take part in workshops designed to help develop their talents and will work side by side with seasoned professionals, ultimately serving on the technical crew for the awards ceremony.

Professional Educators' Workshops (for teachers attending the festival with students):  The Junior Theater Festival workshops empower teachers and professionals to present musicals in their community and offer educators the knowledge, skills and tools necessary to grow their program in every possible way.  The workshops focus on different aspects of putting on a show, including the "how to's" of starting a drama club, choreographing musical numbers and creating great-looking sets and costumes on any budget.  These workshops also serve as a professional exchange for teachers.

DisneyMusicals.com's New Works Showcase:  DisneyMusicals.com is sponsoring a special first-look performance of new musicals soon to be available for all Junior Theater Festival attendees.  Selected performance groups were among the first in the country to present a new title in their community and received an in-school residency with iTheatrics' teaching artists.  For the 2010 festival, Boothbay Region YMCA Junior Group from Boothbay Harbor, ME will present Disney's Aladdin KIDS, The BRAVO! program from Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School in Oak Park, IL will present The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley JR.; Harris County Carver Middle School of Hamilton, GA will present Disney's High School Musical 2 JR.; and Suwanee Performing Arts and DeKalb School of the Arts from metro Atlanta will perform Fame JR.

Professional Development (for teachers attending the festival without students): Teachers attending the Junior Theater Festival without performers may also take part in the iTheatrics Teaching Intensive Professional Development track with master teacher Cindy Ripley (named to the 2005 USA Today All-Star Teaching Team).  This series of intensive professional development courses has been created in association with The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, is sanctioned by the New York City Department of Education and has been presented at top performing arts centers all over the country.  Just as one can't create a musical sitting at a school desk, the iTheatrics Teaching Intensive is designed to be a full-immersion, hands-on experience addressing all elements of musical theater production. It gives educators the tools to create self-sustaining arts programs in their communities.  Furthermore, the series offers teachers a safe atmosphere to candidly discuss their own obstacles and solutions with each other and the iTheatrics staff.  

Spotlight on the Classics Showcase: The festival also pays tribute to classic Broadway musicals through its "Spotlight on the Classics" series in which an educational group performs a selection from a landmark musical for all festival attendees to enjoy.  This year, the Academy of Children's Theatre from Shreveport, LA will present Pirates of Penzance JR.

Student Workshops:  The festival's workshops and master classes inspire students to build skills that will have a positive impact on productions for years to come.  Topics include auditions, movement and making the most out of rehearsals.

All-Stars: One boy and one girl from each group attending the Junior Theater Festival will be selected to take part in an intensive theater workshop. These "All-Stars" will perform a group number at the awards ceremony music directed by Seth Rudetsky.

Choreography Video Casting:  The Broadway Junior scouts will be on the lookout for outstanding students who will be invited to audition for iTheatrics Resident Choreographer Steven G. Kennedy for future Broadway Junior DVD shoots.  This past summer, 20 students selected from the 2009 Junior Theater Festival worked with Kennedy to film "how-to" choreography DVDs for the musicals Disney's High School Musical 2 JR., Disney's Aladdin KIDS and The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley JR. in New York City.  These videos will be used in thousands of schools across the country.

Professional Production:  In the spirit of inspiring young people to perform, all festival attendees will attend a professional production of Annie at Atlanta's fabulous Fox Theatre.  Past shows have included Disney's Beauty and the Beast and the world stage premiere of Disney's High School Musical.

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