THE BUSY BEES' GREAT ADVENTURE Made-in-Miami Musical Will Educate Kids About Environmental Conservation

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is buzzing about the new addition to the Center's Learning through the Arts program - THE BUSY BEES' GREAT ADVENTURE. Featuring all Miami-based creatives and cast, the original new musical centers around time-traveling, hip-hop performing honeybees on a quest to save the planet. 30,000 Miami-Dade elementary school students will be invited to experience this live theater initiative, for free, at the Arsht Center while learning about the importance of environmental conservation.

THE BUSY BEES' GREAT ADVENTURE is now in production and premieres in October 2023. This original new work was commissioned by the Arsht Center, was written by Miami-based playwright Ashlee K. Thomas with music by Nico Raimont and will be directed by musical theater educator Tanisha Cidel. The storyline follows four honeybees on a quest to save the planet once they learn about the threats to the environment, including their own possible extinction, and what actions can be taken to prevent our planet's destruction. The show is envisioned as an engaging lesson in environmental literacy, a topic close to home for Miami children who live in one of the most susceptible areas in the country. For most students, this will also be their first live theater experience at their local performing arts center. Everything, including the transporting of students to the Arsht Center, is provided free to schools and students through the generosity of Arsht Center supporters.

The show will be accompanied by state-aligned, arts-integrated curriculum created by a collaborative team from the Arsht Center and Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS). The Center will host free teacher workshops to share the curriculum with elementary school educators from across Miami-Dade County - enabling teachers to carry excitement from the theater production back to the classroom.

Students will be part of the creative process from the early stages. On May 2 and 3, students representing all 13 districts will be invited to preview portions of the musical and provide feedback, which will be incorporated into the finished musical, set to premiere for two weeks at the Arsht Center (October 2 -13, 2023).

For more information about the creative team, click here. The cast, which will consist entirely of South Florida-based actors, will be announced later this year.

THE BUSY BEES' GREAT ADVENTURE is made possible with the support of The Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation at The Miami Foundation, Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation, Anthony R. Abraham Foundation, MONAT Gratitude Foundation and Ocean Reef Community Foundation.

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