Applications Now Available For Disney Musicals In Schools Program

Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma was awarded a grant from Disney to bring the Disney Musicals in Schools program to Oklahoma City Public Schools. The program, in its second year at Lyric, is a free initiative developed by Disney Theatrical Productions to create sustainable theater programs in under-resourced elementary schools. Lyric Theatre will select five area public elementary schools to participate during the 2019-2020 school year.

The selected schools will participate in a 17-week musical theater residency, led by a team of teaching artists trained by Lyric Theatre and Disney Theatrical Productions, at no cost. Each school will receive performance rights, education support materials and guidance from the teaching artists. The program features a professional development focus, through which participating school teachers partner with Lyric teaching artists to learn how to produce, direct, choreograph and music direct, culminating in their first 30-minute Disney KIDS musical at their school. As a capstone to the experience, Lyric Theatre will host a Student Share Celebration in which each school performs one number from their show on the Civic Center Music Hall stage in downtown Oklahoma City for an audience of students, teachers, family, and community members.

Using the unique world of musical theater, Disney Musicals in Schools helps to foster positive relationships between students, faculty, staff, parents, and the community. Students and teachers work in teams, developing the wide spectrum of skills needed when producing a piece of musical theater, including: critical thinking, problem solving, ensemble building, communication, self-confidence, and interpersonal skills.

"Lyric has had a wonderful relationship with Disney Theatrical Group over the years and this new program promises to have the greatest impact on our community," said Michael Baron, Lyric's producing artistic director. "By helping put artists into the Oklahoma City Public elementary schools, Disney and Lyric are providing much needed arts programming to the children and teachers of Oklahoma City. This program will inspire creativity and innovation in the classroom and celebrate how the arts help kids learn in every subject by keeping them engaged and focused. Most importantly, the students and teachers will be able to share, with newfound confidence, their progress with parents and guardians at the wonderful production the students have created. Thank you to Disney Theatricals for their investment in the future of arts and learning in Oklahoma!

Applications for the program are now available at www.LyricTheatreOKC.org.

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, The Aristocats, Frozen, The Jungle Book, The Lion King, and Winnie the Pooh.

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