DISNEY MUSICALS IN SCHOOLS Puts Students In The Spotlight On The PPAC Stage On June 5, 2023

On June 5, 2023, 155 elementary students from Providence, Pawtucket and Central Falls, RI 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 one school in Providence, two schools in Pawtucket and one school in Central Falls. The 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. For the 2023 program, participating schools are Robert L. Bailey IV Elementary School in Providence, Curvin-McCabe Elementary School and Henry J. Winters School in Pawtucket, and Raíces Dual Language Academy in Central Falls.

The selected schools participated in a 17-week musical theater residency, led by a team of ten 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; these productions include The Jungle Book KIDS (Henry J. Winters Elementary School, Curvin-McCabe Elementary School and Robert L. Bailey IV Elementary School) and Aladdin KIDS (Raíces Dual Language Academy).

The Student Share Celebration on June 5 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 collaborating 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, and Winnie the Pooh.