First Junior Theatre Festival West to be Held in Sacramento in 2017

iTheatrics, the Junior Theater Group and the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) will collaborate on the first-ever Junior Theater Festival West (JTF West), February 10-12, 2017 in Sacramento, CA (#JTFWest), it was announced today by Timothy Allen McDonald, founding chairman of iTheatrics and the Junior Theater Group and Julie Theobald, EdTA Executive Director.

JTF West will bring students, teachers and Broadway professionals together to celebrate outstanding student theater productions and the transformative power of theater. The Junior Theater Group will produce JTF West, iTheatrics will provide educational supervision, and EdTA will provide programming exclusively for Junior Thespian troupes. iTheatrics and the Junior Theater Group will continue to produce the annual Junior Theater Festival held every Martin Luther King JR. weekend in Atlanta, GA (#JTFATL). JTF West's title sponsors are Music Theatre International (MTI), Disney Theatrical Group, and Playbill, Inc..

Says McDonald, "To me, this JTF West partnership personifies communication, collaboration, creative thinking and the other life skills that we all learn by being part of a musical. iTheatrics has had the pleasure of collaborating with EdTA on the JumpStart Theatre pilot and other programs over the years, and now we're pooling our strengths to create something truly remarkable together."

Theobald says, "By collaborating with iTheatrics, we will bring our middle school members, called Junior Thespians, and their teachers a whole new level of education, experience and excitement. By establishing a new west coast location together, we broaden access for students to benefit from rigorous workshops, focused performance adjudications for groups, and opportunities to work with professional artists of the highest caliber."

McDonald adds, "It is such an honor to spend an entire weekend collaborating with people who share a love of and dedication to theater. Our 2016 Junior Theater Festival this past January had 5,800 participants representing 115 theater groups from 28 states, Australia, Korea and New Zealand. It didn't matter if it was a Broadway star who performed on our stage or a student in her first production, each one of us left inspired and changed for the better. The Junior Theater Festival has come to the point at which more groups apply than we can accept. It is time to launch JTF West and we are delighted to have the perfect partner with which to do it."

Exclusive Day of Programming for Junior Thespians - During the day of Friday, February 10, JTF West will offer programming including Junior Individual Events and other Thespian activities exclusively for Troupes of Junior Thespians (middle school students) who are members of the International Thespian Society, operated by EdTA. Students will present a variety of works such as scenes, monologues, solos, group musical numbers and technical theatre portfolios.

Launch of JTF West - On Friday evening, February 10, the festival kicks off for all registered groups including Junior Thespian Troupes, as well as other school and community theater groups with elementary, middle and high school performers.

JTF West events on Saturday and Sunday - In the spirit of collaboration, students will present 15 minutes from a musical in Music Theatre International's Broadway JuniorTM library of titles for adjudication by a panel of leaders in education and theater. They will receive feedback on their connection to the material, story-telling, movement, music, acting and ensemble work.

Students and teachers will also take part in professional development and workshops honing skills on and offstage. They will attend a full concert performed by a leading actor or actress, preview new shows, and hear the next generation of composer and artists talk candidly about their experiences.

Most importantly they will have the opportunity to connect with hundreds of fellow educators, students and working artists who share their passion for theater.

To post a comment, you must register and login.