Five New Seattle-Area Schools Tapped for Disney Musicals in Schools 2017-18

Seattle Theatre Group has announced five new Seattle-area schools that have been selected to participate in its fourth annual Disney Musicals in Schools program.

The program is an education initiative developed by Disney Theatrical Productions to create sustainable theater programs in under-resourced elementary schools.

The five newly selected schools to receive a free 17-week musical theater program are Tukwila Elementary (Tukwila School District), Frank Wagner Elementary (Monroe School District),Hawthorne Elementary (Seattle School District), Mark Twain Elementary (Federal Way School District), and Cascade Elementary (Renton School District). This is the first time Monroe, Renton, Tukwila, and Federal Way school districts will be participating in the program.

Disney Musicals in Schools fosters a strong community and key skills for students while strengthening school arts programming and an appreciation of the arts within schools. Each participating school will perform their selected 30-minute Disney KIDS musical at their school and receive a free performance license to the musical; free ShowKit materials including a director's guide, student scripts, cross-curricular activities, accompaniment and guide vocal CDs, and a choreography DVD; free in-school support from a team of two STG teaching artists; and participation in the Student Share Celebration event at The Paramount Theatre in April 2018. Through the program, classroom teachers gain the training and skills to put on their first school musical and continue the tradition for years to come.

This will be the fourth year STG will participate in the program after being selected by Disney Theatrical as an affiliate in March 2014.

The alumni schools also participating this year are:

Year 2 schools - Madrona Elementary (Highline School District), Madrona K-8 (Seattle School District), Robert Frost Elementary (Lake Washington School District), and Dunlap Elementary (Seattle School District)

Year 3 schools - Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary (Seattle School District), South Shore PK-8 (Seattle School District), and McMicken Heights Elementary (Highline School District)

Year 4 schools - Van Asselt Elementary (Seattle School District), Emerson Elementary (Seattle School District), and West Seattle Elementary (Seattle School District)

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.

Disney Musicals in Schools was launched in 2010 in response to Disney Theatrical Production'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 Productions 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, Cinderella, The Jungle Book, The Lion King, and Winnie the Pooh.

DTP operates under the direction of Thomas Schumacher and is among the world's most successful commercial theatre enterprises, bringing live entertainment events to a global annual audience of more than 19 million people in more than 50 countries. Under theDisney Theatrical Productions banner, the group produces and licenses Broadway productions around the world, including Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Elton John & Tim Rice's Aida, TARZAN®, Mary Poppins, a co-production with Cameron Mackintosh, The Little Mermaid, Peter and the Starcatcher, Newsies, and Aladdin. Frozen, based on the Academy Award®-winning film, will open on Broadway in 2018. Other successful stage musical ventures have included the Olivier-nominated London hit Shakespeare in Love,stage productions of Disney's High School Musical, Der Glöckner Von Notre Dame in Berlin, and King David in concert. DTP has collaborated with the country's leading regional theatres to develop new stage titles including The Jungle Book, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Freaky Friday.

Disney Theatrical Productions also delivers live shows globally through its license to FeLD Entertainment, producer of Disney on Ice and Disney Live! For over 30 years, Disney on Ice and Disney Live! have brought beloved Disney stories and characters annually to over 12 million guests in nearly 50 countries worldwide, through productions such as Marvel Universe Live! and Frozen, the most well attended and highest grossing Disney on Iceproduction to date. In addition, DTP licenses musical titles for local, school and community theatre productions through Music Theatre International, including The Lion King Experience, a unique holistic arts education program wherein accredited elementary and middle schools produce condensed, age-appropriate JR. and KIDS adaptations of The Lion King.

MTI is one of the world's leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting theatres from around the world the rights to perform the greatest selection of musicals from Broadway and beyond. Founded in 1952 by composer Frank Loesser and orchestrator Don Walker, MTI is a driving force in advancing musical theatre as a vibrant and engaging art form.

MTI works directly with the composers, lyricists, and book writers of these musicals to provide official scripts, musical materials, and dynamic theatrical resources to over 70,000 professional, community and school theatres in the US and in over 60 countries worldwide.

MTI is particularly dedicated to educational theatre, and has created special collections to meet the needs of various types of performers and audiences. MTI's Broadway Junior™ shows are 30- and 60-minute musicals for performance by elementary and middle school-aged performers, while MTI's School Editions are musicals annotated for performance by high school students.

STG's mission is to make diverse performing arts and education an integral part of the region's cultural identity while keeping three historic venues, The Paramount, Moore and Neptune, alive and vibrant. STG presents a range of performances from Broadway, off-Broadway, dance and jazz, to comedy, concerts of all genres, speakers and family shows - at these three iconic theatres in Seattle and venues throughout the Puget Sound region and in Portland, Oregon. For more information visit stgpresent.org.

STG Education and Community Programs extend beyond the Paramount, Moore and Neptune Theatre stages and into the lives of the greater Seattle community. Each season, STG offers over 150 education programs impacting over 40,000 students and community members from diverse ages and backgrounds. These programs deepen significance to performances through opportunities to engage with artists, inspire youth and local artists through training and performance opportunities, and provide exposure to the arts through access initiatives. For more information, visit stgpresents.org/education.

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