Segerstrom Center for the Arts, in collaboration with Disney Theatrical Productions, has brought its Disney Musicals in Schools program to four additional Title I public elementary schools during the 2018-2019 school year. Disney Musicals in Schools is a 17-week musical theater residency that culminates with a 30-minute Disney KIDS musical.
This year, each school selected “The Jungle Book KIDS” for their productions. The four schools include: Heideman Elementary (Tustin); Las Lomas Elementary (La Habra); Walt Disney Elementary (Anaheim); and Newhope Elementary (Santa Ana).
The Center will host a Student Share Celebration on Thursday, March 7, when each school will perform a scene from their show in the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall for an audience of classmates, teachers, relatives and friends.
Now in the fifth year of its partnership with Disney Theatricals Productions, the Center has brought the program to 20 schools in Orange County. Disney Musicals in Schools is designated to create sustainable musical theater programs in public elementary schools. School teams are provided with the training and tools necessary to support student productions and empower them to continue keeping musical theater programs alive for years to come.
The schools receive performance rights, educational support materials and guidance from professional Segerstrom Center for the Arts teaching artists. All at no charge.
Through Disney Musicals in Schools, nearly 3,000 students and more than 100 school team members have worked together to keep arts alive in their Orange County schools. The Center is pleased to announce that all previous schools are continuing to offer musical theater education programs throughout the school year. They include: Las Positas Elementary (La Habra), Riverdale Elementary (Garden Grove), Mattie Lou Maxwell Elementary (Anaheim), Santiago Elementary (Santa Ana), Agnes Ware Stanley Elementary (Garden Grove), Ethan B. Allen Elementary (Fountain Valley), San Juan Elementary (San Juan Capistrano), Westmont Elementary (Westminster), Adelaide Price Elementary (Anaheim), Eisenhower Elementary (Garden Grove), Rea Elementary (Costa Mesa) and Hill Elementary (Garden Grove), James Madison Elementary (Santa Ana), Sequoia Academy Elementary (Westminster), Faylane Elementary (Garden Grove), and Esther L. Walter Elementary (Anaheim).
Disney Musicals in Schools is an initiative developed by Disney Theatrical Productions to create ongoing theater programs in local elementary schools. The programs are completely free to participating schools.
Disney Musicals in Schools helps to keep the arts in schools and utilities the unique world of musical theater to build positive relationships between students, faculty, staff, parents and the community.
Students work in teams to develop or restore self-confidence, strengthen communication and collaboration skills all while learning and enjoying the process of creating a Disney musical theater production.
Disney Musicals in Schools was launched in response to Disney Theatrical Production’s concern that under-resourced students in public schools were not afforded equitable access to the arts. After successfully offering the program in New York City schools, Disney Theatrical Production began partnering with organizations in other communities around the United States.
