Stage Writes
The Official Stage Rights Blog
JumpStart Theatre Poised to Introduce Musical Theatre Programs to Schools Across U.S.
Annie, The Lion King, Once on This Island, and Into the Woods will soon pop up in underserved schools thanks to a successful program based in Cincinnati, Ohio.
A local pilot program in Cincinnati, Ohio that helps fund and establish musical theatre programs in middle schools across the city is aiming to go nationwide.
Launched in 2015 as a joint partnership between the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) and the New York City-based Music Theatre International and iTheatrics, JumpStart Theatre provides training and support for educators working in underserved communities to stage student musicals in schools where theatre is not offered. Schools participating in the after-school program stage one musical per year.
The goal is for the school’s musical theatre program to reach a sustainable level by the time JumpStart Theatre funding and professional support end in three years.
The program is modeled after New York City’s hugely successful Broadway Junior Musical Theatre Program, which was founded in 2005.
Click here for the full article published on Playbill.com by Adam Hetrick and Betsy Kaplan on August 28, 2017.