The Tennessee Performing Arts Center has been named one of the first recipients of an after-school creativity grant from Disney.  The $75,000 award will be used to develop sustainable theatre programs in Metro Nashville Public Schools, building on work that began when TPAC was selected as the first organization outside of New York City to offer the Disney Musicals in Schools outreach program.

“Disney’s grant allows us to expand Disney Musicals in Schools, an endeavor of TPAC Education, to children at no cost to them,” said Kathleen O’Brien, TPAC president and Chief Executive Officer, noting that TPAC has delivered arts education for three decades, from pre-school through high school, by subsidizing student participation in its annual curriculum-based season for young people. “We’ve trained and placed teaching artists in schools.  We’ve provided educators with free guidebooks, training, and resources. We’ve seen that arts education engages children in all subjects and crosses cultural and academic borders. You can imagine how energizing and encouraging it is for us to partner with Disney Theatrical Group to create musicals in Metro Nashville Schools—a new, totally different, and very exciting opportunity for our community.”

The grant helps to expand the current after-school program and set the stage for significant growth in the 2012-13 school year.

Disney Musicals in Schools was launched in response to Disney Theatrical Group’s (DTG) concern that low-income students in urban, public schools were not afforded equitable access to the arts. After two years of the program thriving in New York City Schools, DTG announced its plan to select a performing arts organization for the launch of Disney Musicals in Schools in a community outside of New York.  TPAC Education was selected for that pilot.

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Come learn from the iTheatrics team at a Broadway Junior Teaching Intensive!

Now offered in TWO locations:

Atlanta, GA – June 22-23

OR

New York, NY – July 27-29

Join Broadway Junior’s Timothy Allen McDonald, Broadway Junior Resident Choreographer Steven G. Kennedy, and Broadway Junior Director’s Guide Authors and Master Teachers Marty Johnson and Cynthia Ripley for a weekend you won’t soon forget! The Workshop Fee Includes:

• Workshops with the creators and writers of the Broadway Junior materials

• A seat at an invitation only reading of a new Broadway Junior Collection title

• Comprehensive Junior Teaching Intensive workbooks

Whether you are a seasoned pro, or you’re just getting started, you will acquire new skills, learn best practices and walk away energized and ready to tackle any musical theater challenge that comes your way.

Register Today: Junior Teaching Intensive 2012

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THE FIX is In!

by EllaRC on May 15, 2012

in Show Spotlight,The Fix

One of the great things about the MTI catalogue is that it often feels like there is a musical for every occasion, and the 2012 election cycle is no exception. THE FIX, a musical satire from John Dempsey and Dana P. Rowe, is a modern, crackling, and incisive commentary on the state of American politics.

When a prominent politician dies, under less than honorable circumstances (he was in bed with his mistress), his wife, VIOLET teams up with her crippled brother-in-law, GRAHAME to get her slacker son, CAL, to take his father’s spot. Despite his initial resistance, Cal gets caught up in his new powerful role. He rejects Grahame and Violet’s attempts to control him and make him the candidate they want him to be. However, he doesn’t actually know what he’s doing. His whirlwind road into politics is filled with deceit, sex scandals, blackmail and drug abuse. (Sound familiar?) When Cal finally realizes his life and his campaign have spun too far out of control, he tells the press that mobster ANTHONY GLIARDI is a crook, rather than lying and telling them he’s not, as Gliardi had asked. This gets Cal and his mistres, TINA, shot by Gliardi. The haunting ending to the piece is not one of redemption, but rather signals a continuation of the cycle of power and greed in politics, as Cal’s son is pushed into the limelight to follow in his footsteps. Part tabloid, part Manchurian Candidate, this wholly original piece keeps audiences on the edge of their seats. For a fully synopsis of THE FIX, click here.

In a time when many Americans, regardless of party or affiliation, are disenchanted with politics and politicians, THE FIX really hits home. Its infectious rock score and well-told, cautionary story resonate against the backdrop of actual news stories that seem as startling as the fiction in the show. Evidence of this resonance can be found in Long Beach, California at the International City Theatre, where THE FIX is currently running with rave reviews. Audience and press alike are responding to the production, as a review on Life In LA put it: “If you’re tired of hearing about the candidates’ empty promises as they travel the country campaigning – or even if you just love a good story with wit and relevance – go see “The Fix”.”

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No last row of the second balcony for these kids.

The students in the Shubert Foundation/MTI Broadway Junior/New York City Department of Education program get first-class seats. At a Wednesday matinee of How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying, those from Middle Schools 61 and 634 from Brooklyn and Soundview Academy in the Bronx are not merely in the orchestra section. Some are as close as the second row at this Great Big Broadway Show. As a result, they can see the performers’ facial expressions – including the large smile on the face of star Nick Jonas.

He’s playing J. Pierrepont Finch, who, in just two hours and 45 minutes, will rise from a window washer to chairman of the board of World Wide Wickets. That means leapfrogging over president J.B. Biggley (Beau Bridges) and his terribly jealous nephew Bud Frump (Michael Urie). Along the way, Finch will fit in a bit of romance with attractive secretary Rosemary Pilkington (Rose Hemingway).

The kids laughed at seeing close-up Jonas’ ever-so-1960’s plaid madras jacket — just as their future grandchildren will someday chortle over what they’re wearing today. But as close as the kids have been to Jonas, they’ll eventually be even closer. Just before he starts singing “I Believe in You,” Jonas ascends on an elevator from the orchestra pit. “I can almost touch him!” squeals a young girl who couldn’t believe her good fortune.

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NBC’s ‘SMASH’ MAKE A MUSICAL’s 2nd Visit – Trillium Charter School, Portland

May 9, 2012

Trillium Charter School Portland, OR Reported by: Marty Johnson, Director of Education, iTheatrics April 6, 2012 It’s so great to walk into a room and have a group of middle school students run up and start telling you about all the cool things they have been doing during rehearsals for their musical, BUGSY MALONE JR. [...]

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NBC’s ‘SMASH’ MAKE A MUSICAL’s 2nd Visit – Independence Charter School, Philadelphia

May 8, 2012

Independence Charter School Philadelphia, PA Reporter: Cindy Ripley, iTheatrics Senior Education Associate, Resident Master Teacher April 12, 2012 When you work on a musical you often begin to see the cast as your second family. And the folks at Independence Charter School in downtown Philadelphia really have become a family. Independent Charter School serves students [...]

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AMERICA CASTS 10 SCHOOLS FOR FALL 2012 NBC’s ‘SMASH’: MAKE A MUSICAL PROGRAM

May 7, 2012

10 Schools Win Grand Prize of Full Mentorship Program to Build Self-Sustaining Musical Theater Programs in Schools 20 Additional Finalists Receive Rights and Materials to Perform a Broadway Junior© Show for their Entire Community Dreaming big has paid off for 10 schools across the nation which have been selected for the second phase (Fall, 2012) of [...]

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Seven Brides for Seven Brothers – A Wholesome, Family-Friendly Musical to Showcase Your Dancers!

May 7, 2012

Are you looking for a traditional musical with lots of opportunities for fabulous choreography?   Then look no further than SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS… SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS is a lively Dance show adapted from the iconic and innovative MGM film.  Wholesome, family-friendly and now available in a new version (updated in 2007 from [...]

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NBC’s ‘SMASH’ MAKE A MUSICAL’s 2nd Visit -Ford Middle School, Seattle

May 4, 2012

Ford Middle School Tacoma, WA Reported by: Marty Johnson, Director of Education, iTheatrics April 13, 2012 As a student, you can’t wait for spring break to have a week off from school.  As the director of the school musical, you enjoy your week off but are really worried the students might forget everything they learned [...]

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Filichia Features: The Fantastic Musical

May 4, 2012

Sports fans mark May 3 as the day Joltin’ Joe Di Maggio (and future Mr. Marilyn Monroe) made his major league debut with the New York Yankees in 1936. Historians will tell you that May 3 was the day that Washington, D.C. became incorporated as a city. But to musical theater enthusiasts, May 3 means [...]

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