Educational Outreach ’10
When we first conceived the Festival, we believed that there was a major revival of musical theater beginning to happen in this country. We were right. We also believed that Southern California was a hotbed of creative and performing talents, just waiting to be discovered. We were right there as well. We have the talent and we have the interest on the part of the theaters, the schools and from the community to become a major source for new composers, lyricists, book writers, directors, producers, choreographers, dancers and performers. Already, we involved more than 5,000 of them in the ’08 and ’09 festivals with more scheduled for ’10.
Our priority is to expand that, to inspire and engage the creative and performing talents of the youth of Southern California to develop the new American musical theater of the future as well as the new audience for that theater.
THE ACADEMY FOR YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
In 2009, we created the Festival's Academy for Young Professionals, offering ongoing in-person training for high school and college age youth with top performers, composers, choreographers and casting directors. At the first session, a master class in vocal performance was taught by Stephen Schwartz. Faculty also included Amanda McBroom and Karen Morrow. That was followed by Academy II, "How To Write A Musical," in which three of today's top musical theater writers, Jeff Marx, Georgia Stitt and the team of Michael Weiner and Alan Zachary worked with budding young composing and writing talent on the basics of creating a show. Academy III, another performer's session features a faculty of Megan Hilty, director Richard Israel, casting director Michael Donovan and choregrapher Daniel Mojica. To enroll now for Academy III on Friday, August 27th click here.
MARQUEZ ELEMENTARY SCHOOL – Pacific Palisades
Last year we presented the remarkable American History Kids from Marquez Charter School in a performance of their pilgrim musical, Plymouth 2.0. This year, it’s their musical chronicling the civil rights movement, Carry On. We are working with UCLA’s education faculty to roll the entire amazing program out across Southern California and the nation. Also, they have been invited to perform Carry On in this Fall's New York Musical Theatre Festival.
This may be the only program of its type in America. UCLA recently did a research study which concludes that these kids retain twice as much knowledge of the history they've studied as the average 5th grade history class. And wait till you see sixty ten-year-olds on stage together singing and dancing. It's a great story and a remarkable new way of learning. All credit due to Jeff Lantos, 5th grade teacher, book writer, lyricist, his composer Bill Augustine and the faculty and staff of the school.
CHECK IT OUT!