Disney Musicals in Schools Information Form

Heard about Disney Musicals in Schools and looking for more information?

We're happy to come out and meet with you, other teachers at your school and your principal. Complete the information below and we will contact you to schedule a time to meet and tell you about this exciting program.

For more information, please visit overturecenter.org/DMIS.

For questions, please contact Karra Beach - kbeach@overture.org.

Disney Musicals in Schools is designed to:

Teach a team of teachers & staff at your school to direct, music direct, choreograph and stage manage a 30-minute Disney KIDS or 60-min Disney JR musical.
- After the residency with Overture's teaching artists, school staff and teachers will be able to confidently take the lead year after year.

The Basics:

Preparation Year (optional): Some schools want to start slow, opting for our 4-week (8 rehearsal) plan. Each rehearsal is led by a pair of teaching artists with teachers and staff playing alongside the students. By the end of the 4 weeks, your students will have one number to perform and a lot of confidence and excitement built for the following year.
- We recommend recruiting a group of parents to form a Theater Booster Club. This club can assist your school team by organizing and hosting fundraisers for your show, assisting with parent communications and even planning a cast party.

Year 1: A school team of 4 teachers/staff work with two Overture teaching artists to produce your school's first musical. For elementary schools, this residency is 17-weeks with two 90-minute rehearsals per week. The middle school residency requires more flexibility because of late dismissal times, but we recommend a 23-week schedule with four rehearsals per week*. At the start of these residencies, teaching artists take the lead and then gradually step back as the teachers and staff become confident in their roles as director, music director, choreographer or stage manager. By the end of the residency, teachers and staff will have developed the skills necessary to support student performance (on and off-stage) for a full 30-minute Disney KIDS or 60-minute Disney JR musical.
- Each spring near the end of the school year, participating elementary schools are invited to perform one song from their show on the Capitol Theater stage in Overture Center at the Disney Musicals in Schools Student Share.
- Participating middle schools are invited to a one-day mini-theater festival with workshops for students that ends with a Showcase performance where each school performs one number from their show on stage in the Capitol Theater.

*Middle school residency and rehearsal schedules are dependent on academic schedule, daily dismissal times, and availability of end-of-day student transportation and are customized for each school.

Year 2 & Beyond: While teaching artist residencies are only for the first year, Overture Center continues to support teacher and staff learning by hosting annual workshops designed for elementary and middle school teachers and staff producing theater. In Years 2 and 3, schools continue to receive generous discounts on licensing and materials to help programs grow and thrive.

In their first year of the program, selected schools will receive:

A Free performance license to a 30-minute Disney KIDS or a 60-minute JUNIOR musical (KIDS productions are designed for elementary school aged performers; JUNIOR productions are designed for middle school aged performers).
Free ShowKit materials, including a director’s guide, student scripts, cross-curricular activities, accompaniment and guide vocal CDs, and a choreography DVD.

A Free video license for each school.

Free in-school support (1 rehearsal per week for elementary schools and up to 2 rehearsals per week for middle schools) from a team of two Overture Center for the Arts Teaching Artists.
- The Teaching Artists will serve as production and creative advisors who will train and empower the School Team to run the program themselves by the end of the program (17-weeks for elementary schools; 22-weeks for middle schools).
- The Teaching Artists will guide the School Team through both production management (developing a rehearsal schedule, running auditions, and addressing technical and physical production requirements), and the creative execution of the show (direction, choreography, acting, and design). They will also advise the School Team on school and community engagement opportunities.
- Disney KIDS & JUNIOR Musicals are designed to be produced on any budget. Teaching Artists will work with selected School Teams to create a production within the budget the school is able to allocate to this project.
In addition to the final school performances, participants will also perform a selection from their school’s selected musical at Overture Center for the Arts at the Student Share Celebration or Middle School Showcase. Transportation reimbursement will be provided for participating schools.
After the first year of the program, additional tiered ongoing support is offered to schools in years 2 and 3. The program is set up to be a sustainable model that trains and prepares schools to continue to produce a musical for at least three years, though we hope it becomes an integral part of your school.

Requirements for Selected Schools:

Elementary Schools: Produce a 30-minute Disney KIDS musical involving 3rd-5th graders both on and off stage.
Middle Schools: Produce a 60-minute Disney JUNIOR musical involving 6th - 8th graders both on and off stage.
Have ongoing support from principal and after-school site director.
Identify a School Team comprising of at least three, but no more than six, teachers and staff members who will oversee and manage the program from beginning to end. Having at least one School Team member who is an arts specialist (of any discipline) is highly recommended, but not mandatory.
Commit to a full semester of rehearsal /production in an after-school setting (see timeline).
School Team must commit to attend an orientation session with staff and teaching artists from Overture Center for the Arts in late fall.
Host a site visit for the selection team during the application process.
Provide space, time, materials, and resources for students and the School Team to rehearse and prepare for the musical production.
Provide a production budget for resources and materials for the production of the show (costumes, etc.). These can be as simple or elaborate as the school wants.
Provide opportunities for the whole school to be connected to the production.
Involve parents and the larger community in the mounting of the production.
Hold a minimum of one public performance of the musical.
Participate in Overture Center for the Arts' Disney Musicals in Schools Student Share event.

Financial Commitment

Overture Center for the Arts and Disney Theatrical Group will provide performance rights, ShowKit materials, and onsite Teaching Artist support at no charge to selected schools. Selected schools will be responsible for a production budget. Disney KIDS and JUNIOR Musicals are designed to be produced inexpensively, and have been successfully mounted within a budget of $300-$1500. Teaching Artists will work to maximize the school’s production budget by advising on the use of reclaimed and existing materials, such as cardboard boxes and tee-shirts brought from home. Any additional costs, such as students enrolling through an after-school program and/or any out-of-school time that teachers and faculty work, will be the school’s responsibility.

General Timeline

FEB: Applications available to all elementary schools

MAR-APR: School site visits

DEC: School Orientation at Overture Center from 4:00-7:00 pm.

JAN: Rehearsals and onsite support from Teaching Artists begin

APR-MAY: School Performances

MAY: Student Share Celebration at Overture Center for the Arts

Name

First NameLast Name

Role at your school/Grades or classes you teach

School Name

Type of School

Phone Number

Area CodePhone Number

E-mail

What is the best way to communicate with you?

Phone callEmail

Best way to meet connect with you?

In-person meeting at my schoolVirtual meetingOther

School Phone Number

Area CodePhone Number

Principal Name

First NameLast Name

Principal E-mail

Best day(s)/time(s) to meet with you:

Have you talked to your Principal about this program yet?

YesNoOther

Number of students who would participate in the program:

In order to participate in this program there are rehearsal time requirements for each school.

For ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS: Host a minimum of 3 hours worth of rehearsals per week (two 90-minute rehearsals), one rehearsal each week will be with Teaching Artists.

For MIDDLE SCHOOLS: Host a minimum of 6 hours of rehearsals per week (three 2-hour rehearsals) for 22 weeks. Two rehearsals each week will be with Teaching Artists.

These rehearsals may be held during school hours or after school. All participating students must be available for the rehearsal times every week.

How many hours per week will you commit to rehearsal time?

Does your school have an auditorium or similar space?

If no, where will rehearsals and the performance occur?

Is the auditorium available for all rehearsals and the performance?

Please list and describe any current after-school programming you may have at your school.

Space is sometimes limited - will your team need to share the rehearsal space during rehearsals with another program?

YesNoUnsure

Please list and describe any performances and/or galleries your school produces each year.

Which days and times can you commit for your two weekly 90 minute rehearsals?

How would you use Disney Musicals in schools to develop an ongoing tradition of musical theater at your school?

Why is it important for your students to have access to the performing arts?

Please list your free and reduced lunch rate eligibility percentage and/or your Title I status.

Disney Musicals in Schools requires time, effort and collaboration from the school faculty participating in the program, and from the school's leadership team. What steps will your School Team take to ensure the success of the program? How will the school's administration support the program?

How would you use Disney Musicals in Schools to fulfill the learning goals of your school? How would you use the program to support your current arts programs or enhance your non-arts curriculum?

An important component of this program is collaborating with families and your community. How will you engage families and/or community during this process?

Describe the culture of communication and collaboration in your school.

What is unique about your school, your students, or your community that makes Disney Musicals in Schools the right program for you?

To aid us in scheduling our site visits for selected schools, please tell us about dates we should avoid (days off, testing dates, etc).

What questions do you have for us about the program?

How did you hear about Disney Musicals in Schools?

Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your school, students or staff?

Please Check that you agree.*

Our Principal fully supports this program and has approved this application.The School Team understands the after-school commitment needed.We understand the school requirements of Disney Musicals in Schools.We read and understand the "FINANCIAL COMMITMENT" section in this application.

Please List the members of your School Team, including their grade level and/or content specialty.