PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — More than 70 kids took to the Walnut Street Theatre stage for the first time today, thanks to a special partnership with Disney Musicals in Schools.<\/p>\n
Our Alicia Vitarelli had the honor of emceeing their annual student share celebration, where two schools showed off numbers from their Disney KIDS productions.<\/p>\n
It’s all thanks to a special partnership between the historic theater and Disney Musicals in Schools.<\/p>\n
“This is now our eighth year in partnership with Disney, and it’s been a fantastic program to bring sustainable musical theater to all of our kids in the School District of Philadelphia,” says TJ Sokso, the Director of Education at the Walnut Street Theatre.<\/p>\n
Two local schools were selected this year, and given all of the tools and teaching artists from the Walnut Street Theatre, to put on a Disney musical.<\/p>\n
Hamilton Disston Elementary in Northeast Philadelphia chose The Jungle Book KIDS!<\/p>\n
“We have never had this opportunity at Disston before, so to be able to put on a show has been incredible,” says Molly Murphy from Hamilton Disston Elementary.<\/p>\n
“We haven’t had any theater or drama performances, and to see how far they’ve come, it’s been really unreal.”<\/p>\n
Marian Anderson Neighborhood Academy in South Philadelphia is presenting Aladdin KIDS.<\/p>\n
“Just the expectations that Walnut Street Theater put on these kids, and seeing them rise to that occasion, it really brought our theater program to a whole other level,” said Andrew Brueninger from Marian Anderson Neighborhood Academy. “It was a magical experience.”<\/p>\n
More information on the program :<\/p>\n