Disney Musicals in Schools Puts Students in the Spotlight on the Providence Performing Arts Center’s Stage

STUDENT SHARE CELEBRATION TAKES PLACE JUNE 2, 2025

The Providence Performing Arts Center is among 23 arts organizations in the world collaborating with Disney Musicals in Schools.

Providence, RI – On Monday, June 2, 2025, more than 140 elementary school students from Central Falls, Pawtucket, Providence and Warwick will have the extraordinary opportunity to sing and dance on the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC)’s stage as the result of a grant awarded to PPAC by Disney.

This grant from Disney enabled PPAC to offer the Disney Musicals in Schools program to the Hoxsie Elementary School in Warwick, and to continue the theatre program at alumni schools with new school teams: the Henry J. Winters School in Pawtucket, Raíces Dual Language Academy in Central Falls and the Robert L. Bailey, IV Elementary School in Providence.

The Student Share Celebration on June 2 at PPAC is the culmination of this year’s Disney Musicals in Schools program; each school will have the exciting opportunity to perform a musical number from their selected show. The Celebration will be hosted by Karah Bailey, ABC 6 Morning News Anchor and Joe Wilson, Jr., Director of the Office of Arts, Culture and Tourism for the City of Providence.

Disney Musicals in Schools is designed to create sustainable theater programs in public elementary schools. Through the program, participating schools select and produce a Disney KIDS musical in their school community and join in a culminating performance at PPAC.

Each school participated in a 17-week musical theater residency, led by a team of teaching artists trained by PPAC and Disney Theatrical Group, at no cost. Each school received performance rights, educational support materials and guidance from PPAC teaching artists.

The program featured a professional development focus, through which participating schoolteachers partnered with PPAC teaching artists to learn how to produce, direct, choreograph and music direct their own 30-minute Disney KIDS musical at their school.

The Hoxsie Elementary School (Warwick) produced and performed Finding Nemo KIDS. Alumni schools Raices Dual Language Academy (Central Falls) and Henry J. Winters Elementary School (Pawtucket) had the chance to perform The Lion King KIDS, and Robert L. Bailey, IV Elementary School (Providence) performed Aladdin KIDS.

Disney Musicals in Schools was launched in 2010 in response to Disney Theatrical Group’s concern that under-resourced public elementary schools were not afforded equitable access to the arts. After successfully offering the program in New York City schools, Disney Theatrical Group began collaborating with organizations in other communities across the United States.

Disney KIDS musicals, created in partnership with Music Theater International (MTI), are 30-minute musicals designed for elementary school performers and have been adapted from the classic Disney films 101 Dalmatians, Aladdin, Frozen, The Aristocats, The Jungle Book, The Lion King and Winnie the Pooh.

The Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) presents touring Broadway productions and some of the biggest names in comedy and concerts. PPAC is committed to providing the community with the highest quality in performances and learning opportunities to enrich the lives of students, educators and families. PPAC’s outreach and engagement programs offer valuable opportunities for students in grades K – 12 to engage in the arts. These programs include Arts Showcase, Arts Scholarships, Disney Musicals in Schools, Experience PPAC, From Books to Broadway, the Reignite Professional Development Series and more; for additional information, visit ppacri.org/outreach.

Located in the heart of Providence’s arts and entertainment district, PPAC is the second largest theatre of its kind in New England, with a seating capacity of 3100. The Loew’s Theatre Building, which is the historical home of PPAC, opened in October 1928 and has been acclaimed for its beauty and grandeur. PPAC is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It consistently has been ranked as one of the top ten entertainment venues of its size in the United States by industry publications, Pollstar, Billboard Magazine and VenuesNow.

DISNEY THEATRICAL GROUP, a division of The Walt Disney Studios, operates under the direction of Andrew Flatt, Anne Quart and Thomas Schumacher. The group produces and licenses Broadway productions around the world, including Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Elton John & Tim Rice’s Aida, TARZAN®, Mary Poppins, a co-production with Cameron Mackintosh, The Little Mermaid, Peter and the Starcatcher, Newsies, Aladdin and Frozen, winning 20 Tony® Awards and 62 nominations for their Broadway productions. Other stage ventures include the Olivier-nominated London hit Shakespeare in Love, stage productions of Disney’s High School Musical, Der Glöckner Von Notre Dame in Berlin and King David in concert on Broadway. Disney Theatrical Group has collaborated with the nation’s preeminent theatres to develop new stage musicals including The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Freaky Friday and Hercules. As a part of the recent acquisition of 21st Century Fox, Disney Theatrical Group also heads the Buena Vista Theatrical banner, which licenses Fox titles for stage adaptations including Anastasia, Moulin Rouge! The Musical and Mrs. Doubtfire. Next on the Disney Theatrical schedule: the world-premiere of Hercules in Hamburg, Germany and the North American tour of a reimagined production of Beauty and The Beast in 2025.

Music Theatre International (MTI) is one of the world's leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting theatres from around the world the rights to perform the greatest selection of musicals from Broadway and beyond. Founded in 1952 by composer Frank Loesser and orchestrator Don Walker, MTI is a driving force in advancing musical theatre as a vibrant and engaging art form.

MTI works directly with the composers, lyricists and book writers of these musicals to provide official scripts, musical materials and dynamic theatrical resources to over 100,000 professional, community and school theatres in the US and in over 150 countries worldwide.

MTI is particularly dedicated to educational theatre and has created special collections to meet the needs of various types of performers and audiences. MTI’s Broadway Junior® shows are 30- and 60-minute musicals for performance by elementary and middle school-aged performers, while MTI’s School Editions are musicals annotated for performance by high school students.

MTI maintains its global headquarters in New York City with additional offices in London (MTI Europe) and Melbourne (MTI Australasia).