MCCA founders, Pete and Coty Forno, also did a radio interview with a local news station and did a great job of giving an overview of the program.
Applications for 2019-2020
Applications for the next JumpStart Theatre schools are currently being accepted, or will open soon, in:
If you know a middle school near one of these cities that needs a musical theatre program, please forward this information.
Theatre in the Classroom
Several JumpStart Theatre schools have had great success incorporating their rehearsals and theatre activities and techniques into the classroom. Kara Barbee, a teacher at Aiken New Tech High School in Cincinnati, organized a fun activity for her class, inspired by the methods she learned in a JumpStart Theatre bootcamp. Students read the script of the musical, then created their own celebrity dream casts. She created a collage to share their efforts:
The JumpStart Theatre schools in San Diego have also been able to create a theatre class. Taft Middle School considers their theatre class a "privilege" class to reward those doing well in school and motivate students to make better choices. Interested students must meet GPA and behavior requirements. The teachers report that the class has already had an impact on several students. They shared that one young man had a history of behavior issues and has been much better this year because he wants to be in theatre. Another student has always been very shy but has been slowly coming out of his shell by participating in the class.
Additionally, through their theatre class, Knox Middle School has been able to recruit the art club and a building club to help design and construct the set.
Another San Diego school has offered "rehearsal" time during weekend classes, and they welcome anyone to come learn a song or dance, even if they aren't part of the production or class. Twenty-five percent of the kids participating are not (yet!) part of the musical.
Auditions
Auditions for JumpStart Theatre productions are happening now through the end of the year. Teachers are well-prepared with their first bootcamps under their belt, audition rubrics, and the handy materials included in their MTI ShowKits. Students have been attending audition workshops in order to get familiar with the scripts, learn the songs and practice a few basic dance steps. One great idea Cincinnati mentor, Becca Kloha Strand, observed a teacher asking the students to read and sing together before asking them to audition individually. This made a dramatic improvement in their confidence and helped them conquer their audition jitters.
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