Blogs

A program designed to build sustainable musical theatre programs in underserved middle schools that currently have none.

This is a series of monthly updates about the JumpStart Theatre pilot program launched in Cincinnati, Ohio. To view previous updates, click here. 

New Cincinnati Partnership

The Educational Theatre Foundation (ETF) will partner with The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati (TCT), the oldest theatre for young audiences in the nation, to entrust the management and administration of the JumpStart Theatre program in Cincinnati.

Beginning with the 2019-20 school year, TCT will oversee the day-to-day operations of the initiative that creates sustainable theatre arts programs in Cincinnati-area middle schools where there previously were none. Read more about the partnership here:

• Playbill

• Broadway World

Bootcamps in Cincinnati and San Diego

JumpStart Theatre teachers in Cincinnati and San Diego attended their first bootcamp of the year earlier this month. Experienced mentors, Dee Anne Bryll and Becca Kloha Strand, led the Cincinnati team, while Marty Johnson, the Director of Education from iTheatrics, worked with the teachers in San Diego. Delegates in both cities learned the basics of musical theatre in order to prepare for their upcoming auditions.

Lydia Real, a San Diego mentor, was pleased to report that two principals joined their teacher teams and had a fantastic time. "It was great seeing those 'aha' moments," Lydia shared. "Teachers who were initially resistant to participating were really engaged by the end of the day." As an experienced theatre professional, Lydia was also suprised to learn some new techniques from Marty. For example, Marty taught the entire class all the parts of the same dance number, then let each individual choose the part they wanted to do. It increased the participants' engagement and sped up the rehearsal process, making a large dance number seem significantly less daunting.

Top: Cincinnati Bootcamp, Bottom: San Diego Bootcamp

Shifting Perceptions

Michelle Turner, a teacher at Felicity-Franklin Middle School (a Cincinnati-area JumpStart Theatre school), recently noticed an exciting shift in perception with her new group of 5th graders. Felicity-Franklin is located in a rural area of Ohio, an area where minds are often rooted in tradition and closed to new ideas. Michelle recalled a time several years ago when the school organized a field trip to a regional performing arts venue to see a play and several boys deemed it unfair because it was a “girls” field trip. She is thrilled to see that mind set is changing, thanks to some strong male actors involved in their productions. For example, this year in her Language Arts class, Michelle is teaching the novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. A touring production of the musical is performing in Cincinnati and Michelle arranged a block of specially priced tickets for a weekend performance. More boys than girls responded, and the group is eagerly anticipating the trip on November 4!

Felicity-Franklin students perform in the 2018 JumpStart Theatre Showcase

Freddie Gershon and Dr. Sharon Dunn Honored

Freddie Gershon, Co-chairman of Music Theatre International (MTI), and Dr. Sharon Dunn, former Senior Manager for Arts Education for the New York City Department of Education, were honored with the Broadway Back to School Award that recognizes the furtherance of access and excellence in school theatre. Freddie and Sharon received the inaugural honor for their initiation of the Broadway Junior program, which inspired ETF’s JumpStart Theatre initiative to help build middle school musical theatre programs across the country. The announcement was made by ETF President Julie Cohen Theobald at the fourth annual New York benefit event for the Foundation.
 

Join us for Breakfast

The third annual JumpStart Theatre Breakfast will be held at The Center in Cincinnati onTuesday, December 4, 2018 from 8:00am-9:00am. The event benefits ETF's JumpStart Theatre program and features stories and updates about the impact of this unique program on underserved schools in cities across the nation, including Cincinnati. Attendance is complimentary, reservations are required. 

2018-2019 JumpStart Theatre Performances

Thanks to all of our partners and supporters on JumpStart Theatre:

• Allstate Foundation

• Eleanora C.U. Alms Trust, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee

• ArtsWave

• Barnes Dennig

• Benefits Network Insurance

• Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights Aids

• Cincinnati Arts Association

• Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music

• Community Arts Initiatives

• Duke Energy

• The Fine Schneider Charitable Fund

• The Greater Cincinnati Foundation

• Robert Greenblatt

• The Donald C. and Laura M. Harrison Family Foundation

• Hilton

• iTheatrics

• The Austin E. Knowlton Foundation

• The Lehrer-Seller Family

• Lila Gallimore Trust

• The H.B., E.W., and F.R. Luther Charitable Foundation, Fifth Third Bank and Narley L. Haley, co-trustees

• James and Lauren Miller

• Music Theatre International

• Ohio Arts Council

• The Daniel and Susan Pfau Foundation

• William O. Purdy, Jr.  Foundation Fund

• The Shubert Foundation

• Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP

All of the individual donors