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The first class of JumpStart Theatre graduated last spring and all three produced a musical on their own this year. Kudos Finneytown, Gamble Montessori and Holmes!
From left to right: Finneytown Middle School, The Little Mermaid JR., Gamble Montessori High School, James and the Giant Peach Jr., Holmes Middle School, Willy Wonka JR.
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JumpStart Theatre graduate, Gamble Montessori, shared a lesson their students learned this year about the power of their voices and the importance of self-advocacy. Soon after auditions, a group of students approached their director with concerns that one of the lyrics was racially insensitive. The director contacted the composers, who responded by changing the line. Later in the year, they received a letter from MTI, letting them know that the lyric had been permanently changed and they were in the process of updating their materials. This was a powerful affirmation to the students that their beliefs and opinions matter and they truly have the ability to make the world a better place.
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| School Performances Continue |
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Dater High School, Cincinnati, The Lion King JR.
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Coolidge Junior High, St. Louis, Schoolhouse Rock Live! JR.
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Cross Keys Middle School, St. Louis, Once on This Island JR.
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Taft Middle School, San Diego, Once on This Island JR.
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During the Cincinnati pilot of JumpStart Theatre, The Centers for Research on Creativity (CRoC) conducted the JumpStart Theatre Research Project. It measured the impact of the musical theatre program on student development over the three-year period (2015-2018) in nine behavioral areas:
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· Creativity
· Problem solving
· Critical thinking
· General outlook for the future
· Metacognition (reflection)
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· Collaboration
· Life satisfaction
· Self-efficacy
· Attitudes about doing arts
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ETF is pleased to share the Executive Summary of the research results. A significant finding was that students who participated in JumpStart Theatre achieved higher Next Generation Creativity Scores than the control group both before and after participating in the program. The researchers concluded that JumpStart Theatre draws at-risk students with an interest in creative expression and gives them an opportunity to develop and demonstrate creativity that might otherwise go undeveloped.
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JumpStart Theatre Showcase Datess
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Would you like to see a JumpStart Theatre performance? For the first time ever, there will be THREE JumpStart Theatre Showcases across the nation. These Showcases bring students together from their region's JumpStart Theatre schools in order to perform selections from their musicals for the public, build a community of support, and celebrate their achievements.
· April 30, 6 p.m. ET. Taft Theatre, Cincinnati, Ohio.
· May 1, 7 p.m. CT. St. Louis Community College-Meramec. St. Louis, Missouri.
· May 18, 2 p.m. PT. La Jolla Playhouse, San Diego, California.
If you'd like to attend one of these events, please contact JumpStartTheatre@schooltheatre.org.
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ETF, in collaboration with New York City-based companies iTheatrics and Music Theatre International (MTI) has created JumpStart Theatre, a three-year scalable program designed to build sustainable musical theatre programs in underserved schools that previously had none.
JumpStart Theatre aims to:
· be sustainable and implemented in underserved middle schools nationwide, engaging as many students as possible in all aspects of theatre,
· prepare students for high school, college, and the workforce by instilling the 21st-century skills of collaboration, communication, problem-solving, and creativity.
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Thanks to all the JumpStart Theatre Partners and Supporters
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