Wednesday, March 12, 2025 | Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall
COSTA MESA, CA | Segerstrom Center for the Arts is thrilled to announce its 2025 Disney Musicals in Schools Student Share performance, celebrating the 11th anniversary of the program. Disney Musicals in Schools, in partnership with Disney Theatrical Group, has been instrumental in fostering students’ artistic talents, enhancing teamwork, and building communication skills. Through this program, students develop self-expression and confidence, enriching their personal growth and academic success.
Since their residencies began in September 2024, participating schools have undertaken a transformative journey as they rehearsed and prepared, delving into the rich storytelling, music, and choreography. Participants have not only learned the intricacies of staging a musical but have also discovered new dimensions of self-expression and self-confidence. Teachers and students alike have embraced the creative process, learning valuable lessons in teamwork and communication.
This year’s selected Title 1 schools include Brookhurst Elementary (Garden Grove), Dr. CC Violet Elementary (Garden Grove), Evans Elementary (Garden Grove), and Wood Canyon Elementary (Aliso Viejo).
Segerstrom Center’s [LP1]11th Annual Disney Musicals in Schools Student Share Celebration will take place on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. Over 200 students from the participating schools will perform excerpts from The Lion King KIDS, The Jungle Book KIDS, and Aladdin KIDS highlighting the incredible journey they have undertaken as part of this transformational program.
Student Share Celebration will be hosted by Disneyland Resort Ambassador Jada Young, who brings a rich history of working with several teams around the Disneyland Resort including special event operations, event communications, and youth education programs. Jada’s passion for the Disney Ambassador Program is rooted in her value for servant leadership and her hope to continue Walt’s legacy of creating a place welcome to all. Segerstrom Center for the Arts is honored to welcome Jada to join in celebrating the magic of Disney theater coming to life with these young students.
Lisa Petersen, [LP2]Vice President of Education at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, shares, “The dedication, creativity, and perseverance of the students, teachers, and administrators in the Disney Musicals in Schools program has been truly inspiring to watch. Over the past few months, our Teaching Artists and staff have witnessed remarkable growth and teamwork, [LP3]and I am so excited to see all the hard work come together at our 11th Annual Student Share Celebration.”
The impact of the Disney Musicals in Schools program creates long lasting relationships between Segerstrom Center for the Arts and its local school districts, teachers, students, and arts administrators. In conjunction with Segerstrom Center for the Arts’ sustainability efforts and continued support of its alumni schools, this year, all 10 years of Alumni school team teachers have been invited to join the Center for a professional development and networking opportunity followed by a performance of Hamilton in Segerstrom Hall in May. Additionally, this year’s participating schools and their students have been invited to attend a special performance of The Gruffalo’s Child in Samueli Theater in April. Covering all costs including tickets and transportation, Segerstrom Center reinforces its commitment to fostering lasting connections between alumni teaching artists, staff, and students and their local cultural arts.
For more information on Disney Musicals in Schools at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, visit
https://www.scfta.org/disney-musicals-in-schools
Disney Musicals in Schools was developed by Disney Theatrical group and began in 2010 in
New York City spurred by DTG’s concern that under-resourced public elementary schools were
not afforded equitable access to the arts. Disney Musicals in Schools is designed to help
Orange County public elementary schools create sustainable musical theater programs. The
Segerstrom Center launched the program in 2014. Now in the tenth year of its partnership with
Disney Theatricals Productions, the Center has brought the 17-week residency to 33 Title 1
schools in Orange County, helping to impact over 6,000 students.
Disney KIDS Musicals, created in partnership with Music Theatre International (MTI), are
about 30 minutes long and designed for elementary performers (available shows include: 101
Dalmatians, Aladdin, The Artistocats, Finding Nemo, Frozen, The Jungle Book, The Lion King,
and Winnie the Pooh). Each school is provided with a ShowKit which includes a director’s guide,
student scripts, cross-curricular activities, accompaniment and rehearsal tracks, and a
choreography video, free in-school support from a team of two Teaching Artists, and free
performance rights to the 30 minutes Disney KIDS musical. Students work in teams to develop
self-confidence, strengthen communication and collaboration skills all while learning and
enjoying the process of creating a Disney musical theater production.
DISNEY THEATRICAL GROUP (DTG) 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 THEATER 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).
About Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Segerstrom Center for the Arts® is an innovative nonprofit organization that champions artistic excellence and fosters a vibrant, inclusive community in Orange County through the transformative power of live performance. As the region’s leading cultural hub, the Center offers a diverse array of programming, featuring international dance companies, Broadway national tours, jazz and cabaret musicians, and an engaging speaker series. Its Education and Community Engagement departments present family-friendly events on the picturesque Julianne and George Argyros Plaza, including outdoor movie screenings, concerts, and lively festivals.
With six stunning venues nestled within a beautiful multi-disciplinary campus, the Center is home to the region’s most esteemed performing arts organizations, including the Pacific Symphony, Philharmonic Society of Orange County and Pacific Chorale as well as two independently acclaimed organizations: Tony Award®-winning South Coast Repertory and Orange County Museum of Art. Segerstrom Center is also home to the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School and Studio D: Arts School for All Abilities.
The Center continues to uphold the vision of its founder, Henry Segerstrom, remaining true to its mission as the premier arts in Orange County since its inception in 1986 as Orange County Performing Arts Center®.
Segerstrom Center for the Arts applauds its corporate partner Kaiser Permanente, Official Heath Care Partner.
Theinformationprovidedisaccurateatthetimeofprintingbutissubjecttochange. SegerstromCenterfortheArtsisapublic,non-profitorganization.“SegerstromCenterfor the Arts”. “Orange County Performing Arts Center”, and “SCFTA” are registered.