Posted May 13, 2025
Students Make Roaring Debuts During 2025 Disney Musicals in Schools Student Share Celebration
(DALLAS) – Students from four Dallas ISD schools and one Plano ISD school made their Winspear Opera House debut during this year’s Disney Musicals in Schools Student Share Celebration, presented by the Moody Foundation. More than 200students performed select musical numbers on Skokos Stage to a crowd of more than 600 family members, teachers, friends, and community members, and Emmy award-winning WFAA journalist Natalie Haddad served as master of ceremonies.
This year’s schools and productions included: Rose Mary Haggar Elementary presenting Finding Nemo KIDS; Edward Titche Elementary presenting The Jungle Book KIDS; William Lipscomb Elementary presenting 101 Dalmatians KIDS; Nathaniel Hawthorne Elementary presenting The Aristocats KIDS; and George H. W. Bush Elementary presenting Aladdin KIDS.
“Disney Musicals in Schools has been such an enriching program for students from across Dallas,” said Autumn Garrison, the Center’s Assistant Vice President of Education and Community Engagement. “Through the performing arts, students learn invaluable skills that transcend the stage, following them into the classroom and helping them thrive in their studies and beyond. The Center is glad to continue supporting this program that delivers high-quality arts programs to classrooms across Dallas and brings immense joy to students, teachers and parents every year.”
Students and teachers worked with guest teaching artists for 17 weeks, learning musical numbers, rehearsing choreography, curating costumes and building vibrant sets for their 30-minute Disney KIDS productions. In addition to performing at the Student Share Celebration, each school will also host the production at their respective school. This year’s participating schools will also receive a show kit at no cost towards producing a Disney KIDS musical next year.
Disney Musicals in Schools is made possible through generous support from the Moody Foundation.
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.
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.
Photos from the performances can be found here.
