For a third year, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) and The Johnny Mercer Foundation are introducing the wonder of musical theater to 120 New Jersey middle school students from Newark and the surrounding area. Students learn the history of American musical theater and create their own musical production to be performed at NJPAC on Tuesday, June 2, 2015.
Five New Jersey schools – the Whitney Houston Academy in East Orange, the Heywood Avenue School in Orange, the Harriet Tubman School in Newark, the Cicely L. Tyson Community School for the Performing and Fine Arts in East Orange, and the BRICK Peshine Academy in Newark — are participating in this one-of-a-kind residency program. A team of three NJPAC Teaching Artists – Victor Burks, Daryl Stewart and Janeece Freeman Clark – will implement the program in the schools involved.
Beginning in February 2015, each residency meets twice a week for 20 sessions. During these sessions, students learn the diverse history of the American Musical, as well as the creation process including lyric writing, and the rehearsal and performance process. They develop their creativity, self-confidence, and ability to tell their own story through the musical. In addition, the residencies will help schools meet their curricular goals; all of NJPAC’s educational programs, including this one, are developed in accordance with the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards. Curriculum for the program comes from Georgia State University, supported by The Johnny Mercer Foundation, and was launched as a pilot program at NJPAC in the spring of 2013.
Each class will individually create sections of a joint musical, the topic chosen by the students, coming together at the finale to perform the full, collaborative show. Students will see the other portions of the musical for the first time at the culminating performance. This year’s topic is Beyonce and her music, and the final performance will take place on Tuesday, June 2, 2015 in NJPAC’s Victoria Theater.
“Self-expression is such an important topic these days, and the Johnny Mercer Foundation is incredibly proud to partner with the great folks of NJPAC to encourage students to express themselves through the writing of words and music. This will be our third year together,” stated JMF Vice President, Jonathan Brielle.
“We are elated to host this one-of-a-kind musical theater program here at NJPAC,” said Alison Scott Williams, NJPAC’s Vice President of Arts Education. “To witness first-hand the growth of these middle school students coming together to write, rehearse and perform their own musical is thrilling. NJPAC is grateful to The Johnny Mercer Foundation for funding this extraordinary residency.”
This residency has been made possible by the generous support of The Johnny Mercer Foundation. Additional funding is from the Victoria Foundation, Merck Company Foundation, The Prudential Foundation, William Randolph Hearst Foundation, Automatic Data Processing, TD Charitable Foundation, Novo Nordisk, The Provident Bank Foundation, and Ronald McDonald House Charities.
