The 2025 Junior Theater Festival Atlanta is just around the corner, taking place January 17–19. Playbill will be on hand to celebrate all things youth theatre—along with a host of Broadway favorites.
Produced and hosted by iTheatrics, the weekend-long event brings youth groups from around the world together for a celebration of everything theatre. The 2024 festival will see nearly 7,500 young theatre fans from the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, Poland, Czech Republic, and New Zealand in attendance for three days of singing, dancing, acting, and learning.
This year's festival will see appearances from such theatre luminaries as Alan Menken, Katy Geraghty (Into the Woods), Taylor Iman Jones (SIX: The Musical), Mykal Kilgore, Jasmine Amy Rogers (BOOP! The Betty Boop Musical), McKenzie Kurtz, Rodney Ingram, John Clay III (New York, New York), Thomas Schumacher, Frank DiLella, Sarah Jane Arnegger, McKenna Michael Bisaha, Damson Chola Jr., Max Antonio Gonzalez, Michael Herwitz, Cori Jaskier, Daniel Mertzlufft, Grant Reynolds, Rob Rokicki, Jacob Ryan Smith, and Deborah Wicks La Puma.
“Our Junior Theater Festivals celebrate excellence achieved through collaboration, empathy, focus, and hard work," says Festival Founder Timothy Allen McDonald in a statement. "After more than 20 years of producing JTFs around the globe, it’s no surprise to see our alumni leading healthy, happy, and successful lives—often stepping into leadership roles both within the arts and beyond. This is why every young person, everywhere, must have access to the arts in their schools and communities. They are, quite literally, our future.”
The event will also celebrate 20 years of Disney joining MTI's Broadway Junior collection with a special premiere performance of Disney's Dare to Dream JR., a new revue of songs from Disney's musical that is currently available for licensing from Music Theatre International. The JTF performance, which will close out the weekend Sunday evening, is being directed and choreographed by Emily Maltby, and will feature 100 students from Inspiration Stage in Richmond, Texas; North Texas Performing Arts-Fairview Youth Theatre in Fairview, Texas; and Plaza Academy in Cleburne, Texas.
But Junior Theater Festival isn't anything without the educators that lead these incredible youth theatre programs. This year's festival will mark the 15th anniversary of the Freddie G Fellowship, a program created by then-MTI CEO Freddie Gershon that welcomes a select group of theatre educators to come to NYC in the summer for a weekend of professional development, with seminars, master classes, and Broadway shows. Each selected educator comes free of charge, and receives a $5,000 grant to enhance their school's arts program. As of this year's selections, the program will have named 100 Freddie G Fellows and given out almost half-a-million dollars.
“While I conceived the Broadway Junior program and the rights were secured and materials approved from the authors, the teachers of America were our true collaborators," says Gershon. "Without these educators, there would be no Broadway Junior program, and we are grateful for how they have embraced the future of musical theatre.”
Attendees are encouraged to visit the Playbill booth throughout the weekend, where theatre fans can enter to win Broadway posters signed by a show's cast and buy Playbills—including many rare, limited edition covers—in a special fundraiser for theatrical non-profit Broadway Cares.
JTF celebrates musical theatre and musical theatre education with a weekend of events and performances that bring Broadway and West End professionals together with educators and young students. Youth theatre companies can bring 15-minute staged selections (from titles in musical licensor Music Theatre International's Broadway Junior collection) for adjudication. Students can also attend interactive workshops. Students interested in technical theatre can participate in the tech track, which includes the opportunity to work alongside industry professionals backstage for the festival's mainstage events.
This year's educators include Bernie Baldassaro, Michael J. Bobbitt, Paul Brewster McGinley, Khalia Davis, Niani Feelings, Nichole Forde, Beau Harmon, Fernell Hogan, Tom Jackson Greaves, Dr. Jennifer Katona, Bob Lenzi, Kelly Lomonte, Kelby McIntyre Martinez, Nina Meehan, Ernie Nolan, Cindy Ripley, Shay Rodgers, Lotte Wakeham, Court Watson, Cameron Williams, Kikau Alvaro, Julianna Babb, Sam Bolar, Jacob Brent, Marissa Davis, Tessa Derfner, Scott Goodell, Gordon Greenberg, Jacob Harvey, Robert Hindsman, Mary Kennett, Rebecca Marlowe, Rosemary Newcott, Kameron Porter, Nick Pramik, Morgan Rose, Darian Sanders, Theresa Squire, Holly Stanfield, Alexandra Van Paris, David Weinstein, and Josh Zacher.
“For over 20 years, attending the Junior Theater Festival has been a highlight for me and my colleagues at MTI," says MTI President and CEO Drew Cohen. "Seeing the performers display their talents is a genuine thrill and speaking with them, their directors, teachers, and parents allows us to hear what we can do to best serve their needs. The weekend energizes us for the entire year ahead!”
Music Theatre International, Disney Theatrical Group, Playbill, and Broadway Media are proud sponsors of the Junior Theater Festival.
Visit JuniorTheaterFestival.com.
