More than 100 New York City high school students get their chance to step into the spotlight on a real Broadway stage March 7 at the the second annual Shubert Foundation High School Theatre Festival for NYC Public Schools at the Winter Garden Theatre. School of Rock star Alex Brightman hosts.
The 7 PM festival is designed to serve as a high-profile forum on Broadway to celebrate, promote and advocate theatre education for all students.
The evening will showcase 10-15 minute excerpts from five recent NYC high school productions that were selected by theatre artist educators, who visited and adjudicated productions across the city.
They include The Laramie Project from the Repertory Company High School For Theatre Arts (Manhattan), Fences from Humanities And The Arts High School (Queens), Beauty and the Beast from LaGuardia High School Of Music & Art And Performing Arts (Manhattan), A Raisin in the Sun from Brooklyn High School For The Arts (Brooklyn) and Miss Saigon from Edward R. Murrow High School (Brooklyn).
The productions were selected from over 20 across the City by a panel of theatre professionals, arts educators, and representatives of the Public Theater, the Dramatists Guild Fund, and the Theatre Development Fund, among others. The festival evening event is not competitive, as all participating schools are invited to celebrate these five productions.
The Festival is sponsored by The Shubert Foundation in partnership with the New York City Department of Education. Funding for the Festival and for a range of existing Shubert Foundation programs in New York City public schools comes from this year’s grant of $540,000. Since 2005, The Shubert Foundation has provided more than $3.7 million to the New York City Department of Education for Arts/Theatre programs.
Presenting at the event will be Shubert Foundation President Michael I. Sovern, Shubert Organization Chairman Philip J. Smith, Shubert Organization President Robert E. Wankel and leading members of New York’s professional theatre community.
“We are thrilled to present the second annual Shubert Foundation High School Theatre Festival,” said Smith. “It’s a perfect expression of what we’re trying to accomplish by supporting arts education. I look forward to watching these New York City stars of tomorrow light up the stage at the Winter Garden.”
“Studying theatre teaches students the importance of revising, editing, and rehearsing in the pursuit of mastery,” said New York City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña. “These are critical skills both in and outside of the classroom, and we’ve expanded access to theatre and arts education that inspires students and prepares them for college and careers. In particular, we are committed to strengthening our students’ connections to the City’s rich cultural resources and developing meaningful arts partnerships with organizations like Shubert.”
For more information, click here. To learn more about arts programs at colleges and universities across the country, visit PlaybillEDU.com.
