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Anyone with an idea of when some new Broadway Jr. titles will be announced / available?  I see Captain Louie Jr. is now listed and that's great.  Just trying to plan for next school year...

Hi Peter!  Check out "Flat Stanley Jr."......ready this fall and it is fresh and charming!    CR

I really hope they someday get The Sound of Music Jr.  That would be a great play to have a Jr. version available.

I would love to see My Favorite Year Jr., Little Women Jr., and The Drowsy Chaperone Jr. for sure. Maybe a Urinetown Jr., provided they could get it toned down enough for kids without losing the point of the show and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Jr., if they could figure out some good staging tips for some of the show's special effects.

A friend's daughter was in the group that performed Little Mermaid Jr...she will be in the DVD and pics in scripts, etc.  So I assume that is coming soon.

Hi Pam! We did run a pilot of Little Mermaid Jr. this spring and are testing it a few more times this fall.  It is still in the developmental stages however, and it will most likely be a year at best.  It will be wonderful and we all can't wait, but the process is painstaking to make sure the cuts, keys, book and guide are put out with TLC. Patience is a virtue and it has never been my strong suit!  CR

i was in the pilot of FAME JR., and i also did a preview of Flat Stanley JR. ( Nick is SUCH and amazing character to dive into, and Stanley was just... the most fun i have EVER had with a role) 

Both are GREAT shows, so check them out!

And what a FABULOUS job you did in both Aidan. Bravo Academy performed Flat Stanley Jr at our Junior Theater Festival and just finished a pilot production of Fame Jr. this summer in Chicago that I was able to see.  I totally agree....2 great shows coming soon!!!    CR

Thanks to Bravo Academy at the JTF, my kids who attended (and I)  were so psyched about Flat Stanley, Junior,  we were able to do a pilot this summer!  It's an amazing and fun, adorable and exciting show!  I know MTI has been crazy busy developing Peter Pan, Camp Rock, My Son Pinnochio, and Little Mermaid pilots to be developed into upcoming Junior titles. (along with Winnie the Pooh KIDS!)

I would love to see "Little Women" made into a "Jr." title, too. I would also love to see a couple of Reviews of hit musicals done in a "Jr." format with skits to tie it all together.

Upcoming and fast-track titles are readily available to EVERYONE at www.mtishows.com. Your MTI liscensing representative is also up to date on all that is available for liscening. It can take years for a show to go from the development stages to the liscencing stage. Broadway Junior is trying to maintain the high quality of its product. Some shows may never make it to liscening. Kinda like the BILL on CAPITOL HILL :)

I noticed at one time that there was a Snow White Kids in process. Might this still be in the plans? I know our group would LOVE to do this!

I would like to see more of the classics done as Jrs. 7 Brides for 2 Brothers, Jr.,  Damn Yankees Jr., Tom Sawyer Jr., Singing in the Rain Jr., West Side Story Jr., Phantom of the Opera Jr., and many other but they are probably R & H or Tams/Witmark shows..... I would also love to see a Lion King Jr., The little Mermaid Jr., Mary Poppins Jr.,  Hairspray Jr., Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Jr and some of the more modern classics.... I am not a big fan of all the High School Musical/Camp Rock stuff.  For the past four years our budget has been $2000 and that must also cover the licensing rights.  Needless to say, the Broadway Jr. series is the only thing that allows to put together a great show and yet still not go over our budget.  PLEASE keep working on more Jr. titles!!!!  Many Thanks!!!!

What about NEWSIES?  We would love a full version or a Jr. version.

LOVE NEWSIES!!!  That would be GREAT!!!!!

Stay tuned - there will be some announcments on new titles soon!

"Soon" = hours, days,  or weeks?  (I'm on the fence with regards to ordering a show kit, and would hold off a little while if the timing is right)

Thx

Flat Stanley JR. is a matter of weeks.  Phantom Tollbooth JR. is probably happening in the fall.  We're also hoping for Winnie the Pooh KIDS by the summer.

Flat Stanley Jr was performed at a local school in January of LAST year and it was "cute" .  Perhaps it's just me but my middle schoolers want to do the shows like the high schoolers do and not all this Flat Stanley, Phantom Tollbooth, Aladdin, Mulan, Winnie the Pooh etc.  They are not "real" broadway musicals.  This is fine for elementary school aged students but the middle schoolers can do so much more and love to be the classic broadway characters such as Harold Hill, Marion Paroo, Nathan Detroit, Miss Adelaide, etc.  For a musical to be a "Broadway Jr.", one would think there had been a full length version first.

Jason,

  Thanks for the update (and posting so soon after JTF.. don't you guys ever sleep!??) :o)

No problem, Andrew.  We had a blast at the Festival and are happy to help! 

Best,

Jason

Robin, remember that there are 3 different "groups" of MTI shows for kids: The Disney Kid series, the Broadway Jr. Series, and the School Edition series. 

Disney Kids titles are written for elementary aged kids, Junior Titles are for middle school-high school, and The School Editions are for High School.  These are not set in stone, just general ideas.  So, if your kids are ready for the School Editions, you might could try one of them. Just know that you don't always get all the great showkit stuff with the School Editions.

Thanks Nathan...I was just saying today the I wish that the regular shows offered the accompaniment CDs (for an extra charge of course). I know they offer "OrchEXTRA" but the cds are so easy to use.  As we do not have access to live music, that musical accompaniment cd is worth the price of the whole show kit!!! 

Robin,

A show to consider, (and one that was used VERY effectively in the "Slam" this year), is "Bugsy Malone". There are plenty of meaty roles, great music and a chance for all the cast to shine. (Plus, any show that you might be able to "splurge" your fellow actors will always appeal.)

It's not done nearly as much as I think it should be. Consider it sometime for your middle school group.

ps: I'm really not getting anything for promoting this, I just really love the show!

Jeff,

We are planning on doing "Bugsy, Jr." with our 7th graders and we are very excited.  I just have to do the paperwork this afternoon.

Do you have any tips?  We have many more girls so we may need to do some female gangsters.  We are looking forward to the "splurging" but a little nervous about it, too.

Any ideas would be great.  I need to look back at the rest of the forum and see what I can find, too.

Sarah

Sarah,

I found that, if you have the stage space, the more chorus girls you can get, the better the show looks. If you want to do the girls as gangsters, I'd recommend that they be part of Dandy's gang, since they aren't so "individual", if that makes sense.

I also have an easy plan for "splurge guns", that also are easy clean-up. Will you be doing multple performances?

I also have some ideas about set design that might help you, if you'd like. You might contact me off-list, since I don't always get these messages otherwise.

-Jeff Dary

jeff.dary@theindependentschool.com

I am currently doing Alice in Wonderland Junior and am looking for a show to do at this time next year.  I would love to do The Little Mermaid.  I know it is in the pilot stage and may not be available for quite some time.  Is there any way to be considered to be part of the pilot?

I believe that Little Mermaid JR will be available for licensing next January (although that's not 100%).  I can find out more information about the pilot programs, but I think all the organizations working on the pilot have already been chosen.

I do know that Flat Stanley Jr., Fame Jr. as well as Phantom Tollbooth Jr. will be available as well.  I hope that helps.

I just saw "Mary Poppins" in Omaha and I am thinking we need a Jr. version of that as well! What a fun show that would be!

I also would love to see 2-act Jr. edition plays. I think middle-schoolers are more than capable of doing a 2-act show.

Robin, I know that I'm currently in LOVE with Into the Woods, so I would recommend that as a more mature show. I listened to the junior version, to see whether or not the songs I loved were taken out, and I found that they really kept the arrangements mostly unaltered, and they really kept the spirit of sondheim in the score.

I agree with Robin's earlier comment. My kids (grades 5-8) don't want to do Disney or anything perceived to be for "little kids." Beauty and the Beast, Jr. was a tough sell this year. They really would love more of the "classics." They loved Guys and Dolls. I'd love Little Women, Jr. or 13, jr. Fame, jr. would be outstanding!!

Into the Woods is a great choice for this type of group.  It's basically ACT I of the show (which has been reported to be the perfect musical by itself).  There are just minor adjustments of a few missing verses (that refer to act 2) and adjustments for vocal range, which are perfectly appropriate and helpful. Sondheim himself was involved in the process of creating the Broadway Jr. version of this show and endorses it whole-heartedly.

Millie is another show that surprised me in this series.  It's tough - vocally challenging even for the ensemble if you dig into the score - and the vintage comedy needs direction (and acting homework) to really hit the mark. Pirates of Penzance will also give your kids a run for their money.  That score (and book) is definitely not Disney-fied! The diction work you'll need to tell that story is worth the price of admission. You can also feature really developed vocals if you have them. Sounds like you have an advanced group of kids.

I'd like to see Tom Sawyer or Oliver Jr. (I know Oliver is Tams - but maybe they'd play ball?)

Is Into the Woods very difficult vocally for the ensemble? I have some really talented soloists, but the younger members of the ensemble may find the choral singing tough. 

Millie is on my short list for next year! Very psyched to get the cast dancing!!

The thing about ITW is there really isn't room for a "chorus". It's the kind of show you do when you have 4 or 5 girls who could lead a show and 3 or 4 guys who could do the same. Each role is a feature with vocal challenges and lots of book. There are a few parts for those you'd consider for ensemble work - Milky White (personified), step sisters and mother, Cinderella's Father, but each is heavily characterized and depends upon great acting. Some add a "chorus" to the show to provide places for their people - those cast members sing with the group in production numbers.  I've even seen some groups "characterize" their chorus in Brother's Grimm costumes - like the gingerbread man, jack and jill, etc. - cute!

The piece wasn't built for this - it's just a really perfectly tight little package for 18 kids to nail - in my opinion.

"Dear Edwina Junior"

I can't tell you how many times I skipped over considering this show, because of the title and the graphic. Somehow I had it pegged as being considered as "kids" and/or "girls". I couldn't have been more wrong. We licensed it last year, and it was an amazing success and I suspect one of the most overlooked titles in the catalog. It is *ideal* for schools and ensemble work, as each song is almost an entity to itself. Our crew of monkies (aged 7 to 17) had a fantastic time with this, and I'm left with trying to figure out how "top it" this year.

Self promotion link to our slide show here on MTIShowSpace:  The KTKids in Dear Edwina Juniour 

Such great discussion and sharing..what we hope for in MTI showspace!  You are right on Andrew, "Dear Edwina JR" is the quintessential middle level show, and the full version, made a tasty 2nd year run off-broadway this winter at the DR-2 in NYC. it can adapt to any size cast, will accommodate billions of girls, and is a minimal set. Marcy and Zina know how to get inside this age student's head and have it read touching, hysterical and honest at the same time. Definitely worth a read through and I am happy to help you make adaptations for your situations!    C

These last two years, we have been performing the full length shows.  Last year we did "Bye, Bye Birdie" and this year we are doing "Oliver".  I felt that we had exhausted all the good Bway Jrs.  I missed the accompaniment CD which alone is worth the price of the showkit as we have no piano and/or orchestra to accompany us.  I agree with Susan and like having two acts in the show.  You can always see in the Bway Jrs., the perfect spot where the one act ends and the next one begins. Having two acts allows our drama dept to actually make some concession money for our future shows.  All of our ticket sales goes back to the school district with not one cent going into the drama dept.  We also have a few fund raisers that will allow us to make some great sets and costumes. Our Beauty and the Beast sets and costumes were absolutely beautiful and we made them all.  I have a great group of Drama Mamas and Papas!!!

I have not personally tried it, but The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization has a series called G2K (Getting to know...) It seems to have the same showkit as Bway Jr. and are currently offering "Oklahoma", "Cinderella", "The King and I" and "Once Upon a Mattress".  I would be curious to know if anyone out there has experience with this series.

I just need to add that my middle school students just finished our production of Mulan. Not once did they think that the show was too young for them. In fact, we made the show a school-wide event. Our school has Mandarin as a language offering and the Mandarin classes did a recitation of the Ode to Mulan, the poem on which the story is based, prior to the show. We also had our Learning about Asian Through Art classes present a gallery of their work in the lobby of the theatre prior to the show. I had a Tai Chi expert come in to teach the soldiers the "hard" and "soft" movement required in "I'll Make a Man out of You" and a fencing expert came in to teach them to sword fight safely for the battle scene at the end of the show. The company of 45 students and 15 techies and I went to The Peabody Essex Museum to see the Forbidden City exhibit so they could learn about Chinese culture. We even went to a Chinese restaurant for lunch that day! If you make the production a learning tool, the students will get just as excited as you do about the show. 

Hah!! Great minds and fools...

We are two weeks into our rehearsals for "Mulan Jr.", the title I selected to "top" our "Dear Edwina".

The other title we had great success with was "Honk! Jr". I know, "the Ugly Duckling", sounds like a show for the very young. But take a look around the web, at the professional productions (Hit the Stiles and Drewe website), and you will be able to persuade any relucant youth that this is *NOT* a "kids show".  Great music, and a lot of fun.

Mandatory self promotion link to our slide show of Honk! Jr. The music is from the show, and the kids are still singing songs from it, two years later.

Andrew,

  I agree that Honk, Jr. is a terrific show. My students loved it as well. I'm looking at what to do to top Mulan. I'll be posting photos of our Mulan production soon. I can't wait to see pictures of yours. 

Alyson

WOW Alyson!!! Such awesome ideas.  I LOVE how you really went over the top to get everyone excited and involved in the production!!! I can't wait to check out all the pics.

I do love that we can all share our thoughts and ideas in order to give the kids a wonderful experience that they will never forget!

I do my shows with 5th graders only so I don't have that middle school problem... but I'd still like to see more non-Disney shows.  I said this before, but the Sound of Music has SUCH GREAT music and the kids already know and love some of the songs.  Plus it's the perfect show to do with a large cast.  Mary Poppins would be awesome as well.  It's great to have shows where the characters actually are supposed to be young, instead of having a bunch of 10 year olds acting like adults.

That comment about Dear Edwina being overlooked is so true!  I always overlooked it because it said small cast size, when in actuality it can accomodate the largest cast size.  I just performed it last week with my kids.  I had 50 kids in it, and the show could've accommodated more.  The kids and parents LOVED it.  It has a great message, too.  If you have a lot of talent you can give practically everyone a solo.  I HIGHLY reccomend it!

First of all, I think Disney is getting a bad rap. Let's face it, there is a certain magic (and brand recognition translating into ticket sales) that Disney brings.  I think the key is to try and balance show choices with the classics and new works (Disney or other). You'll teach different skills and gain a new audience with each genre.

Next, I have to say that Middle Schoolers thinking they are "above" Broadway Junior really sticks in my craw.  I can't think of anything more excruciating than sitting through 3 hours of - let's say - "Oklahoma" - where you're wishing Poor Judd would just die already so you can get it over with. Not only is the subject matter ridiculous for this age group, but the vocal ranges are completely wrong.  If Curley is an alto - do Oliver for goodness sake! 

I think we should embrace (and teach our kids to embrace) the opportunity that B.Jr. brings to us.  Like Alyson says, use the production as a learning tool. Most of these kids would never have the opportunity to play these fantastic characters and perform with these awesome (recorded) orchestrations if it weren't for B.Jr.

Heather, if I had primarily 5th graders, I'd do "Frog and Toad Kids".  It's a great show, music is really wonderful and singable, great themes for 5th graders, lots of parts for lots of kids of all levels.  I LOVE "Frog and Toad Kids".

I think Disney is great!  Last year we did Beauty and the Beast Jr. and the kids and audience loved it (and so did I- I was a huge Disney fan as a kid).  It was hard to top that!  I'd just like to make sure the kids and parents don't come to just expect a Disney show every year, and for 5th graders, most of the non-Disney Broadway Jr. stuff is over their heads... I can't do Once on This Island or The Music Man (even though those musicals are great).

I've been doing Jr. versions and I think the Kids versions would be too short for my kids.  We rehearse from Nov to Feb and my kids had Dear Edwina down two weeks in advance.  If I ever expand our drama program to the younger kids I'd definitely do a Kids show, they look really fun.  Also, I think if you've never put on a show and you're doing 5th grade the kids shows would be perfect, especially if you don't play piano or don't have a lot of rehearsal time.

I'm thinking about School House Rock.  Has anyone here ever done it?  How is it?  Is it good for a large cast?

Heather, I wouldn't underestimate your kids on Once on This Island or Music Man being over their heads. I mean, Music Man wasn't over my head when I was six, and MM was the first show I ever did! Of course, it really is your call because you know your kids best, but I've seen so many kids in that age range love those shows.

As for School House Rock, it's an excellent choice; very recognizable for your audience and your performers, fun music, simple sets, and a flexible cast size that easily accompanies a large number of kids! I love SHR and it would be great for your fifth graders! I'd also consider Seussical Jr. because of its energetic score and the fact that it has a nice amount of featured roles.

School House Rock is a great show.  Parents love it as much as the kids - they grew up with the music.  Perfect for large groups (classes).  Each can present a song (or 2).  You can rehearse the bits separately and then put them together in run-throughs. I think this show is overlooked because it says "2-10" in the cast size section. I think it should say "Flexible".  There are 6 main speaking/singing parts (3 boys 3 girls), but the production numbers (which are the meat of the show) are totally expandable - the more the merrier.  It's quite like Edwina in that way. You would have a way to feature a LOT of kids. Also, like Edwina, it's an easy show to costume! 

In the olden days, (15 years ago), I taught music in the public school system. I Musically Directed the HS Shows (with a student orchestra) and I Directed the 5th and 6th Grade Musicals every year with a piano.  We started before Christmas and went up in March or April. Back then, we had Hal Leonard, the Kremer catalogue, and Full Versions only. Blood, sweat, and tears putting on a show under those conditions!!!  I think it's because of those years in the trenches that I value B'way Jr. now.

The reason I think Once on This Island or Music Man Jr. wouldn't be good is that in 5th grade nobody's voice has changed and they are really sensitive about the romance stuff.  We never include kissing in the shows.  My impression of those two shows is that you need tenor voices to sing love duets and without kissing it might be cheesy... but I don't know.  I've never seen the Jr. versions of these shows done.  If anyone has done them, can you tell me if they can be done with no changed voices and skimping on the romance?  I always accompany my shows with piano so changing the key isn't a problem, but it's the effect of a boy soprano that I'm worried about.

We are in rehearsals right now for "Schoolhouse Rock Live! Jr." The kids love the music and they sound great. I can't wait for our performance dates (April 8 & 9)!

We just started a children's theatre springing off a successful summer youth theatre program and I love this discussion. We started with 101 Dalmatians Kids for our first Junior Company show (ages 6-13) and the kids loved it. It was very short, though and they could have easily handled double what we gave them.

Our Senior Company is performing the full Into the Woods next week. The Senior Company made it clear they wanted to do shows that were for older students and more vocally challenging. Our biggest hurdle has been the accompaniment as we don't have budget yet for orch extra or live music. So we went with mtpit tracks and like it to a point. Its definitely a completely different ballgame than the showkits for the junior shows.

For Into the Woods, we planned a preshow for junior members and were blown out of the water with over 80 who auditioned. 68 stuck with it and are having a great time.

This leads us to look to our next junior production. We've chosen Seussical because of the large cast size. Have some of you had experience with multiple casts for the same show? Right now, we expect over 100 at auditions and would like to include as many as possible.

I agree with Robin above that more of the classics need to be translated into junior shows. 

Heather,

Over the past four years, I have found that a nice hug can take the place of that awkward kiss.  The first year we did the Music Man, we had Harold and Marion kiss... well, Marion did her part but Harold looked terrified!!!(we still tease him about it)  Since then, in Guys and Dolls, Beauty and the Beast and Bye, Bye Birdie, we have found a nice warm embrace works well and kids can handle it much better.

Our students range from 5th-8th grades but I can appreciate the challenge you have dealing solely with 5th grade students.  However, over the years we have cast our youngest students in several principle roles such as Winthrop, Amarylis and Marcelius Washburn in the Music Man, Jr.; Nicely, Nicely Johnson in Guys and Dolls, Jr. and Bill Sykes (this boy is already taller than I am) in Oliver.  I've learn long ago never underestamate the young ones.  Though, you probably know that already.

Becky,

The longer I directed at the middle school, more and more students came out for the show.  Beauty and the Beast had over 120 students auditioning!!  The largest cast we can handle would be approximately 65.  The idea of having two casts was overwhelming to me but being a mom of a middle school student, I hated to turn anyone away.  That year, we started the student stage crew.  Right on the audition forms, we ask if they would be interested in working behind the scenes if they did not receive an on stage role.  By doing this, the students knew that EVERYONE who wanted could be a part of the production.  Of course if all the students who were not cast on stage came out for crew it would have been a tremendous group.  However, students situations and schedules change and for whatever reason we had a manageable group show up for crew.  It was great to see them work with our Drama parents on many tasks that needed to be done from moving set pieces to labeling props and costumes.  They also ushered during the performances and handed out playbills.  And a million other jobs.  From that experience, most of those students will only work stage crew.  They tell me that it is all the fun without any of the stage fright!! 

Seussical is a GREAT selection it features so many students and the cast can be as large or small as you wish.  My daughter was in the full length version her senior year in high school and our whole family still can sing the score from the show.  I am looking forward to directing my middle schoolers in Seussical, Jr. in the near future.

I hope everyone will be posting their pictures.  I look forward to seeing them all!!!