WHY A "JUNIOR" MUSICAL?
"I conceived and developed the Broadway JR. collection because I was aware that one of the unique elements of growing up for little boys and girls in America was something called “Little League.” Little boys and girls now participate in junior leagues and play soccer, baseball, basketball, [as well as] swim and do gymnastics. The operative word is "participate." In the field of education, there is something called experiential learning. It is not sitting in an audience and watching a show be performed. It is actually going up on the stage or in the cafeteria or in the little auditorium of the school, and with the support and aid of teachers and sometimes parents, put on a show.”
-Freddie Gershon, CEO, Music Theater International (MTI)
Launched in 1996 by NTI’s chairman, Freddie Gershon, Broadway Junior musicals are condensed, author-approved versions of classic musicals, Disney favorites, and modern works custom-tailored to the needs of young people and schools.
The music is written in keys that are appropriate for developing voices, and all shows can be expanded to accommodate as many performers as can fit on a school’s stage. MTI’s 60-minute “JR.” shows are typically appropriate for performance by middle-school aged students.
