Jordan Luke Gage, Charlotte Wakefield, Jake Brunger and Pippa Cleary join MTI Junior Theater Festival Europe 2024

Music Theater International has announced the program for this year’s MTI Junior Theater Festival Europe (JTF Europe), which will take place at the ICC in Birmingham on 18 and 19 May. The event, presented in partnership with New York-based iTheatrics, will feature 60 schools and youth groups from around the world over the weekend, making it the largest event of its kind in Europe. Over 2,200 young performers will take part from all over the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Malta, Georgia, the Czech Republic and the USA.

Groups perform 15 minutes of their Broadway Junior show (60-minute and 30-minute versions of popular West End and Broadway musicals) and receive feedback from a panel of industry executives, choreographers and musical directors. 21 different musicals will be performed, including excerpts from: Annie JR., Chitty Chitty Bang Bang JR., Disney’s Finding Nemo JR., Guys and Dolls JR., Legally Blonde the Musical JR, Shrek the Musical JR. and other.

The festival’s New Works Showcase will include an exclusive Q&A with authors Jake Brunger and Pippa Cleary (The Great British Bake Off Musical), as well as a performance from Charlotte Wakefield (The Great British Bake Off Musical, Spring Awakening).

London-based British Academy of Drama and Shrewsbury-based Get Your Wigle On will present previews of Disney’s Newsies JR. and The Drowsy Chaperone JR., two new Broadway Junior shows to be released by MTI for licensing to schools and youth groups in the coming months.

In addition to the performance, students participate in workshops that focus on the core disciplines of acting, singing and dancing. Young performers will have the opportunity to learn iconic choreography directly from the RSC’s current West End productions of Disney’s Frozen the Musical, Hamilton and Matilda The Musical. Professional development workshops, specially organized for educators and theater directors, will be delivered directly to visiting teachers and group leaders by education specialists.

The festival culminates with an awards ceremony specially designed to celebrate the talents of the visiting groups. Jordan Luke Gage (& Juliet, Bonnie & Clyde) will perform an exclusive mini-concert for attendees to close the program.

This year, MTI offered two free places at the Festival to groups who have shown their commitment to the arts in their local communities. The winning schools were Towers School and Sixth Form Center in Ashford, Kent and LMPA Academy in Isle of Skye.

Ryan Macaulay, Producer of JTF Europe and Director of Operations, Education and Development at MTI, said: “I am delighted that teachers and educators everywhere are recognizing the importance of engaging young people in musical theatre. Our Broadway Junior shows are more popular than ever and we’re delighted to be able to ‘give it back’ by producing this showcase event. We are privileged to offer such a fantastic and varied range to the groups taking part and I am very grateful to everyone who agreed to take part. For all of us at MTI, the festival is one of the highlights of our year and we can’t wait to showcase our jazz and share the power of theater with all who attend in a positive and inspiring weekend of celebration.”

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