Disney Theatrical Group is bringing Disney musicals to 200 elementary schools this year through its Stage Connect program, up from 70 schools in its first class. The 2026-27 cohort will reach more than 10,000 students across 43 states and territories.
Stage Connect is the virtual side of Disney Musicals in Schools, the program Disney Theatrical Group has run since 2009 to help schools build theater programs that last. Since 2025, Stage Connect has offered schools that cannot get an in-person residency many of the same benefits through online training and materials. This year’s 200 schools were picked from more than 800 applications, nearly triple the size of the first class, according to Laughing Place.
What Schools Get
Each school receives access to an online teacher training platform, performance rights to a Disney KIDS show and a ShowKit with the materials needed to stage it. Schools choose from nine titles: 101 Dalmatians, Aladdin, The Aristocats, Finding Nemo, Frozen, The Jungle Book, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid and Winnie the Pooh.
With more than 800 schools applying for 200 spots, roughly one in four applicants made it in. Disney KIDS shows are shortened versions of the musicals built for elementary-age performers, which is why the list leans on titles kids already know by heart.
From American Samoa To Sicily
The new class stretches well beyond the mainland. Participating schools include ones in American Samoa and Puerto Rico, and even a school on a U.S. military base in Sicily. The idea behind Stage Connect is that geography should not decide whether students get to put on a show, so the training and mentorship happen virtually.
Disney Musicals in Schools has kept growing across the U.S. and the U.K., and it recently marked 10 years in Central Florida. Disney VoluntEARS have also helped out at school performances, including a 101 Dalmatians production in March.
How To Apply
Applications for the 2027-28 school year are open now and close on March 1, 2027. Schools can find details and apply on the Disney Musicals in Schools website.
It is a different corner of Disney’s stage business from the Broadway shows themselves, which have also been reaching fans outside New York lately with the Once Upon a Stage exhibit at EPCOT. Stage Connect works at the other end, getting the next generation of performers onstage in their own school gyms and cafeterias with the same songs.
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