Disney Awards $100,000 Grant to the Bay Area Children’s Theatre

We are ecstatic to announce that Bay Area Children’s Theatre has been awarded a $100,000 grant from The Walt Disney Company to help bring the Disney Musicals in Schools program to the San Francisco Bay Area. BACT was one of only four arts organizations in the nation selected this year to collaborate with Disney Musicals in Schools (DMIS). The program is an outreach initiative developed by Disney Theatrical Group to create ongoing theater programs in local elementary schools.

The Disney grant will fund two years of programming—five schools will be selected this year, and another five next year. The after-school programs are free to participating schools. BACT will select five Oakland public elementary schools to participate in 2015.

“We are overjoyed with this incredible opportunity to bring musical theatre to elementary schools in our community,” says Nina Meehan, executive director of the Bay Area Children’s Theatre. “All children benefit from access to live theatre, both as performers and as audience members. We see the positive impact of performance-based theatre education in all the schools we serve. The Disney Musicals in School program will strengthen our capacity to provide programming and training in the performing arts that schools will be able to sustain. We are extremely grateful to Disney for its commitment to and support for this work.”

Applications are now being taken for the 2015 program from Oakland Unified School District public or charter elementary schools in which 70 percent or more of the student population qualifies for free or reduced-cost lunch.

For more information and to apply, please visit our DMIS webpage or call (510) 2962-4433 ext. 7005 or email dmis@bactheatre.org. The application deadline is September 11, 2015.