Students from Magic Curtain Productions in Orlando won a Freddie G Excellence in Dance award and Ethan Crespo received a Freddie G Outstanding Performance by an Individual award at the 2021 Junior Theater Festival Texas. The event took place June 25th-27th in Sugar Land, Texas. JTF Texas was a monumental weekend of theatrical fellowship rewarding and empowering student-driven musical theater programs.
The praise for the Orlando group was clear. “I was filled with joy witnessing their joy,” composer, playwright, and actor Douglas Lyons said about Magic Curtain Productions’ performance. “What a powerhouse group.”
“The dancing and performance was out of this world!” added Broadway actor Krystina Alabado. “Talk about a challenging piece and every single performer exceeded that challenge!”
During its adjudication, MCP students presented selections from Disney’s High School Musical 2 JR. for Lyons, Alabado (Mean Girls, American Idiot, Spring Awakening), and iTheatrics VP and Choreography Supervisor Steven G. Kennedy.
“Wow, is all I can say,” said Kennedy. “From the fully developed characters to the wonderful dancing, this cast wanted to entertain and that’s just what they did.”
MCP students Ethan Crespo and Payton Muse were distinguished as Junior Theater Festival All-Stars honoring particularly dynamic student performers.
This year marked the first JTF Texas. The event brought together 2,228 musical theater enthusiasts to participate in the event; 50 of these groups were in person, and an additional seven groups participated online. iTheatrics and the Junior Theater Group produce the Junior Theater Festivals. Sponsors of JTF Texas were Music Theatre International (MTI) and iHeartRadio Broadway.
Festival organizers worked with the officials representing the city of Sugar Land and also its own COVID-19 Health and Safety Consultant to create a memorable and safe JTF Texas. Everyone followed strict social distancing protocols and remained masked while at the festival.
Michael James Scott (Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway) performed the festival’s headlining concert.
Daniel Yearwood (Hamilton, Broadway); Katy Geraghty (Groundhog Day!, original Broadway cast); Krystina Alabado (Gretchen Wieners in Mean Girls, American Idiot, Spring Awakening); Douglas Lyons (Jonathan Larson Grant finalist, composer of Five Points; actor in The Book of Mormon, Broadway) were some of the celebrities who took part in main stage events and were on-hand to cheer the young performers on.
Students and teachers also enjoyed a presentation of The Big One-Oh! JR. performed by students from Inspiration Stage in Sugar Land TX, and took part in workshops.
Called a “rousing celebration of theatre” by the New York Times, the Junior Theater Festivals celebrate and empower the international movement of young people and educators creating student-driven musical theater around the globe.
In 2020, nearly 15,000 people worldwide attended a Junior Theater Festival or Junior Theater Celebration. Earlier this year, in place of its flagship Junior Theater Festival Atlanta and Junior Theater West, iTheatrics produced the 2021 JTF Online Extravaganza! In addition to its Junior Theater Festivals in the U.S., iTheatrics produces, hosts, and supports additional Junior Theater Festivals and one-day Junior Theater Celebrations in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and New Zealand.
