DISNEY MUSICALS IN SCHOOLS
DALLAS ISD STUDENTS PERFORM DISNEY MUSICALS AT THE WINSPEAR OPERA HOUSE

ARTS EDUCATION TRANSFORMS AFTERSCHOOL ENGAGEMENT, STUDENT GROWTH

(DALLAS) – One hundred and sixty rising stars from five Dallas ISD elementary
schools took to the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House stage, Monday, May
11, 2026, for the AT&T Performing Arts Center’s sixth annual Disney Musicals
in Schools Student Share Celebration. Hosted by Broadway veteran and Friday
Night Lights star Liz Mikel and presented by the Moody Foundation, the event
drew a cheering crowd of 1,000 family members and friends to the Dallas Arts District
to witness arts education in action. The participating schools were: H.S. Thompson
STEAM Academy, John Neely Bryan Elementary, Mary McLeod Bethune
Elementary, Pleasant Grove Elementary, and Prestonwood Montessori at
E.D. Walker.

Disney Musicals in Schools (DMIS) is designed to create sustainable theater
programs in public elementary schools. The selected schools participated in a 17-week
musical theater residency, led by a team of teaching artists trained by the Center and
Disney Theatrical Group, at no cost. Each school received performance rights,
educational support materials and guidance from the teaching artists. The program also
featured professional development for participating school teachers who learned how to
produce, direct, and choreograph their first 30-minute Disney KIDS musical.
At the end of the semester, students (grades 3-5) performed for their classmates at their
school before the program culminated in all five schools participating in the Student
Share Celebration at the Winspear Opera House. The schools presented Disney classics
Frozen KIDS, The Lion King KIDS, and The Aristocats KIDS.

Research by national organizations like Americans from the Arts and the National
Endowment for the Arts points to the benefits of arts education in after-school
programs, including how it promotes “academic self-efficacy,” especially for under-
resourced schools where highly engaged students are three times as likely to earn a
bachelor’s degree than students who lack those experiences.

“It’s their excitement at Student Share that tells us this particular blend of arts
education and afterschool engagement is impacting their personal growth, fostering
pro-social skills and a sense of belonging,” says AT&T Performing Arts Center
Assistant Vice President of Education & Community Engagement, Autumn
Garrison. “They [students] actively want to be at school where they’re a part of
creating something together with their peers, and they have something to be proud of at
the end of 17 weeks of collaboration, creativity, and responsibility.”
“That’s the beauty of Disney—they [students] get to create their own magic and fun,”
says Mr. Joshua Spiegelblatt, teacher and DMIS music director at Pleasant
Grove Elementary. “I honestly couldn’t be prouder of my involvement in the
program; I’m having a wonderful time, and I hope more teachers get to experience this.”
DMIS was launched in 2010 in response to Disney Theatrical Group’s concern that
under-resourced public elementary schools were not afforded equitable access to the
arts. After successfully offering the program in New York City schools, Disney Theatrical
Group began collaborating with organizations in other communities across the United
States. The Center was the first organization in Texas to offer the DMIS program
beginning in 2018.

More information about Disney Musicals in Schools can be found at attpac.org/disney-
schools.

Photos by Jay Simon