Texas students will attend a local musical and improve their artistic knowledge – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

The musical, Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations, will kick off the new season of Broadway Dallas, formerly known as Dallas Summer Musicals. One of the performances in September will be exclusively attended by 3,400 students from ISD Dallas.

“There’s nothing quite like that anticipation that happens when you’re in the theater waiting for your Broadway show to start,” said Ken Novice, president and CEO of Broadway Dallas. “Our intention here is to demonstrate to students interested in the arts that there are many paths to careers in this field besides performing on stage or playing in the orchestra pit.”

Theater students on DISD’s 25 high school campuses will have the opportunity to take a theater-related STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) program. They will work on lighting, audio and video projects. At the end of the day, they’ll fill all 3,400 seats on Broadway Dallas to catch a performance of the musical.

“It’s clear to see the unique opportunity that will open a door for students to access theater and music in a way they never could before,” said Shannon Trejo, Academic Director of DISD. “It’s an equity project.”

Last year, DISD students in the same program went to see the musical Hamilton through a partnership with the Mavs Foundation and the TD Jakes Foundation. The Moody Foundation is also a benefactor.

“It was amazing,” Bishop TD Jakes said. “It was amazing to see their enthusiasm, how seriously they took the opportunity, how grateful they were to have this chance.”

The aim is to open their eyes to the possibilities of future careers in theatre.

“It starts at this point,” Jakes said. “These are the seeds of tomorrow.”