Central Florida’s only professional musical theater is taking performers off the mainstage and into the classroom. Relevant Educational Arts for CHildren (REACH) is part of the Winter Park Playhouse community outreach program and engages students in musical experiences with an educational intent.
Productions began on the heels of the 2008 recession at a time when the arts were all but removed from Title 1 schools. “We have many friends and a couple of board members who were lamenting the fact that arts programming had been completely decimated and taken out of public schools,” Playhouse Director Heather Alexander told the32789. She and her team began presenting performances of Schoolhouse Rock Live! Jr.: an abbreviated version of the full-length stage production, based on the Emmy Award-winning 1970s Saturday morning cartoon series. The 40-minute production offers performers under 18 an opportunity to gain experience and showcase their skills in a paid role. Younger actors also make the material more relatable to the target audience. “Having young people perform for young people is really impactful and powerful,” Alexander said.
Among the cast is 16-year-old Natalie Bishop, who began her stage experience at the age of four with appearances in educational productions before working at the former Holy Land Experience and in community theater. “The experience I have had (with Schoolhouse Rock Live! Jr.) has been incredible,” she said. “It is easy to tell how much (the kids) enjoy it. After the shows, we go and say hi to them and there is always a crowd of hugs, high fives, and fist bumps.”
A two-month rehearsal schedule for Schoolhouse Rock Live! Jr. begins in September with performances starting in November. Alexander says the dates depend on academic calendars with the most requested month being May, after year-end testing.
REACH also includes an Artists-in-Residence program where professional teaching artists lead age-appropriate classes in music, dance, and drama at Winter Park Day Nursery and Wellborn Nursery and Preschool. “Teaching artists bring a variety of supplemental materials such as music eggs and rhythm sticks for the children to explore rhythm and beat,” Winter Park Day Nursery Program Director Megan Martin told the32789. Programming also includes dancing to popular songs. “All of our students participate in the music classes and the playhouse is very effective at ensuring they are age- and developmentally-appropriate for our students.”
The teaching artists also work with musical theater camps by The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida. Week-long singing, dancing, and acting classes are presented during summer and spring breaks, and year-round classes at Winter Park Community Center offer opportunities for older kids. But age-appropriate programming isn’t limited to children.
Another playhouse outreach program, Senior Health through ARts Enrichment (SHARE), enhances quality of life and mental and physical health with quarterly performances at senior residences including The Gardens at DePugh Nursing Home, Calvary Towers senior apartments, and Kinneret Apartments. Playhouse Music Director Christopher Leavy produces travelling cabarets with musical selections familiar to the audience. Leavy performs on piano and is accompanied by one of the playhouse vocalists. “We’ve been around for 22 years, and many of our older guests stopped coming because of physical or mental or economic issues,” Alexander said, “so, we go to them, and there are residents that just light up when they hear the music. It’s really transformative.”
Winter Park Playhouse programs are currently experiencing a difficult economic climate as state funding for arts programming has been cut out of the 2025 budget. However, Alexander and playhouse board members remain committed to the cause as new grant opportunities and sponsors are being sought to make up for the lack of state support. “We are trying not to cut any outreach programming,” Alexander said. “Making art available for all has always been a part of our mission.”
For more information about Winter Park Playhouse programming, tickets and ways to support its mission, log onto winterparkplayhouse.org.
