New Jersey Performing Arts Center

Project Details

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) partnered with The Johnny Mercer Foundation to implement a Musical Theater Residency Program in local schools.

For a decade from 2013 to 2023, the program served more than 100 New Jersey middle school students attending Tier One schools in Newark and the surrounding areas annually.

Each residency met twice a week for 20 sessions. The topics they studied encompassed:

The diverse history of the American Musical
The creation process, including lyric writing
The rehearsal and performance process

Students focused on developing their own creativity, self-confidence and ability to tell their own story through the medium of the American Musical. Residencies were in accordance with the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards, taught by NJPAC Teaching Artists. The program culminated with each school sharing a performance of their work at NJPAC.

This curriculum was based on the Erin Layton / Georgia State University curriculum supported by The Johnny Mercer Foundation.