...About a year ago, I was sitting in the MTI Showspace Arena at the 2014 national Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta, GA anticipating the performance and master class from cast members from The Lion King on Broadway. Several weeks before, I had learned that Disney would make an exciting announcement during the festival about new opportunities for student-artists and I was eager to learn what would be revealed. As I sat in my seat waiting for the announcement, the lights dimmed, the arena filled with 4,000 student-artists from across the world began cheering and then, in the darkness, silhouettes appeared on stage and the individual standing center stage belted out "Nants ingonyama bagithi baba,' -- the opening lyrics to the song Circle of Life. As I turned around and looked out into the sea of 4000 young faces in the theater go wild and cheer, I realized the magical effect and affect lyrics can have on an audience. Surely, the Broadway cast had flown to Atlanta and was about to perform for us that evening... As the lights rose onstage, the stage was filled with middle and high school student-artists who were chosen by Disney and the Junior Theater Festival to perform The Lion King, Jr. -- the adapted version made for school-aged performers! This was the big announcement. This was the big reveal! I envied at my theater colleagues who had the opportunity of learning and sharing through use of The Lion King Experience and production of The Lion King, Jr. Naturally, students from The SEED Falcon Theatre eagerly stated, "we are doing this show next year, Dr. Bagley!" From that statement, I turned to Ms. Grant, our choreographer, and said "that's a huge show!" Ms. Grant agreed....but followed with, "it would take discipline, focus, commitment, and energy to accomplish." The entire theater continued watching the performance by an amazing group of student-artists, and I have to admit for a while, I thought the student playing the role of Rafiki was an adult... She was that good! Following the performance, Thomas Schumacher, Disney Theatricals President, informed theater the audience that The Lion King Experience, an 18-lesson rigorous standards based curriculum and The Lion King, Jr. musical production were available for school use. As I pondered the thought of a SEED Falcon Theatre production of The Lion King, Jr., I reflected on what it would take for such a production... Artistic staff? Time? Dedicated students?
During the Summer of 2015, after much thought and much apprehension, I made the decision to produce and direct The Lion King, Jr. starting first with a Creative Arts Summer Boot Camp where I would roll out The Lion King Experience and move into auditioning and rehearsing the production. This decision did not come easily. I recalled sitting in Atlanta just six months earlier feeling a certain void in my heart. I was not challenging the students enough. I was not pushing myself to the artistic standard that had been instilled in me years ago, that I knew I was capable of. I knew there was a greater need to create a safe space for urban youth to create, explore, learn, and experience in and through the arts...but I did not know how or where it would come from until The Lion King Experience was introduced to me. Beginning in July, this journey has had its ups and its downs, but I continued to marvel at the enthusiastic and eager student-artists that are performing this evening. Each individual has given over 15 hours per week, long nights and weekends, lost weekends, sacrificed vacations, school events, and a host of other time consuming, but greatly rewarding activities; but all of this is necessary to build and maintain a solid theatre and arts program. Notedly, the cumulative effect, over the past several months, has been staggering and has enabled us to achieve a level of proficiency that many would deem impossible for our students.
