Plant City High School theatre program honored with prestigious Disney grant

Plant City theatre program receives Disney grant

Plant City High School is one of 21 schools that are getting the Disney on Broadway Schools of Excellence grant.

PLANT CITY, Fla. - Plant City High School is one of 21 schools honored to receive the Disney on Broadway Schools of Excellence grant.

From acting to set design, fifty Plant City High School theatre students are currently wrapping up preparation for their spring performance, "Peter and the Starcatcher."  "Peter and the Starcatcher is Disney's answer to an original story for Peter Pan," Plant City High School Theatre Director Audrey Schmidt said.

The backstory:

The students, 29 performers and 21 backstage production members, have spent the semester building sets, blocking and tweaking dialogue for the play. Those 29 performers bring 100 different characters to life.

"I want them to go home and watch Peter Pan afterward and see how this ties into the actual movie, and I want them to honestly feel inspired," Plant City High School Senior Makyla Brown said.

Brown plays Molly Astor, one of the leads and the love interest for Peter Pan. As she walked around on the stage, many of the set pieces were conceived by fellow senior Helena Adkins.

"I guess I like the organized chaos. I am the technical director, so I am overseeing all the aspects of lighting design, costume design, scenic design, prop design," Adkins said.

Dig deeper:

An essay by Adkins propelled the show throughout the national world, earning a Disney on Broadway Schools of Excellence grant, one of only 21 schools honored in the country. The award recognizes schools that excel in student leadership.

"The students’ handprints are all over the show, not just as performers, but as designers and technicians," Schmidt said.

Schmidt stresses that she is only there to provide guidance. She says if she's doing someone's job, she's failed as an educator. She says the students take the lead when it comes to translating the story to the stage.

What they're saying:

"It is very rewarding to watch just like these random scribbles on paper turn into this whole design on stage and then watch people be able to use it and watching just things really come to life," Adkins said.

Everyone involved with the production hopes their performances take the audience away to the magical place that theatre can create. 

"I think we really did just want to put something on that was out of the box, something that would help bring the community together, something people can bring their kids to," Adkins said. 

What's next:

The show debuts on Thursday, March 26th. There will be four total performances through Saturday. Tickets range from $10 to $20.