The National Children's Theatre will present The Lion King Jr. with a cast of 50 young people under the age of 13 from Gauteng schools.
In a big year for The Lion King, school children in Gauteng will have the opportunity to re-enact the widely travelled production in collaboration with the National Children's Theatre (NCT) and Disney Theatrical Group (DTG).
“It's so unique to be performing this production for the first time this year. We're celebrating freedom and we're celebrating the release of the film 30 years ago. The similarities are striking,” said Ron Kunene, original cast member of the stage version of The Lion King. The Citizen.
Kunene is a well-known actor and currently serves as a director and officer of the NTC.
He has performed at the Oscars twice, first in 1988 for his role in the Academy Award-nominated film Cry for freedom And in 1995 The Lion King It won the Academy Award for Best Original Score.
Making a difference
NCT will perform Disney Junior's production of 'The Lion King Jr' with a cast of 50 young people aged 13 and under from five schools in Gauteng.
“This is perfectly aligned with NCT's mission to use the performing arts and 'edutainment' programs to help develop South Africa's next generation of leaders,” said NCT board chair Moira Katz.
This will be the first time that the junior production, created specifically for use in schools, will be performed in South Africa.
“I have been waiting for this for years and for now it is only in Gauteng but I hope it will be rolled out not only to other parts of South Africa but to the whole of the African continent,” Kunene said.
This performance will be the culmination of NCT's educational activities. School Musical This one was inspired by Disney musicals at school.
Disney Musicals in Schools has been building sustainable theatre programs in schools across the US and UK for over 10 years. In this program, NCT and DTG facilitators will work closely with five primary schools in Gauteng for three months.
“South Africans have talent. [during auditions] “They just don't know the process because they're not educated, so that's good. Disney is seriously investing in this project, so hopefully this program will help,” Kunene said.
The programme delivers life skills and creative curriculum, and provides training and inspiration to teachers, ensuring that the skills and ideas generated by the programme are transferred to school teams and the benefits are felt for years to come.
“This is an incredible and unique opportunity to partner with National Children's Theatre to expand arts outreach and engagement among young people through this beloved story,” said Nancy Shakerly, education and audience engagement manager, Disney Theatrical Group.
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An important year
A Disney animated blockbuster that was first released in theaters in 1994. The Lion King For 30 years, it has captivated audiences around the world and inspired countless films. Mufasa The film is scheduled for release in December of this year and is the hit musical based on Disney's The Lion King Jr.
“It is very significant that we are doing this this year. I remember when the film was released in 1994, we did awareness drives across the United States educating Americans about South Africa,” Kunene asserted.
Kunene has also served as dialect coach for the Broadway and international productions of The Lion King, and supported Lebo M and the Disney creative team in creating the music for The Lion King.
Julie Taymor's award-winning stage adaptation celebrates its 25th anniversary in London's West End and has played in over 100 cities, with more than 112 million audience members seeing the musical.
Kunene recalls a conversation he had with Lebo M about the music he composed for the film.
“He said, 'I imagined Nelson Mandela coming out of prison.' Every time I hear this song, it has a historic meaning to me.”
Both the stage version and The Lion King Jr. feature the classic songs from the 1994 film. Hakuna Matata Academy Award Winner Do you feel the love tonight? It also includes additional songs written specifically for the musical.
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