Add a little magic to your school! with Disney Musicals in Schools (DMIS), an initiative of Hennepin Arts and Disney Theatricals that ignites a passion for storytelling by building a sustainable musical theatre program in Twin Cities metro, public elementary schools. 

Disney Musicals in Schools presents a special opportunity to introduce the collaborative art of musical theatre to students, strengthening your school's arts programming, and developing partnerships among students, faculty, staff, and the greater community. By providing free performance materials and professional development to participating schools, DMIS has helped school communities across the US and UK launch new theater programs, inspiring the next generation of diverse storytellers, artists, and audiences. 

Applications for the 2026-2027 school will be open from March 11 to September 21, 2026.

Hennepin Arts will select up to four metro area public elementary schools to participate in this year's DMIS program, prioritizing under-resourced schools.  

Please note: Recipient schools will receive various levels of support over a period of three years. Since the goal of the program is to build sustainable theatre programs, applications from schools that have participated in the program in the last five years will not be considered. 

Please refer to our New School Slide Deck and email your questions to disneymusicals@hennepinarts.org. 

Program Timeline: Our Disney Musicals in Schools Timeline has been altered to an October to March schedule for the 26/27 school year. 

• 3/13/26 - Applications Open
• 9/15/26 - Applications Close
• Late September - Finalist School Interviews
• TBD - New School Orientation
• 10/19/26 - First Week of Residency 
• March 2027 - Student Share Celebration

Disney Musicals in Schools requires a minimum of three teachers. Please commit 3-5 teachers or staff who will be present at all rehearsals.

The work of producing a musical requires collaborative and individual planning time. It's helpful if the School Team is available for brief planning meetings before and/or after each rehearsal and for a minimum of four longer production meetings throughout the process. 

The 17-week rehearsal process requires a commitment to 2, 90-minute rehearsals each week. The program can be held either as an after school program or during school hours in a visual arts or music class. 

Disney Musicals in Schools requires time, effort, and collaboration from the school faculty and community participating in the program, and from the school's leadership team.