On the morning of Friday, May 13th, CYT Dallas hosted a gym full of elementary school students and teachers from around the Lewisville area at a sold out performance of Frozen Jr.! CYT’s School Field Trip program provides young people an opportunity to see quality stage productions, which serves as an excellent cultural arts addition to the basic school curriculum. This is especially valuable in schools where arts programming has been greatly reduced. Due to the generosity of a grant from Texas Commission on the Arts, CYT Dallas was able to provide this experience at no cost to 275 Title I students.
From the moment the buses pulled into the parking lot, the excitement was palpable. For 95 students, it was the first field trip they had ever been on (some due to covid and some due to lack of funding), and they ran off the buses to hug and high five anyone wearing a CYT shirt, asking “Where are Anna and Elsa!?”
Excitement grew as the students funneled to their seats, waited for buses to unload, and anticipated the start of the show. As the lights rose on the opening number, kids audibly oohed and ahhed in the audience as they saw actors their age filling the stage with iconic costumes, professional microphones, and larger-than-life set pieces. The audience was locked in, singing along from “Love Is An Open Door” to “Fixer Upper.” The climax of the day was undoubtedly the show stopping moment snow machines began blasting during the number “Let It Go.” Kids across the theater leapt out of their seats, reaching for the snow and dancing as it fell all around them. When asked about that moment, Noelle, a student in the audience, boldly stated “It was the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen in my whole entire life. I’ve never seen fake snow like that before.”
The School Field Trip program is not only an impactful experience for the kids in the audience, but also for the CYT students performing onstage. When asked about her experience performing for the elementary schoolers, Alexa, who played Elsa, said “It was really fun performing for all the kids. I learned that through CYT we could give them an experience they may have never had.”
CYT Dallas looks forward to continuing to produce School Field Trip shows in the 2022-2023 season. On our calendar is Mary Poppins, School of Rock, Godspell, and Willy Wonka Jr.! ! If you are an educator or know an educator who would be interested in bringing students to future performances, contact our Program Coordinator, Rebekah Williford at rebekah@cytdallas.org, for more information.
CYT Dallas also offers a variety of other programs including classes, shows, camps, and small groups. All information can be found at cytdallas.org or on our facebook page.
For details about public shows, camps, and other programs offered by CYT Dallas, visit cytdallas.org.
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