'26 JumpStart Theatre Celebration

On March 30th, MCCA held its 5th JumpStart Theatre Celebration at the Garrett College Performing Arts Center in McHenry, Maryland. Five JumpStart schools were in attendance: two Year One Schools—Beall Elementary and Broad Ford Elementary—and three Year Two Schools—Accident Elementary, Southern Junior High Theatre, and Westmar Middle School. 

The JumpStart Celebration is an all-day theatre celebration where all of the JumpStart schools come together to share in the magic of theatre. Students spent the morning in music, acting, and dance workshops. The afternoon was filled with amazing performances from each school, where schools shared a selection from their musical. Students also enjoyed special performances from MCCA staff members sharing their journey through theatre and how it shaped their education and professional career path. 

The entire celebration was magical! As we wrap up our JumpStart year, we are so grateful for the amazing educators at each school who have poured so much love and support into their students, schools, and communities. Theatre truly does make the world a better place, and we are all better because of these JumpStart programs!

“The JumpStart Theatre Celebration is one of my favorite days of the whole year. We get to share the magic of theatre with so many amazing students and educators. The day is truly a celebration of the students' and teachers' hard work, and gives theatre students across three states the opportunity to connect and share their passion for theatre. See what our schools had to say about the day.” ~ Coty Forno

“Of all the jumpstart celebrations I have been to, this was my and our casts’ favorite! It felt the most safe and welcoming, and smoothly executed,” ~ Southern Junior Theatre Team 

“Thank you for such an amazing day!!! The kids talked about it all the way home! You’re truly changing lives and allowing kids to find their people, place, and purpose.Once back at school the teachers told us the students couldn’t stop talking about the amazing experience. Thank you for all you do!”~Westmar Teaching Team 

“I love doing Jumpstart and seeing all my friends. It’s just really fun!”- Accident Elementary Student 

“Working with many of the different, past and present, JumpStart schools, I have come to appreciate how hard these communities work to provide a wonderful experience for all of these kids. It’s incredibly inspiring to see the hesitation fade away as the process unfolds, and to see these kids start to truly thrive! It’s something I’ve been grateful to witness firsthand five or six times now, and each time just gets better! It’s not just the students who get a transformation out of the process either. I’ve seen teachers who never would’ve thought they would be part of a theatre group, but who decided to take a leap of faith, come out the other side victorious and be so thankful they decided to take that leap. While I am always so impressed with the students, it’s really the teachers who are the real MVPs of this program! Without their commitment to the incredibly hard process of building a theatre program from the ground up, the JumpStart program would crumble. Seeing the joy and pride on both the teachers' and students' faces after their first performance is just one of the many moments that I am forever grateful for.” 

-Matthan Potts