JTF 2026 Press Release

Mountain City Center for the Arts Celebrates Major Honors at Junior Theatre Festival

FROSTBURG, MD — Mountain City Center for the Arts (MCCA) proudly celebrates a standout showing at the Junior Theatre Festival (JTF), the world’s largest celebration of young people performing musical theatre. The 2025–2026 season marked MCCA’s tenth trip to the prestigious event, held annually in Atlanta, Georgia and sponsored by Playbill, Disney Musicals, and Music Theatre International.

MCCA’s pre-professional musical theatre company presented a selection from Beetlejuice JR. for adjudication, earning national recognition for their performance. The group was awarded the Freddie G Excellence in Acting Award, one of the festival’s highest honors.

In addition to the group award, students Cassidy Witt and Mason Merrick were named All Stars, a distinction given to outstanding individual performers. Merrick, along with Gillian Myers and Corinna Hilderbrand, also received callbacks for the highly selective Director’s Video (DVD) Choreography project. Merrick was ultimately accepted into the DVD Program, an elite opportunity where selected students from across the festival travel to New York City to learn and perform original choreography from leading Broadway artists. The choreography is professionally filmed and distributed by Music Theatre International as part of their official educational resources used by theatre programs worldwide.

The Junior Theatre Festival brings together student theatre groups from around the world for a weekend of performances, workshops, and professional development. Each group performs a fifteen-minute selection from a Broadway Junior musical for a panel of industry professionals, while students and educators participate in masterclasses and special events led by Broadway artists.

MCCA’s performance received exceptional feedback from adjudicators:

“This performance was bursting at the seams with energy, personality and excitement. It is clear from their performance that Mountain City Center for the Arts provides an incredible learning environment and training ground for the next generation. The students display incredible commitment and skill!” – Niani Feelings, NYC-based performer and choreographer (Pirates! The Penzance Musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee)

“Beetlejuice JR. was spectacular! I appreciated the commitment level of the artists led by Mason Merrick in the title role. Cassidy Witt was also a standout as a funny and believable Delia. This troupe showed teamwork and dedication to telling the story! These young artists are learning valuable skills needed to excel as competitive performers. They’re not only passionate, but talented singers, dancers, and actors. I was impressed by their storytelling, which was both dark and entertaining at the same time, which is so appropriate for this special show.” – Kenny Shepard, Director/Choreographer

“Fantastic commitment to character, gorgeous cohesion in their storytelling, full commitment to character and building the world of the piece. Clearly an incredibly focused, creative, and passionate group that is harvesting well rounded humans who are in touch with their artistic impulses.” – Josh Zacher, Performer, Director-Choreographer, Teaching Artist (The Prom 1st Nat’l Tour, The MUNY)

MCCA’s pre-professional musical theatre program has been attending JTF since 2017 and continues to provide students with high-level training and performance opportunities. The program is designed to prepare young performers for the professional world through intensive training in acting, voice, dance, and audition technique, while fostering creativity, collaboration, and confidence.

“Our goal is to nurture young performers into well-rounded, compassionate, and driven individuals,” said MCCA leadership. “Experiences like JTF allow students to grow not only as performers, but as people.”

Auditions for MCCA’s 2026–2027 Junior Theatre Festival team, which will perform Peter Pan Jr., will be held May 8, with callbacks on May 9. The program is open to students in grades 5 through 12. Participation includes summer training, a full production, and attendance at JTF Atlanta in January 2027.

For more information or to sign up for auditions, visit: https://www.mymcca.com/peterpanjr