The mane event

An essential part of the London theatre scene, Disney's iconic musical The Lion King is currently enjoying 20 years on the stage. In order to celebrate, the show is heading on a UK and Ireland tour giving theatre fans around the country even more chances to join in the fun. Over the past two decades, the musical has been performed in 25 countries around the world, been translated into eight languages, won 70 major theatre awards and been seen by more than 100 million audience members across the globe.

Now, the UK and Ireland tour will kick off in Bristol this month, with further dates also announced for Edinburgh and Cardiff so far. This will not only allow the production to reach a wider audience, but schools and young theatrical enthusiasts will be able to get a glimpse behind the musical theatre curtain, since the show is taking its successful London-based workshops on the road as well.

A hands-on learning experience

Lead by Disney-trained teaching artists, these workshops present pupils with the exciting task of performing scenes, learning songs and mastering choreography from the award-winning musical. In turn, the workshops provide a creative and unique learning environment where students can gain crucial team working and communication skills – who knows, you may even discover the next generation of Lion King actors among your pack.

Groups can choose between four different workshops, with the most popular being a movement and music workshop entitled ‘The Rhythm of the Pridelands’. In this workshop, students are taken through a specific scene from the show, following the same process carried out by the cast – from warm-ups all the way through to perfecting a performance that is ready for the West End. For younger groups, they tend to use ‘The Circle of Life’, while older groups may focus on ‘He Lives in You’, a musical favourite which actually originated in the sequel to the original animated film.

There are also other workshops aimed at slightly more advanced groups such as choirs or theatre groups, called ‘Spotlight on Acting’, ‘Spotlight on Singing’ and ‘Spotlight on Dancing’. Inspiration for the workshops comes all the way from Broadway, where the sister production created similar workshops, which have then been adapted for a British market. Until now, the workshops have only been available in London – with groups heading to studios near the theatre to undergo their 90-minute workshop, either at 11 in the morning or 4 in the afternoon. This gives the group plenty of time to master the skills, before heading over to the theatre and enjoying the show.

‘It's a really special experience for [the students], having just performed themselves to then see it live on stage,’ says Nancy Shakerley, Disney Theatrical Group's education and outreach manager.

Disney teaching artist leads a group of young students

Enrichment for teachers and students

Disney Theatrical Group understands that while this is an exciting and memorable experience for everyone involved, schools need to justify this time away from the classroom. The website is full of resources that will accompany your visit, aimed at both primary and secondary level, covering performing arts, English, art and design, in addition to music. Due to the large of breadth of subjects that they cover, it's no surprise that the workshops have been awarded the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge.

The teaching artists, which includes some ex-cast members, are there to make sure that the groups get the most out of their experience. They're trained to cover primary and secondary education and will tailor the workshop depending on the needs and abilities of the group. Teachers are asked to provide some information about the group such as their age, how many students will be taking part and whether there are any accessibility needs. Schools should also notify organisers if they would like the workshops tailored to fit the requirements of the Arts Award or the Arts Mark.

For schools intending to stage a show, especially if it's The Lion King, it's worth mentioning this, so that the artist can best assist the group. It's also helpful for them to be aware of experience levels, so that the content and language can be adapted to suit the students. However, as they say, ‘the show must go on’ and there is always plenty of flexibility on the day.

In recent years, Disney has brought its education workshops into schools too, training teachers to become choreographers, as well as musical and non-musical directors, allowing valuable skills to be gained by the schools as an institution.

‘The idea is we're leaving those skills with the schools as well,’ says Shakerley, ‘so they're able to produce musical theatre for years to come.’

It also works with the Educational Trust, taking five London primary schools under their wing every year, as well as sending teaching artists into schools to help them prepare for productions.

The workshops have always received positive feedback from participants and teachers alike. Not only do participants push themselves and try something new, but for some it unlocks a passion for the theatre they never knew they had.

© Nancy Shakerley 

‘Teachers always say that there is someone in the group who has surprised them, who they didn't think they were going to engage but really did. It's always nice to hear that we're appealing to a young person in the group, who doesn't necessarily excel at other things. I think it's really important you get that experience, not only to enhance the visit, but because it means that [students] are unlocking something in themselves.’

The team is assisted by a board of 35 teachers, who help it to stay current and create a vision for the future. In turn, the teaching artists are given plenty of training to keep the workshops relevant, useful and fresh for those young people who take part in them.

Interested groups should head directly to the Disney Tickets website to get the best availability for the show and book an unforgettable workshop experience.

‘When schools sign up or email us to book their tickets and add on a workshop, we have a bit of a cheat sheet that says, “this will be perfect for your group if they are…” and then we put a checklist. It becomes fairly clear which workshop certain groups will like, but they're always welcome to choose. We will adapt it so that the group gets the most out of its experience.’

The website is rich with information, facts and insights to help you tailor the workshop to the demographic of your participants. It's as simple as getting in touch with the team and they will take it from there.