iTHEATRICS ADAPTIONS

At iTheatrics we adapt musicals so that they can be performed by kids in school and after-school settings.

We create our adaptations for a distinguished list of clients, including Music Theatre International, Disney Theatrical Productions, and Concord Theatricals. Lots of people ask about the process of adapting a big Broadway musical for kids, so here's a quick overview of how we do it.

ON PAPER

We start by adapting the musical on paper. This means abridging the show to a shorter running time, reviewing the score to ensure it can be readily sung by young voices, and making sure the show’s content is kid-friendly while keeping it true to the author’s intentions. Once we’re satisfied with the paper draft, team iTheatrics does a table read of the adaptation. These reads are lively, always hysterical, and quite insightful. We gather notes from the table read and complete a second and third draft until the show is ready to be tested in a workshop production with students from around the country in our Broadway Academy.

IN WORKSHOPS

The objective of this workshop is to ensure that the storytelling is clear and to make sure the music is in the best possible keys for young voices. Throughout the process, we are also testing the best ways to direct the show with kids while identifying challenging sections of the show and coming up with solutions. We share these recommendations in the show resources sections that are included with all of iTheatrics’ adaptations.

Each workshop culminates in a staged reading performance for the show’s authors and owners and the performers’ families and teachers. Directly after the performance, we sit down with the show’s authors and collect their input and insight. With this critical feedback, we go back to the script to make any last-minute changes and edits.

READY FOR LICENSING!

Then we start getting the show ready for licensing. This means creating the set of resources included in all of our adaptations. This includes recording sessions for Guide Vocal and Performance Accompaniment Tracks, video shoots in New York City for Choreography Videos, and writing lots of helpful information designed to make sure that anyone who decides to put on one of our adaptations will be successful.

Once all the resources are created, the show is made available to schools and after-school programs through the licensing agency that represents that show.

From start to finish, it takes us about two-and-a-half years to adapt a show and get it into the hands of kids and teachers. It’s a whole lot of work, but we know that when a kid gets a script from us, they’re going to be transformed by the power of musical theater, and that makes it worth all the work.