After a two-month selection process, Stages St. Louis and the Stages Performing Arts Academy have named Margaret Buerkle Middle School in the Mehlville School District as one of three area middle schools that will launch the three-year JumpStart Theatre program, which equips non-theatre faculty and administrators with the skills and resources to produce their school’s first musical theatre production.

Buerkle, Cross Keys in Ferguson and Coolidge in Granite City, Illinois, were selected from 15 middle schools to receive the grant.

It is sponsored by the Educational Theatre Association, home of the International Thespian Society, and the Educational Theatre Foundation beginning in the 2018-2019 school year.

Stages Performing Arts Academy is in the process of hiring a teaching artist dedicated solely to mentoring schools throughout the program, with the goal of building a sustainable, long-term musical theatre curriculum.

“All of the finalists beautifully demonstrated their strong desire to support the arts in their schools, and it is truly an honor to be a part of helping Buerkle, Cross Keys and Coolidge make arts education in their schools a reality,” said Stages St. Louis Executive Producer Jack Lane.