The Summer Musical Theatre Experience

Since 2006, SMTE has produced a full-length show every summer at the Wilson Center on FSCJ’s South Campus—well-known shows and classic shows such as “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” “Guys and Dolls,” “Damn Yankees” and “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.”

“We are giving the students opportunities to perform in a large scale musical with show-stopping lights, sets and costumes, giving them an experience that they don’t typically get till they get into the real world,” says Kristin Livingston, Artistic Director for SMTE.

“Hairspray” brought a cast of 62 students from 19 schools around Jacksonville.

“This was the largest group that auditioned. The largest cast we ended up having was a couple of years ago. We did Beauty and the Beast, and as you can imagine there are a lot of forks and knives and spoons and plates,” says Beth Harvey, Operations Manager for the Wilson Center.

The program is 8 weeks long with auditions every April. It’s open to kids in 8th to 12th grade and the cost is around $250 for each student.

“Jacksonville has a huge talent pool of youth. I think that for the Wilson Center and FSCJ to be able to open the doors for them and let them see that they do have this talent and let them shine, I think it is critical to their ego. It’s critical to their growth, personal development, professional development, and their own sense of self-esteem and self-worth,” says Harvey.

Since 2006, SMTE has given opportunities to over 600 high-school students in the Jacksonville area.

“It’s critical for them to understand the importance of education, the importance of art education, the importance of understanding where we stand in the community,” says Harvey.

Check out the video to learn more about the Summer Musical Theater Experience.