Broadway Dallas Announces Partnership with Dallas ISD

Students will learn light design, video production skills, and historical context

Broadway Dallas and Dallas ISD are starting a district-wide program to bring teaching artists to classrooms to provide instruction related to a live production.

In September, the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) curriculum will be themed around the musical Ain’t too Proud — The Life and Times of the Temptations to serve 3,400 high school teachers and students from across the district.

As part of an eight-session, in-class series of lessons, the participants will attend a dedicated performance of Ain’t too Proud at the Music Hall at Fair Park. 

“It’s a critical part of our mission in Broadway Dallas to make that type of experience available to as many people as possible in our community, regardless of economic status or any other circumstances that might prevent them from experiencing the magic of Broadway theater,” Broadway Dallas CEO Ken Novice said while announcing the program in early August.

The program will include lessons in video editing, lighting and technologies, and the civil rights movement and other historical events that line up with the musical. The Ain’t too Proud curriculum is part of the growing partnership between Broadway Dallas and Dallas ISD, which uses its programs and initiatives to give students access to “the spirit of Broadway.”

“Oftentimes you see theater being used to teach theater,” Novice said. “We believe in the power of … the arts to teach other disciplines as well.”

The goal of the program is to show students that they can be involved in theater both on and off the stage, Novice said.

The partnership is put on with the help of sponsorships from the T.D. Jakes Foundation, an organization dedicated to bridging opportunity for underserved populations around the world; The Moody Foundation, started by the Moodys to share their fortune and make a difference in Texans’ lives; and the Dallas Mavericks, among other donors.

“Thanks to [our donors], we can nurture a growing group of students to join the rings of our talented arts community here in Dallas and to spread the message of hope and equity,” said Shannon Trejo, chief academic officer for Dallas ISD.