In mid-May, Fort Myers Theatre took a competition team to England to compete in Junior Theatre Festival Europe. In Artistic Director Michelle Kuntze’s estimation, trips to the Junior Theatre Festival Europe competition in England have huge benefits. This year’s festival was no exception.
“Not only did we perform with over 2,000 kids from all over the world. we also went and took workshops on the West End … with the ‘Hadestown’ cast members and ‘Hercules’ cast members.”
This year’s trip was special for another reason.
“We had the honor of being selected to perform at the closing ceremonies,” Kuntze reported. “Being chosen to perform at the closing is one thing, but being the final act at the closing is really remarkable.”
That meant that the team had the privilege of performing in front of 2,000 theater kids from all over the world.
“We were the only ones from the United States,” said Kuntze. “And we were the first ones ever to perform ‘Newsies Jr.’ in Europe.”
There was one other accolade that really thrilled Kuntze and her team.
“We got complimented on our amazing American accents,” she added with a laugh.
Fort Myers Theatre is on a roll. Next month it is opening a new dinner theater on Crystal Drive in the former home of Ter-Tinis Lounge.
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When she got the call, Kuntze initially thought one of her kids got into trouble.
“The director of the Junior Theatre Festival called us up and he said he needed to talk to us urgently,” Kuntze recounted. “We were at lunch and I actually thought one of my students was in trouble. So [my husband] Jeremy and I ran the couple blocks from our restaurant and ran in and just said, ‘Well, what's going on?’ They're like, ‘Oh, you've been selected to perform at our closing ceremonies and you're going to be performing last. I almost cried. It was just a really great feeling.”
It was a sentiment shared by her ‘Newsies’ cast.
“When I told our students, the energy in the room was unbelievable,” Kuntze continued.
As a result, the cast was able work with West End theater professionals onstage at a hastily convened dress rehearsal.
“Just walking backstage and getting ready, seeing the lights come on and hearing the announcer say, ‘The final performance is by Fort Myers Theatre from the United States of America,’ was incredible. I can't even describe the energy in the room when you have thousands of kids cheering for your students. It was just a really great feeling for all the hard work that we put into it. And then we ran onstage and they did a great job. I mean, they really did.”
Produced by Music Theatre International in partnership with iTheatrics from New York, Junior Theatre Festival Europe is Europe’s largest celebration of musical theater for young people.
For more, read/hear:
- “Fort Myers Theatre leaves with competition team for Junior Theatre Festival Europe;” and
- “Dinner theater a declining thing? Not so fast! Fort Myers has a venue for a new one.”
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
