National Children’s Theatre to bring Disney’s THE LION KING Jr.
National Children’s Theatre to bring a production of Disney’s The Lion King Jr. to life in Gauteng. The show has been specially adapted for young performers.
A province-wide search for cast members to take place through unique education initiative
The project forms part of the 30th anniversary celebration of Disney’s classic animation The Lion King.
The timeless story of Disney’s The Lion King – which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year- will roar to life in Gauteng in 2024 as part of a new collaboration between National Children’s Theatre (NCT) and Disney Theatrical Group (DTG).
NCT will stage The Lion King Jr, Disney’s Junior production of the internationally celebrated musical, with a cast of 50 young people aged 13 and under. This will be the first time the Junior production, which is specially created for use in schools, is performed in South Africa.
The performance will be the culmination of NCT’s education initiative “Musical Theatre in Schools”. Inspired by Disney Musicals in Schools, which has built sustainable theatre programmes in schools throughout the US and UK for over a decade, this new programme will see facilitators from NCT and DTG work closely with five primary schools in Gauteng for three months. Together they will deliver life skills, creative curriculum and offer training and inspiration to teachers to ensure that the skills and ideas generated by the programme can be transferred to the school teams and the benefits felt for years to come.
Towards September, a selection of pupils from each of the five schools will come together to form a new youth theatre company at NCT. They will rehearse and perform The Lion King Jr which will premiere at the NCT campus in Parktown, Johannesburg in early November 2024. In addition, NCT’s young performers will learn a wide range of new theatrical skills, including mask-making and puppetry, widening their exposure to the world of musical theatre.
First released in cinemas in 1994, Disney’s hit animated blockbuster The Lion King has captivated the imagination of audiences around the world for 30 years, inspiring multiple films – including Mufasa which is set for release this December – and the hit musical on which Disney’s The Lion King Jr is based. Director Julie Taymor’s award-winning stage adaptation which is celebrating 25 years in London’s West End has been seen in over 100 cities with more than 112 million people experiencing the breath-taking musical. Using spectacular masks, puppets and costumes it tells the story of Simba’s epic adventures, as he struggles with the responsibilities of adulthood and becoming king. Both the stage adaptation and The Lion King Jr. feature classic songs from the 1994 film such as “Hakuna Matata” and the Academy Award®-winning “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” as well as additional songs penned for the musical production.
