Stage by stage: Music Theatre International's All Together Now!

Music Theatre International (MTI)'s All Together Now! event, which was originally announced in early 2021, empowered schools and theatres around the world to produce and perform locally a brand new and exclusive musical revue featuring songs from MTI's best loved shows. The revue, which was available entirely free-of-charge, thanks to the generosity of the authors who created each of the the hit songs featured, was designed as a way both to welcome audiences back to in-person theatre and to support the thousands of schools and theatre organisations who are persevering under extremely trying circumstances.

Raising funds

Over the weekend, MTI estimates that over £4.6 million (adjusted for local currencies) was raised as a result of the productions of All Together Now!, with many schools opting to donate their proceeds to charity.

Hornsea School and Language College used the show to raise funds for an ex-student. Daniel Sellers from Hornsea School explains: ‘One of the main reasons for putting on the All Together Now! concert was to support one of our ex-performing arts students, Ed Jordan, who unfortunately earlier on in 2021 had been diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma cancer. As Ed had starred in many productions whilst at Hornsea School, including Hairspray, Chicago and Fiddler on the Roof, we thought “what better way to show our support and raise some money for the Ewings Sarcoma Research Trust than by putting on a show!”

‘This then turned into a huge event and we were extremely proud to host the “One in a Million” Charity Gala Dinner on 12 November in our school hall. The evening consisted of the All Together Now! concert, charity auction, 3 course meal, DJ and live band and we were extremely overwhelmed to have raised £15,000 for this very worthwhile cause. The All Together Now! concert featured many past and present students who have starred on stage alongside Ed and we were also pleased that students from both Hornsea Burton and Skipsea Primary School (our local primaries) took part in this concert on the charity dinner evening. We also presented this concert on 15 November at HSLC for all parents, friends and staff to attend. This was a fantastic way to celebrate our first live theatre event and raised over £700 for both our school and the primaries.’

Returning to the stage

Pamela Spencer, music teacher at Wallace High School in Stirling commented: ‘All Together Now! was the most wonderful experience for our students. It was a fantastic opportunity to encourage our young people back to live performing. We tentatively put the idea to our pupils and were amazed by the response, enthusiasm, and commitment of them, and were thrilled by the support and encouragement of our senior management team. Our cast consisted of 25 pupils from S1 – S6, many of whom have never experienced a school production following the cancellation of two shows due to Covid-19.

‘The music department suddenly came to life and was a buzz every day with trios, quartets and ensembles singing in every corner, and it felt as though life had returned to normal. We unearthed some new talent, and the future is looking incredibly bright. Due to Covid restrictions we were only permitted to have school staff in attendance at our production, so the performance was live-streamed for our parents and the wider school community. This was a great success with much positive feedback from both performers and our audience, and this event has set the foundation to re-establish our music ensembles. We cannot thank MTI enough for this opportunity. The social and emotional aspect of ensemble work can't ever be underestimated, and seeing the joy this event brought to so many lives has been a wonderful spark to relight and relish.’

Inclusivity and community

For most schools, All Together Now! provided the perfect opportunity to welcome parents and friends back into the school after months of being shut out due to the pandemic. The performances served as a reminder to us all of the importance of the Performing Arts as whole. Heathfield Community College and Sixth Form headteacher Caroline Barlow put it perfectly: ‘Performing arts have always been important to our college and this shows what an asset they are for the joy, inclusion and community they bring. Students showed leadership, talent and teamwork over the last few weeks to bring these songs to life with such energy and quality.’

Music Theatre International is grateful for the support of their partners in this endeavour: American Association of Community Theatre (AACT), American Alliance for Theatre & Education (AATE), Broadway Media, Broadway World, Disney Theatrical Group, Drama & Theatre, Educational Theatre Association (EdTA), Funk Studios, Hal Leonard, iHeartRadio Broadway, Music Teacher, National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT), Playbill, Sardines, Show Share, Subplot Studio, TYA/USA, WhatsOnStage.

For more information on MTI, visit http://www.mtishows.co.uk