Music Theatre International Officially Launches Broadway Senior, With Musicals for Performers 55 and Up

Music Theatre International has officially launched Broadway Senior, a new collection of musicals specially adapted to be performed by older adults aged 55 and older. The initiative follows their Broadway Junior and Kids collections, which do similar work for younger performers. The theatrical licensor, which changed the face of the youth theatre landscape when they launched Broadway Junior in 1996, hopes this new project will help bring the joys of performing musical theatre to assisted living communities and community theatres worldwide.

The collection is launching with five titles: The Music Man SR., Guys and Dolls SR., Singin' in the Rain SR., Fiddler on the Roof SR., and Into the Woods SR. Each show has been cut down to a 60-minute running time, with the licensing process streamlined for ease of production. The company is charging companies a flat $595 fee for everything they need to put up the show, from scripts to performance tracks and a heavily annotated production guide with notes from theatre experts on working with older performers.

The initiative has been in the works since 2014, when a pilot production of Guys and Dolls SR. was mounted at Nebraska's Lincoln Community Theatre. The group's Executive Director Morrie Enders has been helping to develop and mount additional titles in the years since.

READ: Inside a Senior Guys and Dolls, Where the Cast Is Over 60 and Cue Cards Are A-OK

“One of my guiding mantras is based on a Mary Engelbreit print of a boy hugging a dog above a sentence that states, ‘Everyone needs their own Spot,��" shares Enders. "I believe community theatre provides a spot for people. We offer an environment where people can flourish, where they can belong. Working with my older adults, I realized that once a person gets a spot, it doesn’t mean they get to keep it. Older adults may have retired, losing their job spot. They may have lost a loved one, losing their soulmate spot. They may have moved out of their house and into a retirement community, literally losing the spot they called home for many years. A community theatre can offer them a new spot by welcoming them into a new community. We offer them something new to explore. We accept them, encourage them, celebrate them. Broadway Senior is where seniors can feel safe.

“I have seen first-hand how Broadway Senior musicals positively affect the lives of our community members, nurturing their spirit, making them feel alive, and bringing joy to themselves and others,�� says Lynne Katzman, CEO and Founder of Juniper Communities, which piloted Guys and Dolls SR. “We all know about the variety of research showing that theatre can be as effective as other forms of exercise, that it strengthens community, improves socialization, and decreases anxiety and loneliness. This is all true, but Broadway Senior has also made a positive difference for our team members. Our Broadway Senior program is a true game-changer, allowing us to attract talented professionals to work at the Juniper communities because they want to be a part of something special and meaningful.��

“MTI is grateful to our authors and rightsholders of these Broadway Senior musicals who have embraced our vision for ensuring theatre is accessible to all, always," says MTI President and CEO Drew Cohen in a statement. "We are fortunate to offer a variety of classic Senior musicals that have each become part of the fabric of our culture and reflect a wide spectrum of human experiences and emotions. Broadway Senior is a program that puts older adults center stage. It empowers people to not simply experience theatre as an audience member or a volunteer—but to be the creators, the singers, and the storytellers. We are thrilled to see these shows performed by older adults on stages all around the world as we help build community one Broadway Senior musical at a time.��

“The launch of Broadway Senior is a natural step for me and MTI," adds MTI Co-Chairman Freddie Gershon, the original architect of the company's Broadway Junior series. "We believe that theatre is for all people and that the cast and audience enjoy positive social benefits, and it should be accessible to all, regardless of age. “After decades of witnessing the remarkable positive results Broadway Junior musicals have had on students, schools, families, and communities, it appears only natural to expand our efforts to include adults 55 and over. Broadway Senior enables MTI to grow participation in musical theatre while enhancing the lives of older adults�� and equally important, Broadway Senior has proven during the years of testing to be fun for both the participants on the stage as well as the audience, a joyful experience. Older adults (like me) should have this opportunity.��

Learn more about how to license Broadway Senior titles at .