Disney knows how to spread its magic, and Endeavour Elementary School in Cocoa recently received some of the entertainment giant’s famous “pixie dust.”
In 2025, Disney began a relationship with Endeavour, one in which staff and performers from Disney Cruise Line helped 43 students, grades 3 through 6, prepare a stage production of its classic “101 Dalmatians.”
It’s part of Disney’s inaugural Stage Connect program, through which the famed entertainment corporation provides resources for theater programs across the country and allows schools to tap into its production expertise.
Endeavour was one of 70 schools across the United States and two in Florida (the other is Sutherland Elementary in Pinellas County) selected for the debut of Stage Connect, which combines online teacher training programs with hands-on collaboration with professional Disney entertainers. In Disney’s case, the entertainers came from Disney Cruise Line ships at Port Canaveral. Disney ships are known for numerous Broadway-style productions, including favorites like “The Little Mermaid” and “Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular.”
Endeavour, a Title 1 school in Cocoa, presented “101 Dalmatians” on March 17 at Rockledge High School, with a second performance on March 19.
“They’ve been an absolutely fabulous partner,” Christina McPherson, Endeavour’s community partnership school director, said of Disney.
“It has changed the lives of so many of our children.”
Vanessa Keys, a bookkeeper at Endeavour and a Brevard Schools Foundation Partner in Education (PIE) ambassador, is the force behind the Disney relationship. She applied on Endeavour’s behalf for the Stage Connect program, which included submitting a video that included testimonies from herself, Endeavour Principal Catherine Murphy and staffers Cheyenne Harris, Kayla Quick, Tiffany Boucher and Emma Crawford.
Participating schools could choose from popular Disney titles including “101 Dalmatians,” “Aladdin,” “The Aristocats,” “Finding Nemo,” “Frozen,” “The Jungle Book,” “The Lion King” and “Winnie the Pooh.”
At Endeavour, the choice of “101 Dalmatians” was unanimous.
‘The power of storytelling, collaboration and theater’
Through Stage Connect, part of Disney’s Musical in Schools program, schools have free performance rights to a Disney show. Stage Connect provides the foundational training for educators to successfully produce a school musical, regardless of their prior experience.
One of the program’s key purposes is helping schools build sustainable theater programs, particularly in underserved schools that have more limited exposure to the theater arts.
“By bringing beloved Disney stories and characters to life we’re excited to help teachers and students experience the power of storytelling, collaboration and theater,” said Lisa Haines, Disney’s vice president of corporate responsibility.
Initially, the Endeavour students seemed somewhat apprehensive after being told about the Disney opportunity, Keys said, because they were uncertain what was involved and how they might fit into a world they didn’t know well.
“They didn’t know what a play was or how a play happens,” Keys said. “But once they got involved, I saw some little lightbulbs go off and they were very excited about it. I think once they grow older, we’ll be seeing some of them in theater productions at their high schools.”
At Endeavour, Disney representatives taught students about auditioning, set designs, acting, voice projection, stage presence and more — everything that goes into developing a production. Disney staffers periodically visited Endeavour for a few hours in between cruises over the past weeks to help the students with the production.
Initially, tickets for the shows at Rockledge High School were going to be $5 but Disney purchased all the seats for both performances, with those interested in going registering online
“Disney didn’t want any of the parents or supporters to miss this opportunity because of ticket costs,” Keys said.
The students also toured the Disney Wish a few weeks ago at Port Canaveral, where they met some of the profressional actors, set designers and the ship’s crew.
“It has just been a wonderful experience all around,” Keys said.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Disney helps Endeavour kids get spotted, stage-ready in ‘101 Dalmatians’
Reporting by Wayne Price, For FLORIDA TODAY / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
