Music Theatre International is delighted to announce the official llicensing availability of Broadway Senior™—a collection of musicals specifically developed for the needs and abilities of older adult performers.

Broadway Senior adaptations feature shortened running times, specific production resources, as well as adjustments to tempos and keys in musical numbers—ensuring that all older adults can participate comfortably, express themselves creatively, and perform to the best of their abilities, regardless of prior experience. Broadway Senior musicals are perfect for existing community theatres as well as a range of organizations serving the older adult population, including assisted living communities, community centers and religious groups.

There are currently five Broadway Senior musicals available for licensing: The Music Man SR.; Guys and Dolls SR.; Singin’ in the Rain SR.; Fiddler on the Roof SR.; and Into the Woods SR. Each musical has a running time of approximately 60 minutes, and for a flat fee of $595, organizations receive everything they need to mount a production, including scripts, performance tracks, and a production guide with extensive notes from theatre experts accustomed to working with older performers.

Drew Cohen, President and CEO of MTI shared his enthusiasm for this milestone launch, sharing that “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. 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.”

MTI’s commitment to serving the entire theatre-making community began in 1996 when then-CEO Freddie Gershon created Broadway Junior musicals, which are author-approved, condensed versions of classic shows for elementary- and middle school-aged performers. The idea was that regardless of ability, the license and materials provided by MTI ensured that participating in a musical would be a reality for millions of school-aged children and their teachers around the world. After nearly three decades and hundreds of thousands of productions later, the success of Broadway Junior is measured in the positive ways in which theatre can transform lives through the development of critical life skills.

Recognizing not only the important social and emotional benefits, but also the pleasure that people receive in being able to perform, MTI extended this same commitment to older adults.

“The launch of Broadway Senior is a natural step for me and MTI. 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,” shares MTI Co-Chairman Freddie Gershon. “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.”

Broadway Senior started taking shape in 2014 with the first-ever pilot production of Guys and Dolls SR. at the Lincoln Community Theatre in Lincoln, Nebraska under the direction of Executive Director Morrie Enders. In the ensuing years, Enders helped develop and mount several additional pilot productions of musicals that would eventually become part of the Broadway Senior catalogue.  

Enders calls his programming for older adults “recreational theatre.” While the goal is to always produce a quality production, the real reason is to provide an enjoyable social experience by putting on a show. One of the great problems for this population is isolation. By being in a show, older adults are guaranteed a fun time with other people working toward a unified goal. Broadway Senior focuses on everyone having a good time, teaching theatre basics, and working towards presenting an entertaining story to an audience.

“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.’ 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,” says Enders.

In 2018, MTI expanded Broadway Senior’s reach by piloting productions of the musicals with Juniper Communities, a renowned group of assisted living communities. Juniper Village at Brookline in State College, PA was the first senior living community to pilot Guys and Dolls SR. The team at Juniper helped MTI tailor the material to the needs of performers who might have mobility, vision or hearing issues. Together, MTI and Juniper piloted several shows together, with each performance reinforcing the research showing the tangible benefits of musical theatre for older adults.

“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. “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.”

Broadway Senior musicals were created with the flexibility to accommodate the needs of a diverse group of performers in a variety of settings with the common purpose of celebrating and growing community. Whether a production is taking place at a community center, church, or assisted living facility, participants and audience members always have the same question: What Broadway Senior musical are we doing next?

Learn more.

International restrictions may apply.