Music Theatre International (MTI) and Disney Theatrical Group have announced the 11 winners of The United Kingdom of Frozen contest, after an extraordinary response from schools and colleges across the United Kingdom.
The nationwide competition called out to schools and colleges to be the first in their region to produce Frozen in their local communities. Applicants were asked to describe their unique vision of Frozen and how they will use the theme “Love is an Open Door” as an opportunity to strengthen their school community, provide outreach to underrepresented groups, and support inclusive and diverse theatre for all. Winners will receive production performance rights and script and score materials along with support from the partner organisations.
Winners were greeted by a special video message from one of the stars of the West End production of Frozen, Craig Gallivan (Olaf), who congratulated the schools on their achievement.
The 11 winning productions will mark the first-ever school productions of Frozen anywhere in Europe. The winning schools’ productions of Frozen will take place from now until the end of June 2025, with exact dates to be announced at a later time.
The winning schools, listed alphabetically by region, are:
East: Ormiston Victory Academy, Norwich
London: Harris Academy, South Norwood
Midlands: Ellowes Hall Sports College, Dudley
North East: Heworth Grange School, Gateshead
North West: St. Christopher’s CE High School, Accrington
Northern Ireland: Holy Trinity College, Cookstown
Scotland: Caldervale High School, Airdrie
South East: The Arnewood School, New Milton
South West: St. Cuthbert Mayne School, Torquay
Wales: Rougemont School, Newport
West: All Saints’ Academy, Cheltenham
Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature film, Disney’s Frozen includes all of the film’s beloved songs by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, along with new songs written exclusively for the stage.
Ryan Macaulay, Director of Operations, Education & Development for MTI’s London office, said, “We were overwhelmed by the positive response to the United Kingdom of Frozen competition, with hundreds of schools submitting applications to take part. It has been thrilling to read about the remarkable passion and dedication of teachers across the UK who are working tirelessly to ensure the performing arts are reaching more young people than ever before. The decision-making process was incredibly difficult, but we are excited to see the eleven selected schools mount their productions over the course of the coming months.”
In 2022, MTI and Disney released Frozen JR. (a 60-minute adaptation for schools and youth groups) and in 2023 Frozen KIDS (a 30-minute adaptation), which continue to thrill and delight students and audiences across the UK. The full-length version of Frozen is not available for wider licensing in the UK at this time, making The United Kingdom of Frozen a truly momentous celebration of this timeless story.
More information about The United Kingdom of Frozen can be found at www.mtishows.co.uk/ukfrozen