Jacksonville, Fla. – The students of San José Catholic School will perform Disney’s Aladdin Jr. on Saturday, March 5, at 4:00 and 7:30 p.m., at the Andrew Robinson Jr. Theater at UNF in Jacksonville.

A school of the Diocese of St. Augustine, San José has produced Broadway-style musicals each year since 1999. These beautifully staged and costumed productions have won awards and earned national recognition. This year’s production of Disney’s Aladdin Jr., is a musical adventure filled with magic, mayhem, and flying carpet rides featuring characters and songs from the hit Disney film. The play is also an outreach opportunity that supports The Guardian Catholic Schools, an organization that provides scholarships for Jacksonville’s two inner-city Catholic schools: Holy Rosary and St. Pius V. These two schools serve some of the city’s most disadvantaged young people.

While schools across the country cut arts programs due to financial hardship, San José continues its long tradition of providing excellence in academics and keeping the arts programs intact.

“Our students enjoy music and art classes each week,” said Brian Wheeler, principal of San José. “Our musical theater program is offered after school and is entirely funded by patron sponsors, donations, advertising and parent fundraising. We also donate proceeds from ticket sales to The Guardian Catholic Schools every year,” he said. Over the past 17 years and more than 30 live performances, San José Catholic School has donated more than $45,000 toward Guardian of Dreams scholarships.

“Our school community has embraced our theater program with parent volunteers spending countless hours creating costumes, building sets, publishing playbills, and seeking support from local businesses,” said Serena Wakefield, the plays’ volunteer producer. “This year’s performance features talented students from San José, Holy Rosary, and St. Pius. It promises to be another huge success for our school,” she added.

Tickets to the play may be purchased online at http://preview.tinyurl.com/sjcsaladdin. For more information, call (904) 733-2313 or email Brian Wheeler at wheeler@sanjoseschool.com. Founded in 1961 and nestled in historic south Jacksonville, San José Catholic School is steeped in rich heritage and strong traditions. San José Catholic School offers early childhood education (PK2 thru Kindergarten), Elementary (1st thru 5th grades) and Middle School (6th thru 8th grades).

DATE:  February 19, 2016
CONTACT:  Kathleen Bagg
(904) 262-1705/office
(904) 434-3909/cell