Growing Community One Musical at a Time.

Music Theatre International’s Broadway Senior™ collection features adaptations of popular Broadway musicals specifically developed for the needs and abilities of adult performers 55 and over. Broadway Senior musicals are perfect for a range of organizations including Senior Community Centers, Assisted Living Communities, Community theatres, religious groups and more.

Regardless of ability, age or prior experience, Broadway Senior is "recreational theatre," designed for anyone interested in the joy, camaraderie and life-affirming journey unique to participating in a musical.

With running times of approximately 60-minutes, a performance license for a Broadway Senior musical is a flat fee of $595 and comes complete with everything needed to produce a show from auditions, rehearsals to performances.  

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, the storytellers. For some, they’re taking the stage for the first time. For others, they’re returning to a passion they didn’t know could be available to them in the third act of life.

What’s Included in Your Materials

The Broadway Senior materials are designed to eliminate any barriers to producing a show. The Standard Set of materials includes:

• Accessible Actors Scripts 
• Production Guide with helpful notes on the theatrical process, production elements, etc.
• Performance accompaniment tracks
• Piano Vocal score
• Show logo

All materials will be provided in digital format only.

A Message from Freddie Gershon, MTI's Co-Chairman

Dear Performers, Producers, Directors, Accompanists, Choreographers, Stage Managers, and all those who will help support creating a Broadway Senior production:

I’m excited for you to have as much fun putting together your production as we’ve had preparing this program.

Years ago, when I was considering the concept of “Seniors in Theater,” I thought it should serve to bring a flexible approach to presentation. This means: Help cast members become the characters and tell the story with the script in hand; sing the songs – perhaps on a stage or maybe not; maybe some of the cast are moving around or sitting down in a horseshoe format, so they can make eye contact with each other. However it looks, they can deliver the show, become the characters they portray with vocals, with hats and props, and have a good time. If the cast has fun and they’re also telling a story and delivering the essence of the show, that experience will produce a positive vibe with the cast and a comparably positive reaction with the audience. It’s clear that success is not based on critics’ reviews but rather on the level of joy, excitement, and bonding that develops over the course of preparing the show and ultimately with the audience responding to the performance.

That’s why the word “recreational theatre” was added to our theatrical vocabulary. You can’t go wrong having a good time, even mistakes or imperfections during the performance don’t really matter. It’s designed to accommodate your cast with the resources that are available to you, both human and physical. You must accommodate the show and your expectations for what your cast can give, don’t expect trained actors or singers or dancers. This is the key approach to a Broadway Senior show: scripts can be used, staging is dependent on people’s abilities, and the performance isn’t for critics but for family, friends, and – most importantly – for fun!

The process is as important as the performance. It’s an immersive, collective collaboration as well as a wonderful opportunity to have a sense of purpose every day with others, first preparing the show, then performing the show, and then wallowing in the glowing after-effects of having accomplished it and getting recognition for having done so.

That’s what Broadway Senior is all about!

-Freddie Gershon

Co-Chairman, Music Theatre International

Research and Data

Studies have proven that participating in a musical has both tangible and intangible benefits for everyone involved. Learn more:

"Effectiveness of a Theater Program Intervention on the Cognitive, Physical, and Social Functions of Elderly People Living in the Community: A Pilot Survey"

• Theatrical intervention can be as effective as other forms of exercise
• Effective in strengthening the community of participants and improving socialization

"Performance Theory for Senior Theater: Agelessness on Stage"

• Senior theater performances can be read as the literal embodiment of memory
• Encourages audience to confront issue of aging and identity construction

"The Cultural Value of Older People’s Experiences of Theater-making: A Review"

• Improvements in older people’s mental health, well-being, and quality of life
• Decreased anxiety and loneliness, and increased self-esteem and confidence
• Performances challenge age-related stereotypes and finding commonalities
• Value of drama provides opportunities for learning and creative expression

"Participatory Arts for Older Adults: A Review of Benefits and Challenges"

• Documentation of mental/physical improvements in memory, creativity, problem solving, everyday competence, reaction time, balance/gait, and quality of life

"An Evidence Review of the Impact of Participatory Arts on Older People"

• Improvement in mental and physical wellbeing
• Encourages community participation and helps break some of the stigma society has towards older adults

"Older Adults’ Participation in Artistic Activities"

"Theatre Arts for Improving Cognitive and Affective Health"

• Authors’ supporting research documented significant improvements in performance of activities of daily living, as well as on standard measures of memory, comprehension, problem-solving ability, and personal growth through this unique intervention

"Arts and Creativity in Later Life: Implications for Health and Wellbeing in Older Adults"

• Participation in drama and theater classes on a regular basis can help provide emotional wellbeing benefits for older adults

"Staying Engaged: Health Patterns of Older Americans Who Participate in the Arts"

• Greater frequency of arts participation has been linked to positive health outcomes
• Creative arts therapies and arts-in-health programs can help to address specific physical and mental health conditions
• Improves the quality of life for patients and their caregivers

"Participating in the arts creates a paths to healthy aging"

• Community choirs and theater improvisation show promise in reducing loneliness, improving mood, and fostering a sense of belonging

"The role of arts [including theater and drama] engagement in reducing cognitive decline and improving quality of life in healthy older people: a systematic review"

• Studies reveal that older adults (ages 50+) who engaged in arts activities infrequently (once or twice a year) have a 14% lower risk of death than those who did not
• Studies reveal that older adults (ages 50+) who engaged frequently (every few months or more often) have a 31% lower risk