This Is Me: More Than a Musical
Before they performed at Project Success’s Dreams to Action Breakfast this past April, four middle school students stepped forward and introduced themselves.
Standing in front of hundreds of supporters, community members, educators, and advocates gathered to celebrate the power of possibility, they shared pieces of their stories.
One of those students was Sifney, a sixth grader from Northeast Middle School:.
“I am someone who thought everything was impossible, but now I’m learning that nothing is impossible. I am someone who finds my confidence in my passions and I’m still growing.”
Moments later, students from Project Success musical theater programs across Minneapolis Public Schools joined together to perform “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman.
For the audience, it was a moving performance. For the students on stage, it represented something much bigger: the culmination of months of commitment, friendship, and growth through Project Success musicals.
Over the past school year, more than 200 students participated in three Project Success musical theater productions — Matilda Jr. at Sanford Middle School, High School Musical Jr. at Northeast Middle School, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid at Andersen United Middle School — building confidence and skills that extend far beyond the stage.
Every year, audiences see the finished production. They see the costumes, choreography, live music, and standing ovations. What they don’t always see is the eight-week process that makes those performances possible.
“The focus on community is what makes Project Success musicals special,” said Katie Alarcon Hernandez, Senior Program Manager for Musicals. “We often have such large casts that many students are coming in not knowing two-thirds of the cast.”
Through rehearsals, theater games, and Project Success workshops, students learn what support looks like while building relationships with peers that transcend grades and social circles.
Standing alongside students at the Dreams to Action Breakfast was Taliah Howze El, Project Success Program Associate for Musicals and a Project Success alumna herself. Having once participated in the musicals program as a student, she now helps guide the next generation through the same experience.
“It is such a joy to see them use the arts to build confidence, to build strength,” said Taliah. “When they’re up on stage learning their lines, their choreography, their lyrics, it’s just a joy to see them blossom.” Project Success surveys students after each musical production to better understand their experiences and growth throughout the process.
What stood out most in this year’s responses wasn’t the performances themselves. It was the friendships the students built along the way.
Across all three schools, students repeatedly wrote about friendship, belonging, confidence, and community. One student described gaining “a family or community with the cast.” Another wrote, “I made so many new friends and felt so proud of myself.” A third described the musical as a “safe place.”
Each production explored different themes while supporting the same overall mission.
At Sanford Middle School, students brought Matilda Jr. to life through a story centered on courage, resilience, and standing up for what is right.
At Northeast Middle School, students performed High School Musical Jr., a story about challenging expectations, trying new things, and building community across differences.
At Andersen United Middle School, students closed the season with Diary of a Wimpy Kid, a story about friendship, identity, and growing up. During the rehearsal process, students also recorded music in a professional studio and later performed at Target Field before a Twins game, extending the experience beyond the school stage.
The impact of the program goes beyond the students on stage. Across all three schools, performers and student tech crew members worked together to bring each production to life. Whether students were acting, singing, managing props, helping backstage, or supporting technical elements, every role contributed to the success of the production.
August Ware, a student who participated in Matilda Jr. at Sanford Middle School, reflected on what he learned through the experience:
“I didn’t always know this, but now I know how much power individuals can have when they work together.”
For Angie Richardson, growth meant becoming more comfortable expressing herself:
“I’m someone who’s learning to stand in my truth. When I speak up, I feel stronger and more confident.”
In the final performance of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, after the cast took its final bows, students asked if they could sing “Happy Birthday” to Ziggy, a seventh grader in the cast.
The answer was yes.
So before the curtain closed on the 2025-26 Project Success musical season, sixth, seventh, and eighth graders stood together and sang. The audience joined in. Then the cast surrounded Ziggy in a giant group hug.
It wasn’t part of the script or the choreography. It was simply a reflection of what had been built over eight weeks: a community where students could take risks, support one another, and grow together.
The season ended the same way it began —: students showing up as themselves and for each other.
And that is more than a musical.
