Janice Ruggieri has worked at Norwood School for years. She knows the parents, the kids and what to expect. Last Thursday, however, she was in for a surprise. 

Since last October, school Principal Sabrina Antonelli , five teachers, a number of parents and, of course, the students had been working on the Disney Aladdin Kids production as part of the Disney Musicals in Schools, outreach program in partnership with the Providence Performance Arts Center.

There was no way Ruggieri could miss the school buzz. Crews and student performers [third-, fourth- and fifth-graders] worked after school hours on the sets, their lines, their songs and dance routines. Ruggieri knew what was going on, but she really hadn’t seen anything until Thursday.

“It was amazing to see how the kids had grown … they just shined out,” she said.

Antonelli , who was picked as the state’s elementary school principal of the year in 2023, was the show’s producer. This was no idle commitment. Under the partnership with PPAC, she underwent training. And then during the fall, she learned of a sale at a theater shop warehouse. When she walked in, she spotted three boxes marked “Aladdin Kids” and without hesitating bought them for $150 unopened.

“We really lucked out,” Ruggieri said. 

This was the second show the school has performed under the PPAC /Disney program. Last year it was “Finding Nemo.” Antonelli has already had inquiries from teachers about next year and is planning in the fall to see what shows are available then. Next year, she said, the school would need to pay half the cost of scripts which she estimated normally go for $30 per cast member.

The students staged three performances of Aladdin last Thursday. The first was for school students during the day that was followed by one at 5 p.m. and the third an hour later.

As producer, Antonelli introduced the show to parents, siblings and friends before the cast trooped into the all-purpose room and gathered on stage. The curtains were drawn back; the scene was revealed, the music played and the show was on. Antonelli was in and out of her seat making sure things ran smoothly. They did run smoothly, very smoothly. The audience applauded enthusiastically following scenes and stood to give a standing ovation after the final scene.

Funds raised with the sale refreshments and raffle will help Maggie-Beth Herbert, who played the role of the Genie. She is the winner of a scholarship to the PPAC Next Stop Broadway summer camp.

In part, Antonelli attributes the school’s dramatic decline in absenteeism to the theatre program.

“The kids are excited to come to school,” she said. Speaking of those students who get involved she said, “they gain confidence … speaking [in public] … and really come out of their shell. It’s another way they can excel.”