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About Magic Fest
What is it?
Magic Fest is a brand new national theatre competition and festival to be held annually at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL, inviting young performers and student theatre groups to bring their talents to the world’s most magical stage. Blending Disney magic with the thrill of live theatre, the event celebrates creativity, collaboration, and the next generation of storytellers.
Each group will perform a twenty minute showcase from any musical production for adjudication by a panel of musical theater experts. The weekend also features workshops for students, feedback sessions, theme park tickets!
Core Objectives:
M - Motivate: Empower youth to discover and pursue their passion for musical theatre.
A - Aspire: Encourage ambitious thinking, creative risk-taking, on and off stage.
G - Grow: Build performance skills, confidence, and collaboration through hands-on learning.
I - Imagine: Inspire new possibilities, empowering students to dream big and tell meaningful stories through theatre.
C - Connect: Bring together young artists with peers, mentors, and industry professionals, build lasting friendships and creative networks.
Event Overview:
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Time: 4 Day Event (Thursday-Sunday). June 4-7, 2026.
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Locations:
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Showcase performances are held at Saratoga Springs Performance Hall.
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Awards Ceremony and Top Performance(s) will take place at the Theater In The Wild at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
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Open to youth theatre groups, grade level K-12th. Community theatres, private schools, charter programs, dance studios, and K-12 public schools.
Meet the Founder
Santana Marie
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Hi! I'm Santana Marie and I'm the Founder of Magic Fest!
I am so excited to start this new journey with you and I hope you are too! We're going to have a blast at my favorite place on Earth!
I have been in the theatre industry for almost 20 years! I've attended multiple youth theatre festivals over the past 15 years. My theatre troupes have brought home numerous awards and recognitions, all while making lifelong connections and memories.
I wanted to create this family friendly festival for directors, students, and families that are looking for a safe and fun environment to celebrate the skills and talents of young performers. What better place to host it than the family theme park capital of the world!​
Aside from creating and managing Magic Fest, I am also the Artistic Director of Alabama Repertory Theatre and a Travel Agent with Wondermakers Travel! My biggest and most important role is being mommy to Jack Elias. We both have a personal goal to visit every them park in America before he graduates high school!