The City Springs Theatre Conservatory’s Pre-Pro Company received awards and recognition at the 2025 Junior Theater Festival Atlanta.
Billed as the world’s largest celebration of young people performing musical theater, JTF Atlanta is an annual event where junior performing groups from all over the country, and even internationally, travel to compete alongside one-another. This year’s JTF Atlanta took place from Jan. 17-19. The west coast edition took place in Sacramento from Feb. 7-9.
This year, JTF Atlanta hosted groups from 30 states, as well as Washington DC, Canada, the United Kingdom, Poland, Australia, and New Zealand.
The City Springs Theatre Conservatory’s Pre-Pro Company, which provides students with weekly training to prepare them for a career in the arts,chose to perform a one-act edition of Disney’s “High School Musical” for the festival. This was the groups’ fourth year entering the national competition.
“This was one of the cleanest, most energetic, and holistically satisfying performances I have ever seen at JTF,” said performer, director, choreographer, and educator Josh Zacher in a press release. “The entire ensemble was giving every ounce of passion they had to catapult this performance into the stratosphere.”
According to City Springs Theatre Company Director of Education Jenna Gamerl the show choice is always a team effort. Since the festival limits time, Gamerl and her team choose shows that use the ensemble to the best of its ability, whether they’re able to tell a complete story or not.
City Springs Theatre Conservatory won the Excellence in their Adjudication Group Award. According to Gamerl, they even got the highest score in their competing group.
A number of members won individual awards as well. According to a press release, the Pre-Pro Company’s Jayla Lopez and Adrian Perez-Arciniegas both made the Junior Theater Festival Performance All-Stars, a group selected for their outstanding performances. Elizabeth Windley made it to the festival’s choreography callback for a project aimed at promoting musical theater in schools. Symone Muñoz earned an award for Outstanding Individual Performance.
Muñoz also performed in the group’s rendition of “9 to 5 JR.,” a musical based on the 1980 film “9 to 5.”. In 2023, City Springs was selected to premiere “9 to 5 JR.” at the 2025 festival.
“Participating in JTF Atlanta was so much fun and allowed for a beautiful bonding experience where I got the opportunity to get closer with my fellow castmates and compete as a team,” said Symone Muñoz, a high-school Senior and member of the Pre-Pro Company. “Being a part of new works and sharing our version of ‘9-to-5 JR.’ was peak artistic fulfillment, and I will always remember what it felt like sharing that stage with my theater family!”
High school junior Kennedy Johnson also performed in “9 to 5 JR.” in the role of Doralee Rhodes. Johnson previously received the Outstanding Individual Performance Award at the 2024 festival.
“Premiering ‘9 to 5 JR.’ at the Junior Theatre Festival was such a special experience I will always remember,” Johnson said. “I feel so lucky to have been able to bring Doralee to life with such an amazing cast!”
Gamerl says on the day of the festival, the group was feeling “nervous but focused.” The production team aimed to keep them upbeat and in a good place for their performance.Gamerl said the group’s ability to channel their nerves is how the Pre-Pro Company sets itself apart from the rest.
“To see everyone on their feet and cheering for the kids after the show ended was an unmatched feeling,” Gamerl said.
Gamerl, a performer herself, started with the City Springs Theatre Company in 2018. She started educating with the Conservatory until the COVID-19 pandemic hit. She said she started because she wanted to work with the next generation of artists.
“This is the time that we need to help these kids,” she said. “They need an outlet for the arts.”
Now some years later, Gamerl operates and runs all the educational programs at the City Springs Theatre Conservatory. The Conservatory’s student program aims to train the next generation of musical theater. The students are hard-working and really want to do well, said Gamerl. Many want to do this as a career, and the Pre-Pro Company program aims to train them for a bright future in theater arts.
Some of the kids have been with the program since 7th and 8th grade, and have continued with the program through 11th and 12th grade. Gamerl said that shows the hard work from the faculty, program, and students.
Gamerl said the reason the faculty at the conservatory does what they do is to see the students shine. Through being recognized for their talents nationwide, even at their young ages, the product of the Pre-Pro Company’s hard work is starting to show itself.
