“Space School Musical” Stimulates STEM Learning Across the South Dakota Heartland NASA’s Discovery and New Frontiers Program is collaborating with “The Dakota Players,” a touring children's theatre company in South Dakota, and the South Dakota Discovery Center, to create a “Space School Musical” program devoted to science learning, for children in rural communities across South Dakota. The theater company travels to a new town each week, providing a week-long residency that culminates in a musical production featuring fifty local children with parts designed for every age, skill and experience level.  Six productions of “Space School Musical” are scheduled for this summer in Ft. Pierre, Huron, Pierre, Sisseton, Wolsey, and Winner. Initial reports are that the musical is a great success. Audiences include hundreds of family and community members. The student performers will participate in an evaluation to assess the impact of the experience on their interest and engagement is space science topics and their understanding of targeted space science concepts. The Dakota Players is a 501(c)3 organization; for more info on Space School Musical or any of The Dakota Players’ other programs, see: http://www.dakotaplayers.com T-Shirt Made to Promote the Musical July 9, 2013