Kimmel Center host students for 2-day musical theatre festival

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Kimmel Center hosted a pretty special musical theater festival specifically for middle schoolers.

From confidence to strength to a shared love of performance-- the students have spent two days immersed in the arts and learning from the pros in the first-ever "Middle School Musical Theater Festival."

More than 500 students from 18 local schools learned from the professionals.

The Kimmel Center says it started the festival this year with the hopes of also letting these young performers know about their free summer camps.