School Programs

Engaging the Next Generation

Arts Experiences. Arts Integration. Arts Training. 

Our school programs invite young audiences to the theater and bring theater tools into the classroom. Whether through an interactive workshop to open the world of stories with preschoolers or a post-show visit with one of our actors at a D.C. public school, we believe in the transformative power of theater.

 

  • D.C. Ticket Partnership

    Arena Stage welcomes teachers in D.C. public and charter schools to the theater for a complete performance experience, including subsidized tickets, in-class workshops and study guide materials.

    The 2023 - 2024 Application is now available.

    Learn more

  • Moving Stories

    Moving Stories is a vibrant and interactive experience that brings stories to life in your classroom. Using song, movement, sign language and storytelling, Moving Stories explores a beloved children’s book through creative drama and promotes literacy skills.

    Learn more

  •

    Study Guides

    A Student Study Guide provides context and activities to prepare students to attend Arena Stage productions.

    Learn more

D.C. Ticket Partnership

Through the D.C. Ticket Partnership
  • Students are exposed to professional theater of the highest quality in their community, developing and deepening a connection to and love of the arts.
  • Students engage with Arena Stage teaching artists and one another to think critically about theater and connect it to their lives.
  • Teachers can integrate the arts into their required curriculum with the support of Arena Stage.

Apply

2023-2024 Application

Applications for 2023-2024 are due on Friday, September 22, 2023.
Schools are notified of their application status by Friday, September 29, 2023.

Participants

D.C. public and charter school teachers (grades 6-12, all content areas) apply to bring their classes to up to two Arena Stage matinees during the academic year.

Schools that do not qualify for the D.C. Ticket Partnership can purchase tickets through Group Sales.

Program Format

Open to a limited number of D.C. public and public charter schools each season via an application process. Partner teachers and students receive:

  • $4 tickets; up to 30 tickets including chaperones
  • Preview tickets for the teacher or principal
  • Arena's Page: A Student Study Guide for each student
  • A pre-show and post-show workshop with Arena Stage teaching artists
  • Curriculum Connections, a teacher resource suggesting discussion topics and activities that connect each play to Common Core standards
Contact

Rebecca Campana, School Programs Manager

rcampana@arenastage.org

202-600-4064

Sponsors

Arena Stage's community engagement efforts are generously sponsored by Denie and Frank Weil; The Estate of Ms. Toni A. Ritzenberg; AT&T; Joanne Barker; Catherine and Chris Guttman-McCabe; Hattie M. Strong Foundation; Robert and Natalie Mandel Family Foundation; Floyd E. Davis Family Foundation; Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Inc.; Alice Shaver Foundation; Theatre Forward; Collins Aerospace; England Family Foundation; Friends of Southwest D.C.; GEICO; JBG Smith; Wayne and Susan Jonas; Foley & Lardner LLP; Weissberg Foundation; Jean Schiro- Zavela and Vance Zavela; Actors' Equity Foundation; and Youth Activities Task Force (YATF) of the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly, Inc.). Sam G. Rose is the Lead Sponsor of Voices of Now.

Moving Stories 

Moving Stories
  • Promotes early literacy skills, such as increased vocabulary and reading comprehension while forming personal connections to stories.
  • Augments existing language-based curriculum.
  • Introduces effective techniques for self-control of body and voice.
  • Encourages imagination, problem solving and teamwork.
  • Provides innovative, theater-inspired classroom management techniques and vocabulary.
Participants

Moving Stories is for Pre-K3 through first grade classes or community groups throughout the D.C. Metro area.

Program Format

Each Moving Stories residency consists of three lessons/classroom visits centered on one book. Book list available upon request.

Cost

Moving Stories is priced on a need-based sliding scale. Please contact us for further information.

Contact

Mauricio Pita, Community Programs Manager at mpita@arenastage.org. 

Sponsors

Arena Stage’s community engagement efforts are generously sponsored by Denie and Frank Weil; The Estate of Ms. Toni A. Ritzenberg; Hearst Foundations; AT&T; Joanne Barker; Comcast; Catherine and Chris Guttman-McCabe; National Endowment for the Arts; Global Medical REIT; Venable Foundation; Hattie M. Strong Foundation; Robert and Natalie Mandel Family Foundation; Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Inc.; Alice Shaver Foundation; Theatre Forward; Lois & Richard England Family Foundation; Weissberg Foundation; Friends of Southwest D.C.; Wayne and Susan Jonas; Jean Shiro-Zavela and Vance Zavela; Actors’ Equity Foundation; and Youth Activities Task Force (YATF) of the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly, Inc.

Study Guides

To reproduce study guide in part or whole, please contact Rebecca Campana, School Programs Manager, at rcampana@arenastage.org.

2022/23 Season

Holiday
Ride the Cyclone
The High Ground
Angels in America
Exclusion

Study Guides from Past Seasons