When we speak about educating the next generation of theater artists and technicians we are not really telling the whole story — in fact, we are reaching out to the next TWO generations of theater artists. We do this by means of our outreach program, of which the lynchpin is our student matinee for middle and high school students.
Every year, we schedule student matinee performances for two of our productions and invite students from Massachusetts, Vermont and Connecticut to join us in the theater. To round out the experience — for many, their first with live theater — we offer pre-show workshops, study guides, post-show question-and-answer sessions, and backstage tours.
With the exception of tickets to the performances themselves, all of our outreach resources are FREE.
Information on this page:
Schools Matinees
Student matinees help teachers meet requirements of the state's Arts Curriculum Frameworks by introducing children to live performance and serving as a springboard to the kind of critical thinking about the arts that the frameworks want every child to learn. We keep them affordable so the greatest possible number of students can go: $8 per student, only $6 per student for groups of 20 or more. Chaperones are FREE.
Matinees for 2011-2012:
Urinetown
music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis, and
book by Greg Kotis
The Rand Theater
March 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10 at 8 p.m., March 3 and 10 at 2 p.m.
School matinee March 7 at 10 a.m.
We regret to inform you that the Urinetown matinee has been cancelled. School groups who are interested in attending a performance of the show at the matinee cost should email the public relations director or call 545-6808.
A Midsummer Night's Dream
by William Shakespeare
The Rand Theater
April 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28 at 8 p.m., April 21 and 28 at 2 p.m.
School matinee April 26 at 10 a.m.
In 1978, Tony Simotes, Artistic Director of the Berkshire's world-renowned Shakespeare & Co., played the part of Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream. It was his inaugural role with the company, and so the play holds a special place in his heart. The UMass Department of Theater is thrilled to have Simotes aboard as he returns to his theatrical roots with a new production of this play. Follow Simotes and his cast on a journey to a Greece where magic still happens and love is in the air.
To request any of these services or resources, or for more information, email the public relations director or call 545-6808.
Post-Performance Question and Answer Session
The shows students see will spark questions, comments, and observations. To give them a chance to talk things over, we offer a 20- to 30-minute Q&A with the director, members of the cast, and other members of the production.
Immediately following each matinee.
Helps teachers encourage critical thinking and analysis about the performance students have just seen, and often gives students with an interest in higher education in the arts the chance to ask college students about their experience.
Study Guides
Our study guides are paired with our student matinees and offer a helpful overview of the production students are about to see. Guides generally include a plot synopsis and biographical information on the playwright. Other information is tailored to the needs of the production and may include historical context, an interview with the director, an overview of a theatrical genre or performance style, or important issues touched on in the play. We strongly recommend that students read the guide before seeing the show, especially if they are not reading the play in class. Study guides are posted as PDF for download about 4 weeks before the Schools Matinee performance.
Past study guides are archived in the sidebar.
Helps teachers address elements of the English and Arts Curriculum Frameworks including those related to reading comprehension, dramatic and classic literature, critical thinking, critical response, and more.
Workshops
Generally — but not exclusively — timed to prepare students for an upcoming matinee, we offer students a chance to delve deeper into the world of theater. In workshops tailored to the group's needs and experience level, we talk about theater, review theater etiquette, and ask students to participate in exercises that will help them better understand the matinee production they'll be seeing. Exercises include acting games, discussions, journaling and more, as appropriate to the production, and are led by graduate and undergraduate students in the department who are involved in the production.
If a workshop is not focussed around an upcoming matinee, we speak more generally about the world of theater, teach them introductory acting techniques, and get students thinking about the many elements that go into putting on a show.
Helps teachers introduce students to the world of theater, both onstage and behind the scenes, and gives students the tools to analyze what they will see onstage in our matinees or any other productions they may see in the future.
Backstage Tour
How do we do it? Audience members often wonder about the costumes, sets, lights, and the other elements that may have gone into putting a production together. We give away our secrets on our guided backstage tour, where students get a chance to walk on stage, view the scene and costume shops, learn about the equipment we use to make the play run smoothly, and see the sets and props up close. Tours are led by production stage managers.
Immediately following each matinee, must be requested in advance.
Introduces students to technical elements of the theater.
To request any of these services or resources, or for more information, email the public relations director or call 545-6808.
