In the winter of 2002, my thirteen-year-old self attended a field trip with my eighth grade class to PlayhouseSquare to see A Christmas Carol. Having no former experience with theater, my excitement mainly stemmed from the fact that I was getting a half day off from school.
That quickly changed when I entered the theater. I remember being in total awe of the architecture. Grand lobbies, balconies, a ceiling that glistened with stars? I had no idea that places like this existed right in my home town. I was in for an even bigger surprise when the show started. Though I was pretty sure I’d seen every cartoon remake ever made of A Christmas Carol, I was quickly pulled into the story. The actors, the costumes, the special effects. I’d never seen anything like it, and I was completely entranced. My love for theater had been born.
Now, nine years and eight Christmas Carol viewings later, here I am working at PlayhouseSquare and getting to share my experience with all of you.
In order to foster a love and appreciation for the arts in students, PlayhouseSquare offers a variety of field trips, school shows being only one type. This season’s shows include Cummins’ and Scoullar’s The Little Prince, Treasured Stories by Eric Carle, The Ugly Duckling & The Tortoise and The Hare, and Doctor Kaboom! Such shows showcase masterful puppetry, dance, light technology, and even science experiments to engage students. Schools can also take advantage of the week-long International Children’s Festival which features shows like Squirm Burpee, Zorro, and Emilio and the Enchanted Cow.
For those students who would benefit from hands on learning, we offer several interactive sessions, including Discovering the Performing Arts and Exploring the Performing Arts. Discovering the Performing Arts gives middle school students the opportunity not only to get a feel for dancing, acting and improv, but also to explore the relationship between the arts and curriculum subjects. Students develop speaking and listening skills, learn character development, better critical thinking skills, and see how the arts are a vehicle for the expression of ideas.
Exploring the Performing Arts steps things up a notch. This program, offered to high school students, teaches performance techniques through interactive workshops in dance, theater, and improv with professional choreographers and actors. Teacher resources are provided for both interactive learning sessions to extend the experience back into the classroom. These materials are available at playhousesquare.org/eduresources.
Distance learning options also are available for middle and high school students. Partnered with WVIZ/PBS and 90.3 WCPN ideastream, PlayhouseSquare offers the Careers in the Performing Arts distance learning program. These panel interviews featuring cast and crew from Broadway shows and staff from PlayhouseSquare teach students what skills are needed for an array of jobs in the performing arts. Students are able to communicate via webcam and ask questions about the show or what goes into their jobs. The sessions last around an hour and allow students to make a personal connection to the show featured.
Field trips to PlayhouseSquare are not only worthwhile, the Community Engagement & Education Department strives to make it as easy as possible for educators to plan one. They can visit playhousesquare.org/fieldtrips or call 216-348-7909 to select the best option for their students.
Unique to PlayhouseSquare, the Partners in Performance program provides partial transportation subsidies, reduced ticket prices for Children’s Theater Series for Schools performances and other benefits to school districts that commit to bringing their students to PlayhouseSquare.
A field trip to PlayhouseSquare is a unique experience for any student. In this day of endless technological advances, there’s still something magical about seeing a story unfold on stage. So whether it’s building an appreciation for our city, being introduced to something new, or creating a lifelong love of theater, each student will take something from their time here. I know I certainly did.
–Rachael
Tags: Christmas Carol, Cleveland, field trips, PlayhouseSquare, Theater
