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"In all categories, Theatre for a New
Audience's drama program received the highest ratings from
teachers and staff."
- New York City Board of Education’s Office of Research
and Evaluation
"Theatre for a New Audience is widely
and deservedly admired for taking Shakespeare to the city's
public schools."
- The New York Times
"Theatre for a New Audience's drama
programs are a direct path to literacy. They are an important
addition to every student’s education."
- Sharon Dunn, Senior Assistant for
the Arts, NYC Board of Education
"Theatre for a New Audience's programs
are the largest of their kind for introducing Shakespeare
and classic drama in the New York City Public Schools. Research
shows that students involved in these applied learning activities
have improved reading and writing skills."
- Charlotte Frank, Regent, New York State, Former Executive
Director of Curriculum and Instruction, New York City Board
of Education
Founded in 1979 by Jeffrey Horowitz, Theatre
for a New Audience is an esteemed, non-profit classical theatre.
For more than 25 years, it has continually produced acclaimed,
imaginative productions of Shakespeare and the classics and
offered major arts education programs.
Many of today's finest artists (including
Julie Taymor Mark Rylance (Artistic Director, Shakespeare's Globe), Robert Woodruff (Artistic Director, American Repertory Theatre), and directors from the Royal Shakespeare Company)
work at Theatre for a New Audience. Drama critics have recognized
the company with multiple awards. The Theatre has toured nationally
and internationally and its work has been featured on Public
Television.
Theatre for a New Audience offers the
largest programs in the New York City Public Schools for introducing
Shakespeare and other classics. In conjunction with a program
of staff development workshops and artist residencies, students
see morning matinee performances of the same quality productions
as seen by regular audiences.
ABOUT THEATRE FOR A NEW AUDIENCE EDUCATION
PROGRAMS
Shakespeare and classic drama are the
most enduring expressions of the human condition. Begun in
1984, our programs to introduce Shakespeare and classic drama
have served nearly 100,000 students, ages 9 through 18, in
New York City Public Schools city-wide.
The programs meet New York State and
New York City Learning Standards for English Language Arts
and are curriculum-based. Students see full productions
at our Off-Broadway theatre in a coordinated program which
also includes staff development workshops for teachers, teaching
artists’ visits to the classroom and a culminating event.
The programs promote literacy by incorporating
listening, speaking, reading, writing and critical thinking
skills. Students use language in all its forms, both oral
and written. The focus is inspiring students to read and allowing
them to recognize the power of ideas, the beauty of language
and the benefits of engaging in language activities.
Research analysis and data show that
Theatre for a New Audience’s programs help improve student
capacity and performance. By approaching Shakespeare as
drama, students incorporate new words and allusions in their
oral and written vocabularies in activities such as discussions,
debates and essays; students have increased confidence in
oral exercises such as role playing and interpretation; students’
understanding of drama is enriched and the literate environment
of the classroom changes.
The programs help build teacher capacity
by learning to use drama activities to support teaching the
English Language Arts Curriculum.
Assessment is a key component.
Each year, participating teachers evaluate the quality of
our staff and materials and the programs' effectiveness in
meeting learning standards.
Theatre for a New Audience teaching
artists are provided with 100 hours of training which includes
Creating a Rubric to Assess Student Achievement,
Conducting Professional Development workshops, Working with
Special Education Students, Working in an Educational Environment,
and Adapting Lessons to fit the
Grade Level.
Richard and Mica Hadar Foundation Scholarship
High school seniors participating in our New Voices program
are eligible for a college scholarship through the Richard
and Mica Hadar Foundation. Richard Hadar, a Theatre for a
New Audience Board member, has offered this generous opportunity
through the Theatre to students who wish to pursue careers
in the creative arts. The Foundation supports young talents
who might not otherwise be able to attend college. Qualified
students are nominated for the scholarship by Theatre for
a New Audience staff and the students’ classroom teachers.
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THE WORLD THEATRE
PROJECT
For middle schools, the World Theatre
Project is a 12-week program which introduces students to
Shakespeare and other great playwrights. The Program can be
tailored to meet specific school needs. The components are:
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teaching artists visits to the classroom. In partnership
with the teacher, a Theatre for a New Audience teaching
artist uses theatre activities to prepare students to
see the play and to assist students and teachers for the
Culminating Event. The approach is that Shakespeare is
drama to be performed, not only literature to be read. |
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9
hours of professional development workshops for teachers.
With the assistance of a Theatre for a New Audience teaching
artist, teachers refine strategies for linking the play
to Language Arts or another curriculum. Teachers are directly
involved in planning for the needs of their students.
They receive Study Guides with grade appropriate lesson
plans and a copy of the play. |
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Attendance
at Theatre for a New Audience’s off-Broadway production
of Shakespeare or another classical play. Seen by
students in morning matinees, this is the same full production
also seen by regular theatregoers. |
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A
Culminating Event in which students perform scenes from
the play for parents, administrators and their peers.
After attending the play, teacher and students choose
a scene which they interpret and perform. The artist returns
to the classroom to help rehearse. Students expand their
horizons and the scope of their literate environment by
being exposed to new ideas and participating in creative
activities. |
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NEW VOICES
"New Voices has brought playwriting
alive for students. What shines most is the
power of putting learning into our students' own hands."
- Ann Thomas, English Teacher,
Norman Thomas High School
For high schools, New Voices is a 15-week
program in which students write their own plays inspired by
a classic they see produced at Theatre for a New Audience.
The program can be tailored to meet specific school needs.
Its components are:
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artist-visits-in-the-classroom. Our teaching artist/playwright
teach the elements of playwriting to students who in turn
write their own short plays. Professional actors help
develop the plays by visiting classrooms to read students’
first drafts aloud. |
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9
hours professional development workshops for teachers
build teacher capacity for incorporating drama activities
to support teaching English Language Arts curriculum.
Teachers receive a Study Guide with grade appropriate
lesson plans. |
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Attendance
at Theatre for a New Audience production of a classic
play. In morning matinees, students see the same full
production of classic drama as regular theatregoers. The
play serves as a source of inspiration for students writing
and broadens their understanding of drama. |
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Culminating
Event. To validate students’ work, the actors
return and perform staged readings of completed scripts
for an audience of parents, administration and peers. |
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
For further information regarding our
programs, please contact:
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Joseph Giardina |
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Education
Director |
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Theatre
for a New Audience |
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154
Christopher Street, Suite 3D |
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New
York, NY 10014 |
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Telephone
212-229-2819 ext. 18 |
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Fax
212-229-2911 |
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Email
jgiardina@tfana.org |
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CREDITS
Contracts with the New York City Public Schools only cover a third of the costs associated with these education programs. As a non-profit organization, Theatre for a New Audience raises the difference. Theatre for a New Audience extends its deepest thanks to the foundations, corporations and government agencies who have provided their support.
Major support for Theatre for a New Audience’s Arts in Education programs is provided by The Dana Foundation, Sidney E. Frank Foundation, Stella and Charles Guttman Foundation, Heckscher Foundation for Children, The William Randolph Hearst Foundation, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, and The Starr Foundation.
Additional support provided by:
Barker Welfare Foundation
The Bay and Paul Foundations
Consolidated Edison Company of New York
The McGraw Hill Companies
The New York Times Company Foundation
David Rockefeller Fund
Samuel Rubin Foundation
Wachovia Trust
Theatre for a New Audience’s Arts in Education programs are also made possible, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts’ Empire State Partnership, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs.
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