The World Theatre Project

For Grades 5-12
Instituted in 1984, the World Theatre Project is a 13-week in-school residency program that combines the experience of seeing a live performance of a Shakespeare (or other classical) play with in-depth classroom work for students and professional development for teachers.  In this program, students develop reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language skills as they explore the play they are learning.  Through writing exercises and dramatic activities, students interpret the story in their own voices, inspired by the Theatre for a New Audience production, and bring their work to fruition through the creation of an original performance.  The program was designed with the belief that if properly prepared, young people will respond to the timeless themes of classical plays.All lessons are hands-on and address the New York City Department of Education’s Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Theater and the New York State Common Core Learning Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy. Program Components

  • 10 weekly classroom workshops 
    A Theatre for a New Audience-trained teaching artist works in partnership with the classroom teacher to lead dramatic activities with the students that teach the plot, themes, language, and characters of the play.  The students then become engaged in their own artistic process as they create and rehearse their own original interpretation of the play.
  •  Nine hours of professional development workshops for teachers
    The teaching artist leads participating teachers through a hands-on exploration of the curriculum guide where they refine strategies that will best serve their students.  Additional planning time with the teaching artist enables teachers to craft literacy lessons that support and extend student learning.
  • Attendance at Theatre for a New Audience’s Off-Broadway production of Shakespeare or another classical play
    Seen by students in morning matinees at the Theatre’s Polonsky Shakespeare Center in Downtown Brooklyn, this is the same full production also seen by regular theatergoers.  Each matinee is followed by a Q & A with members of the cast.
  • A Culminating Event 
    Students create and perform their own interpretation of the play using classical text and their own original writing for parents, administrators, and their peers.
  • A Reflection Session
    The teaching artist, students, and teachers reflect on the experience of the residency and culminating event.

Education program

 

Thanks to the support of various private and public funds, we are able to offer a select number of NYC public schools a subsidy that will cover approximately 70% of the program cost.  

For further information regarding our programs, please contact:
Lindsay Tanner
Education Director
T: 212-229-2819 ext. 18
E: education@tfana.org

 

Theatre for a New Audience is currently seeking Partner Schools. Thanks to the support of various private and public funds, we are able to offer a select number of NYC public schools a subsidy that will cover up to 65% of the program cost. Interested schools are invited to apply for their choice of the New Voices Project and/or the World Theatre Project by submitting this application.
Pictured above: Students of P.S. 235, photo by Gerry Goodstein.