Pre- and Post-Show Workshops

Already bringing your class to Hartford Stage? Now bring Hartford Stage to your class! A Hartford Stage Teaching Arist will visit your school to lead your class in an interactive workshop connected to the play. Preshow workshops focus on preparing students to see the play by introducing major characters, thematic elements, and/or historical context. Post-show workshops provide an opportunity for students to interpret what they have experienced at the theatre and relate it back to their in-class work. Each workshop runs one 45-60 minute class period for a fee of $100.

InterACT

InterACT exposes hundreds of underserved students in grades 9-12 to professional theatre by inviting them to participate in the Student Performance Series, Hartford Stage’s student matinee program, free of charge.  Teachers may apply for participation of one or two classes.  All InterACT students experience a series of in-school, pre- and post-show workshops that explore themes related to the productions.  InterACT is subsidized through Hartford Stage corporate and foundation funding.

Download the Application

Goals

Through InterACT, Hartford Stage aims to

  • Expose students to a wide range of genres of dramatic literature and performance styles reflecting the diversity of performing arts practitioners, our audience, and our community.
  • Develop critical skills related to drama and language arts.
  • Strengthen the relationship between students and Hartford Stage by cultivating students’ identities as scholars, critics, and fans of live theatre.

For more information about InterACT or pre- and post-show workshops, contact  Erin Frederick, 860-520-7244, or efrederick@hartfordstage.org

Student Matinees

Student Performance Series

Bring your students to see a play at Hartford Stage! Each Student Performance Series ticket includes access to our online study guides, curriculum guides and the opportunity to stay for a talkback hosted by an Education Staff member.

Student Matinee Policies and Pricing Information

Request Student Matinee Tickets

August Wilson's The Piano Lesson

OCTOBER 13 - NOVEMBER 13

By August Wilson
Directed by Jade King Carroll

In August Wilson's powerful Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, a fractured family comes together to consider the legacy of their father, as his grown son and daughter argue over the heirloom he left behind.  A ghost story with traditional African-American songs, The Piano Lesson exposes the family's struggles as they attempt to exorcise the demons of the past and bring forth a new hope for the future.

Best enjoyed by ages 12 and up.

Themes & Topics for discussion:
The Great Migration, inheritance, family dynamics, 1930s America, gender roles, legacy
(contains strong racial language, some suggestive content, and supernatural activity)

Performance Dates (all performances are at 10:30 am)
October 26
October 27
November 1
November 2
November 3

A CHRISTMAS CAROL
A GHOST STORY OF CHRISTMAS

NOVEMBER 25 - DECEMBER 31

By Charles Dickens
Adapted and originally directed by Michael Wilson
Directed by Rachel Alderman

The magic of Charles Dickens’ heart-warming classic returns for its 18th season. Come see Connecticut’s favorite family holiday tradition and spend some time with Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future as they bring A Christmas Carol to life on stage. It’s perfect holiday entertainment!

Best enjoyed by ages 8 and up.

Themes & Topics for discussion:
Dickens, adaptation of literature, the Industrial Revolution, greed and generosity, responsibility to Others
(contains spooky characters and images that may be frightening for very young audience members)

Performance Dates (all performances are at 10:30 am)
November 29
November 30
December 1
December 2
December 6
December 7
December 8
December 9
December 13
December 14
December 15
December 20
December 21

The Comedy of Errors

JANUARY 12 - FEBRUARY 12

By William Shakespeare
Directed by Darko Tresnjak

From the director of our highly praised productions of Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet and Twelfth Night comes Shakespeare's zaniest comedy in which two sets of twins separated at birth find themselves in the same city on the same day. Each pair is unaware the other is nearby. This leads to a string of mistaken identities, which explode into outrageous slapstick, false accusations, crackling word play and even demonic possession. A rollicking farce of Shakespearean proportion!

Best enjoyed by ages 12 and up.

Themes & Topics for discussion:
Shakespeare, family, mistaken identity, social status
(contains bullying, demonic possession and some sexuality)

Performance Dates (all performances are at 10:30 am)
February 1
February 7
February 8
February 9
February 10

The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey

MARCH 30 - APRIL 23

Written and Performed by James Lecesne
Directed by Tony Speciale
Original Music by Duncan Sheik

‘Absolute Brightness’ is about the disappearance of Leonard Pelkey, a flamboyant 14-year-old who has been bullied by his peers. Critically-acclaimed actor and writer James Lecesne (I Am My Own Wife at Hartford Stage, the writer of the Academy Award-winning Trevor) portrays a tough New Jersey detective, a withdrawn teenage girl, a brusque yet gentle hairdresser and a dozen other intriguing characters as they join forces to solve a mystery that will forever change their lives. The New Yorker called it, "A whodunit with a heart of gold.”

Best enjoyed by ages 14 and up.

Themes & Topics for discussion:
Death, loss, identity, LGBT themes, bullying, solo performance
(contains bullying, violence and strong language)

Performance Dates (all performances are at 10:30 am)
March 29
March 30
April 5
April 19
April 20