Education @ Roundabout
By: Robert Diamond Dec. 23, 2010
Roundabout has been involved in educational outreach since its earliest years. Gene Feist, Roundabout's founding director, was a high school teacher in New Rochelle, spending his days teaching drama and his nights directing plays and running a fledgling theatre company. Mr. Feist understood the value of promoting theatre in public schools. Our not-for-profit status was linked to our education programming and the educational work we have engaged in over the last twenty plus years.
Each year we partner teaching artists with junior and high school students, supporting the successful integration of dramatic arts into the curriculum through lessons that link mathematics, literature, and history to costume study, set and lighting design, dramaturgy and play writing.
Students and teachers attend matinee performances of our productions and use our study guide, Upstage, to assist with in-depth study of plays through artist interviews and play summaries. Click here to view a variety of of our "Upstage" Study Guides.
We have additional programs that provide students with opportunities to produce their own plays that are products of play reading series and workshops held throughout the semester. Click here to view the Annual Report for the 2009-2010 Season, including a complete listing of programs.
Our education department is truly one of Roundabout's finest productions.
We are proud of the work done by our colleagues as it is through their dedication that hundreds of young people each year are exposed to theatre. Many of these students go on to pursue studies in theatre arts, acting, directing, and play writing; we hope that all walk away with a deeper appreciation of theatre.
Roundabout's archives contain supporting materials from our education department that include lesson plans, grant information, and workshops. In the near future, our catalog of study guides will be available on our website for use in theatre education programs across the country.
The Roundabout Theatre Company Archives are made possible by a generous grant from the Leon Levy Foundation.
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