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Education at Roundabout: Violet
By: Roundabout Theatre Company Jun. 17, 2014
On April 9, more than 625 students from seven high schools and five middle schools across all five boroughs of New York City attended the all-student matinee of Violet. For many students,Violet was their first Broadway show. In the two weeks before the student matinee, Roundabout Teaching Artists visited classrooms to lead pre-show workshops that prepared students for the historical context of the musical and the production's artistic conventions. On the morning of the show, 50 freshman from FDR High School engaged in a workshop at the American Airlines Theatre, fulfilling the roles of actors, designers and marketing staff. The students researched, designed and performed two excerpts from Violet in just two hours.
Students from FDR High School
After the show, all students engaged in a post-performance discussion and talkback with nine members of the cast. Students were asked to respond to the prompt "Violet is about..." in three words or less, and to cite a moment from the play that supported their keywords. Thalia Sablon, an Education at Roundabout high school intern, analyzed the responses to identify the most prominent themes seen by students and created a visual representation of those response you see in the visual display below, which is also on view in the Penthouse Lobby, located on the fifth floor of the American Airlines Theatre.
After the show, Emerson Steele (Young Violet) interviewed high school students about the show and its important message about true beauty.
Education at Roundabout serves over 6,000 students annually through in-school partnerships, transforming classrooms into theatres, and our theatres into classrooms. Help us impact students' lives at schools across New York City. You support will help Roundabout engage students with transformative arts programs and theatregoing experiences like Violet. Visit our website to learn more and to make a gift.
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