Trinity Rep to Launch Grade 11 Project with Free Tickets to A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of its Project Discovery student matinee program, Trinity Repertory Company-the State Theater of Rhode Island-will offer free tickets to William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream to Rhode Island 11th graders.

The bold initiative, titled the Grade 11 Project, harks back to Project Discovery's roots and enhances Rhode Island's position as an arts and culture epicenter. The reach of this program is one that only a state the size of Rhode Island could successfully achieve. The Grade 11 Project is made possible in part by lead support from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, through an appropriation by the Rhode Island General Assembly and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Trinity Rep must match the State's investment with private donations; fundraising efforts are underway.

Performances of A Midsummer Night's Dream run February 9 - March 26, 2017. Participating 11th graders will enhance their understanding of Shakespeare and dramatic literature through student matinee attendance, study guides tied to the curriculum and post-performance discussions with the artists. Despite geographic and socio-economic differences, students will share a common experience and benefit from the sense of community that experience creates.

Trinity Rep launched Project Discovery in 1966 with a season of four plays, including A Midsummer Night's Dream, offered to all Rhode Island high school students. This type of innovative educational outreach was piloted by three selected theaters nationally with initial support from the U.S. Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), which was established with legislation written by Senator Claiborne Pell (D-RI). Trinity Rep's Project Discovery was a huge success, leading to its replication at theaters across the United States. To date, it has served over 1.3 million students.

"Inviting the 11th graders of Rhode Island to A Midsummer Night's Dream is the perfect way to celebrate this landmark anniversary," says artistic director Curt Columbus. "It harks back to the production we staged in the first season of Project Discovery, and fulfills our mission of bringing live theater to every student across the state and growing the next generation of theatergoers."

Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo agrees, "I'm thrilled that 11th grade students across Rhode Island will have the opportunity to experience A Midsummer Night's Dreamthrough the Grade 11 Project. This program will bring Shakespeare's words to life at one of the most respected regional theaters in the country. People come from far and wide to visit Trinity Repertory Company - it makes sense to give our kids the chance to be inspired by their work."

"The State Arts Council is honored to support this initiative of Trinity Rep to share their production of A ?Midsummer Night's Dream with 11th graders throughout the state," sharesRandall Rosenbaum, Executive Director of the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts. "Engaging with theater and the arts is an essential component of every student's education, and I have heard repeatedly from many Rhode Islanders that their involvement with Trinity Rep's Project Discovery left a lasting and positive impression of their time in school. Many congratulations to Trinity Rep for reaching this milestone."

Rhode Island State Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed says, "This is the kind of exciting project that capitalizes on Rhode Island's size and rich arts and culture. Trinity Rep's Grade 11 Project will expose students who otherwise might never have had the opportunity to experience live theater. The initiative helps solidify Rhode Island's position as an arts and cultural epicenter, while helping schools provide a quality STEAM education."

Rhode Island Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Ken Wagner adds, "We are pleased that Project Discovery will give Rhode Island students the opportunity to enjoy theater and the arts by experiencing Trinity Rep's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. We know that students learn best when they are challenged and totally engaged, and there are few experiences that capture the attention of our students more powerfully than theater and a well-rounded arts education."

Rhode Island principals and teachers interested in bringing their 11th grade class to a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream free of charge can visit www.trinityrep.com, or contact Education Partnerships Manager Matthew Tibbs at mtibbs@trinityrep.com.

Support for this production is provided in part by Shakespeare in American Communities, a program of the National Endowment of the Arts and Arts Midwest.

Individuals, foundations and businesses interested in supporting the Grade 11 Project should contact Jennifer Canole, Director of Development, at (401) 453-9234 or jcanole@trinityrep.com.

Since its early years, Trinity Repertory Company has been known not only for its resident Acting Company and productions, but also for educational outreach like Project Discovery. Project Discovery's first young audience of 30,000 high school students came in the 1965-1966 season. After Providence's Trinity Square Players (now Trinity Rep) won a national competition for a grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Arts, Trinity Rep began to offer three or four Project Discovery productions each year. In the first three years of Project Discovery, every high school student in Rhode Island came to see ten different productions. Over 90% of those students reported that it was their first time experiencing professional theater. Since then, Project Discovery has evolved and thrived, having now served over 1.3 million students. Support programs have developed to enhance the students' learning experience, including comprehensive standards-based study guides, classroom residencies, workshops, and post-performance discussions and analyses of the play with the actors and artistic team. The success of Project Discovery has led to replication at hundreds of theaters across the country. For a more in-depth history of the Project Discovery program, visit www.trinityrep.com.

The Tony Award-winning State Theater of Rhode Island, Trinity Repertory Company (Curt Columbus-Artistic Director) is now in its 53rd season. Since its founding in 1963, Trinity Repertory Company has been one of the most respected regional theaters in the country. Featuring one of the last permanent resident acting companies in America, Trinity Rep presents a balance of world premiere, contemporary, and classic works for an annual audience of approximately 120,000. Since 1963, the theater has produced 67 world premieres, mounted national and international tours, and, through its MFA program in partnership with Brown University, trained hundreds of new actors and directors.

Subscriptions and tickets for the 2016-2017 season themed Ghosts of the Past, Dreams of the Future are now on sale. The remainder of the season includes Appropriate by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, The Mountaintop by Katori Hall, Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, the world premiere of Faithful Cheaters by Deborah Salem Smith, and Fuente Ovejuna by Lope De Vega Carpio. For more information and to purchase tickets, call the box office at (401) 351-4242 or visit Trinity Rep's website at www.trinityrep.com.

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