Berkeley Rep School Of Theatre Welcomes The Return Of Student Matinees

The Berkeley Rep School of Theatre has announce the return of in-person student matinee programming throughout the 2022/23 season.

Aiming to serve over 2,500 students this year, student matinees offer a unique and exciting experience for students whether they are aspiring theatre-makers or attending the theatre for the very first time. Having access to the world-class storytelling on Berkeley Rep's stage not only introduces students to transformative ideas, but also gives educators new ways to connect the conversations and themes from each piece to their curriculum.

"We are thrilled to open our doors and welcome students back into our space," said Anthony Jackson, director of the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre. "The stories we tell at Berkeley Rep have the capacity to inspire new ideas, galvanize change, and expand worldviews; by sharing this experience with young people, we are investing in the next generation of artists, change-makers, and citizens."

Before committing to a full student matinee series this season, the School of Theatre gauged interest by opening the theatre doors last September to Bay Area middle- and high-school students for a performance of Goddess. School groups from as close as Oakland and as far as Sacramento gathered to make up over 275 of the audience members for the matinee performance. During the show, the students filled the space with electric energy - often responding verbally to the drama onstage, laughing out loud, and cheering wildly after each musical number. After the show, students gathered in the courtyard and, as the actors cleared the Roda Theatre greenroom, filled the space with applause.

The current schedule of student matinees for the 2022/23 season are:

• Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski - Tuesday, December 6 at 12 p.m.
• Wuthering Heights - Wednesday, December 7, 2022 at 12 p.m.
• Clyde's - Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 1 p.m. & Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 1 p.m.
• Cambodian Rock Band ­­- Thursday, March 9, 2023 at 1 p.m. & Thursday, March 30, 2023 at 1 p.m.
• English - Thursday, April 13, 2023 at 1 p.m.

After the success of the Goddess student matinee in September, the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre is confidently planning to foster deeper relationships with the school communities coming to the theatre. Rather than simply welcoming schools to the Berkeley Rep campus, the School of Theatre now plans to visit each school attending the matinee and provide a complimentary pre-show workshop. These workshops will welcome students back to our community, further connect students to the themes in each show, and supply educators with arts integration curriculum to continue the discussion about the show.

To book a student matinee, visit: berkeleyrep.org/studentmatinees.

Berkeley Rep creates ambitious theatre that entertains and challenges its audiences, provokes civic engagement, and inspires people to experience the world in new and surprising ways. The School of Theatre supports this mission through meaningful connections between audiences and our mainstage work, creative entry points for new audiences, tools for artists and students to harness their imaginative power, and immersive training for future theatre makers.

Having first opened its doors in 2001, the School of Theatre offers programming as eclectic as the productions onstage at Berkeley Rep, reaching some 20,000 people in the Bay Area each year. Driven by an expanding community of inspired, curious, and creative theatre lovers, the School's programming provides opportunities for engagement on a variety of levels. Learn more at berkeleyrep.org/school

Berkeley Repertory Theatre has grown from a storefront stage to an international leader in innovative theatre. Known for its ambition, relevance, and excellence, as well as its adventurous audience, the nonprofit has provided a welcoming home for emerging and established artists since 1968. Over 5.5 million people have enjoyed nearly 500 shows at Berkeley Rep, which have gone on to win six Tony Awards, seven Obie Awards, nine Drama Desk Awards, one Grammy Award, one Pulitzer Prize, and many other honors. Berkeley Rep received the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre in 1997. To formalize, enhance, and expand the processes by which Berkeley Rep makes theatre, The Ground Floor: Berkeley Rep's Center for the Creation and Development of New Work was launched in 2012. The Berkeley Rep School of Theatre engages and educates some 20,000 people a year and helps build the audiences of tomorrow with its nationally recognized teen programs. Berkeley Rep's bustling facilities - which also include the 400-seat Peet's Theatre, the 600-seat Roda Theatre, and a spacious campus in West Berkeley - are helping revitalize a renowned city. Learn more at berkeleyrep.org

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