of art & design
School Matinee Series
Online Registration begins on Monday, August 31, 2009
TheatreworksUSA
Seussical
Fri, Oct 23, 2009 at 10am & noon
Aquila Theatre Company
As You Like It
Tue, Feb 2, 2010 at 10:30am
Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia
The Very Hungry Caterpillar &
Other Eric Carle Favourites
Fri, Feb 26, 2010 at 10am & noon
TheatreworksUSA
If You Give A Pig A Pancake & Other Story Books
Wed, Thu, Fri, Mar 24, 25 & 26, 2010 at 10am & noon
Established in 1996 in partnership with the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County and the Wake County Public School System, the Center Stage School Matinee Series presents professional theatre, music and dance performances for students in grades K-12 in the greater Wake County area. For many students, this is their first opportunity to experience a live performance in a theatre.
Artists and productions are chosen to support and complement curriculum and instruction across grade levels. With arts budgets continually being reduced in the public schools, the School Matinee Series provides educational arts opportunities that aren’t readily available for students to experience as part of their regular school day. Programs presented as part of this matinee series support communication and language arts educational curricula, as well as provide opportunities for children to develop and improve critical thinking and social development skills. Many of the theatre productions connect directly with children's literature being taught in the classroom and offer students the opportunity to see books come to life on stage.
Teachers have shared many stories about how their students return to the classroom eager to re-read classic stories they have seen performed on stage. Following our January 2008 production of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and Other Story Books, Susan Latino, a first grade teacher at Durant Road Elementary School said: “The performance was so wonderful. Our children loved it! When we got back to school, I dug out the books that I had, and they got so excited. It was a pleasure to see them react that way about a book.”
Cathy Freeman (NCSU Class of ’86), a first-grade teacher at Cleveland Elementary School writes: “My expectations were exceeded! This was a non-stop, action adventure through books. The kids and adults were breathless as we anticipated the next story.” Freeman adds: “This was the best theatre performance I have attended in my 20 years of teaching. I am so proud it was performed at my old stomping ground. I had many [students] say they wanted to attend NCSU so they could come to every show! As a student at NCSU I was blessed to enjoy viewing a variety of performances in that same theatre. Keep up the excellent work you do. You provide a much appreciated service to our community.”
This year, Center Stage anticipates welcoming nearly 8,000 Wake County school children to Stewart Theatre for the series. The ever-popular TheatreworksUSA returns to our stage with two productions: the imaginative stories of Dr. Seuss in Seussical on Friday, October 23, 2009; and the If You Give a Pig a Pancake & Other Story Books on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, March 24, 25 and 26, 2010. The Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia makes its first appearance on our series with The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Other Eric Carle Favourites on Friday, February 26, 2010. Two performances take place each day at 10:00am and noon. This year, we’ll offer a school matinee performance for older students: Aquila Theatre Company in As You Like It by William Shakespeare, Tuesday, February 2, 2010 (one show at 10:30am).
A printable PDF copy of the matinee series brochure is available here. For questions about the School Matinee Series, contact Lori Jones at lori_jones@ncsu.edu or by phone at 919-513-3052.
NEW THIS YEAR: Registration will be available ONLINE, and will begin on Monday, August 31, 2009. Click here to register now! You may also print and fax the registration form that is available in PDF format. (If unable to register online, you still must wait until August 31 to fax your registration.)