SYRACUSE STAGE EDUCATION
EDUCATION OVERVIEW
Syracuse Stage is committed to providing students with rich theatre experiences that connect to and reveal what it is to be human. Live performance provides children and young adults with a unique sensory experience that enriches classroom study and promotes creative expression and cultural awareness.
IMPACT
Syracuse Stage’s education programs for elementary, middle, and high school students are comprehensive, varied, and effective. Ranging in scope from fully produced mainstage productions to targeted in-class performances, Syracuse Stage’s educational programs support and enhance language arts, social studies, history, STEM, and art curricula. Research shows that students who participate in or are exposed to the arts show higher academic achievement, stronger self-esteem, and better ability to plan and work toward a future goal. On average, nearly 15,000 students from 14 Central New York counties benefit from Syracuse Stage’s educational programs each year.
Community Engagement programs include ongoing enrichment opportunities and diverse seasonal programming. Community conversations, scholarly panels, and social events are included throughout the season. Partnerships with community outreach organizations welcome new audiences and highlights local leaders on stage. Partnerships include: 100 Black Men of Syracuse, Golisano Children’s Hospital, the YWCA, La Joven Guardia del Teatro y Baile Latino, CNY Reads, the Onondaga Nation, La Casita Cultural Center, the PEACE Project, and Interfaith Works among others.
EDUCATION CONTACTS
Program Offerings
Children’s Tour
Each fall, the Bank of America Children’s Tour brings high-energy, interactive, and culturally diverse performances to elementary school audiences. Each performance is fully staged with scenery, costumes, and sound. You need only provide the stage, cafeteria, classroom, or any open space! Performances include a talkback with the actors and our helpful study guide for further classroom exploration. Pre- or post-show sessions with our talented Teaching Artists can be arranged upon request.
Backstory
The Backstory Program is an interactive, live, creative dive into compelling historical figures' stories for middle and high school students. Currently booking for February 28 – March 8, 2024. Commanding Space shares the story of Annie Easley who broke gender and color barriers as a rocket scientist at NASA.
Theatre for the Very Young
Push, Pull, Together, Apart
Specifically designed for our youngest audiences and their families, Push, Pull, Together, Apart is about connection. How many different ways are we connected with each other and the world around us? This 30 minute non-verbal performance will involve interactive sounds, props, and storytelling.
Young Playwrights Festival - April 30, 2024
Every year Syracuse Stage invites Central New York high school students to write original ten-minute plays and other performance pieces for entry into our annual Young Playwrights Festival contest. Our panel of theatre and literary professionals evaluates each student's play. Semifinalists are invited to attend a writing workshop with Syracuse Stage where their plays will be read and critiqued. Finalists will see their plays performed as staged readings by Syracuse University Drama Students.
Student Matinee Series
Student matinees are performances of Syracuse Stage mainstage productions offered at 10:30 a.m. for Central New York schools. Most shows in the season will have at least one student matinee scheduled during its run. Our Production Study Guides feature classroom exercises, tools for analysis, and resources for further classroom exploration.
For rates and available dates, please contact:
Tracey White at (315) 443-9844
Education Advocacy Board
The Education Advocacy Board is a group of teachers from the Central New York region who meet quarterly with Syracuse Stage staff to collaborate on offerings surrounding arts and theatre education with young people. Members work with education staff at Syracuse Stage to help tailor programming to best fit the educators and students served.
Contact for more information: kmlaissl@syr.edu
Young Adult Council
Syracuse Stage seeks to give teens a voice in the programming designed for them while exploring how theatre impacts their lives. The program focuses on peer led discussion and events in addition to advocating for theatre and arts participation to fellow students. YAC members can also take advantage of opportunities to learn from professional theatre artists at Syracuse Stage and through workshops, internships, and shadow programs.
If you are interested in joining, please contact: Kate Laissle, at kmlaissl@syr.edu
Our Words Are Seeds
Written by Ty Defoe
Directed by Joann Yarrow
Our Words Are Seeds explores the past, present, and future of Shenandoah, an Oneida Nation, gender non-conforming, and self-proclaimed Indigi-nerd teenager, and their great-great-grandmother, Mary Cornelius Winder, who started the family calling of writing letters to the United States government demanding land back. Watch as Shenandoah’s and their ancestors’ struggles intersect, and as Shenandoah connects with the Water of Onondaga Lake to find their voice and create a call to action for their generation to protect, defend, and acknowledge the Haudenosaunee Nations, their traditions, and the land we all share.
Our Words Are Seeds weaves together the history of the Haudenosaunee, calls for environmental activism, and the teenage Shenandoah’s path towards ownership of their modern Indigenous identity.
Recommended for grades 6 through 12. Classroom study guides are provided prior to each performance to enhance student learning.
Education Sponsors
