30,000 students reached in and out of classrooms during 07-08 season

PROVIDENCE, RI: As the 2008-2009 season draws near, Trinity Repertory Company is proud to highlight the accomplishments of its educational programming for the 2007-2008 season. Since 1966, Trinity Rep has offered a wide range of educational programs for young people in Southeastern New England. Anchored by its student matinee series, which has brought 1.2 million students to the theater to see plays, the educational programs – collectively known as Project Discovery – have served as a national model for integrating performing arts and curricular studies.

Trinity Rep’s student matinees are enhanced with and framed by in-school artist residencies and workshops, as well as standards-based study guides. Trinity also provides professional development for teachers, artist residencies, in-class workshops, school-to-career activities, and after-school and summer programs. During the past season, Trinity Rep’s education programs reached nearly 30,000 young people from all over Southeastern New England.

“Trinity Rep's education programs have continued to not only expand over the past year, but have deepened and broadened in depth and curriculum,” states Tyler Dobrowsky, Education Director. “At a time when school budgets are tighter than ever, especially in urban areas like Providence, it is incumbent on large cultural organizations to reach out to schools and make sure arts education is still a vibrant, high-quality experience. As one of the largest arts institutions in New England, we feel it is our responsibility to provide world-class education, as well as world class entertainment.”

Some notable program highlights and accomplishments from the 2007-2008 season  include:

• ENGAGEMENT THROUGH STUDENT MATINEES. Young people tap in to the timelessness of Trinity’s brand of theater, even when it’s least expected. 19,918 students from across the region attended Project Discovery (PD) matinees and connected with Adrian Hall’s adaptation of Robert Penn Warren’s All The King’s Men; Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit, and William Shakespeare’s Richard III.

• OFF THE STAGE AND INTO THE CLASSROOMS.  Half of the 58 schools who attended Richard III participated in free, pre- and post-performance Project Discovery Plus workshops led by members of the cast. This PD Plus programs introduced 2,015 students and teachers to TRC actors as they lead workshops in their classrooms. Additionally, 2,000 students were served by “off-site” residencies and interactive workshops in schools and community centers throughout the 2007-2008 season.

• TRINITY REP’S OWN CLASSROOM:  THE YOUNG ACTORS STUDIO. Founded in 2003, the Young Actors Studio is designed to serve children in grades 4-12 who have a strong interest in the theater arts. Through summer, weekend, evening and after-school programs held at Trinity Rep, students learn performance skills, playwriting, and the collaborative process.  The Teen Collaborative is a year-long intensive ensemble for high school students. Company members teach weekly classes in various theater disciplines, and students in the Teen Collaborative attend each production in the Trinity Rep season free of charge. Last year, students from Classical High School, Cranston East High School, East Providence High School, Lincoln School, Providence Country Day School, Shea High School, and South Kingstown High School participated. The Junior Ensemble is a year-long class for students in grades 4-6, and is taught by members of Trinity’s creative and education staff. Students learn about different jobs involved in producing theater, as well as show specific curriculum studied in conjunction with Trinity’s production of Richard III. Eight students from Coventry, Cranston, North Scituate, Portsmouth, and Providence participated in Junior Ensemble.

• LEARNING TO TEACH OTHERS: THE THEATER AMBASSADORS PROGRAM. Trinity Rep’s School-to-Career initiatives – which include programs for high school and college students, as well as recent college graduates – help students put their knowledge to work as they help themselves cultivate careers in the arts. Including career fairs, back-stage tours for programs like the Boys and Girls Club, internships, and other School-to-Career programs, Trinity reached approximately 5,000 students last season. For high school students who are passionate about theater, the Theater Ambassadors is designed to instill a respect for culture and the arts in participants and increasing their communication and leadership skills. Students attend all Trinity Rep productions; observe the professional rehearsal process; meet with actors, directors and designers; and discuss the plays as they are created. Students also act as ambassadors to their schoolmates, returning to their classrooms to lead studies about the play. This entire program is free of charge, but students must apply to participate. Last season, students from Bishop Feehan, Classical High School, East Greenwich High School, Hope High School, J.M. Walsh School for the Arts, LaSalle High School, North Kingstown High School, North Smithfield High School, Rocky Hill School, The Wheeler School and Westerly High School participated.

• BRINGING ARTS TO VOCATIONAL TRAINING SCHOOLS: ARTS TALK. The Arts Talk program provides three professional development workshops to school teachers in conjunction with the Rhode Island Philharmonic, RISD Museum, and Rhode Island State Council on the Arts. Trinity Rep offers this unique program that brings art into Rhode Island’s vocational training schools. While State mandates require college-bound students to graduate with half a credit in the arts, this policy does not apply to our vocational students, leaving them with no access to information about the myriad of technical careers available in the arts. This year, 243 students from four schools participated: Davies Vocational Tech, Cranston East High School, North Smithfield High School, and Coventry High School students attended Richard III and received in-class workshops.

Trinity Repertory Company has provided a wide range of educational opportunities to young people for more than four decades, introducing them to the skills, context and experiences necessary to make the benefits of theater a part of their ongoing lives. By welcoming young people into the theater as audiences, students, and young practitioners, we have invested in the cultural and spiritual health of our community for decades to come.

TRINITY REPERTORY COMPANY
Since its founding in 1963, Trinity Repertory Company has been one of the most respected regional theaters in the country. Featuring the last long standing permanent resident acting company in America, Trinity Rep presents a balance of world premiere, contemporary, and classic works for an estimated annual audience of nearly 160,000. In its 44-year history, the theater has produced 54 world premieres, mounted national and international tours, and, through its graduate-level theater arts conservatory, trained hundreds of new actors and directors. This season marks the 42nd year of Project Discovery, Trinity Rep's pioneering educational outreach program. Launched in 1966, the program introduces over 20,000 Rhode Island and Massachusetts students a year to live theater. The Brown University/Trinity Rep Consortium offers professional training for actors and directors in a three-year MFA program. Since 1973, Trinity Rep's home has been the Lederer Theater Center, a historic landmark built as the Majestic Theatre in 1917. With an annual budget of $8.4 million, the theater employs 120 artistic and administrative staff and annually generates more than $24 million in economic activity. For more information, call the box office at (401) 351-4242 or visit Trinity Rep’s website at www.trinityrep.com. 

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