ATLANTIC’S ARTS EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Atlantic Theater Company shares a belief in storytelling with the community through our educational outreach programs. The Arts Education Program serves elementary through high school students with the goal of cultivating the next generation of theater artists, audiences and most importantly, critical thinkers and writers. Atlantic serves over 3,000 students in 30 New York City public schools through two major programs: Atlantic For Kids and the Students and Educators Series.

Atlantic For Kids (targeted to elementary students) introduces young audiences to the art of simple storytelling through theater and presents two children’s productions each season. The plays are developed for school students from pre-kindergarten to sixth grade, and are designed to excite the imagination through language, humor and spectacle.

The Students and Educators Series is a sequence of middle and high school classroom instruction by teaching artists with attendance of mainstage productions and a post-theater talkback. All teaching artists are alumni selected from Atlantic’s Acting School in conjunction with NYU’s School of Drama. The teaching artists share Atlantic’s philosophy and pass on their understanding of the Practical Aesthetics Acting Technique. Practical Aesthetics offers unique tools for recognizing the truth of any situation, which are relevant to all ages and challenges, whether academic, professional or personal. The Board of Education’s Drama Blue Print and regent guidelines are integrated into the program curriculum.

These programs include one set of tickets for the students, teachers, and their guests to Atlantic’s current mainstage production. Supplemental theater activities include: enhancing reading and writing skills through script analysis, journal writing and open-ended discussion questions concerning the play’s themes, one classroom visit by an Atlantic teaching artist and Education Coordinator Fran Tarr focusing on listening and speaking skills through play preparation, an introduction to the Practical Aesthetics technique, and a post-theater talkback with the actors and Atlantic artistic staff to examine the play’s themes.

Atlantic also hosts Educators Evenings, which offers partner teachers free attendance to preview the production and a post-show talkback with the show’s creative team. Educators Evenings strengthens teachers’ understanding of Atlantic, the themes of the play, and how the Study Guides can be organically integrated into their curriculum.

Contact Fran Tarr, Education Coordinator, at 212-989-7353 or ftarr@aol.com to participate in this exciting theater education opportunity. The Atlantic Acting School offers after-school programs Atlantic For Kids and Atlantic For Teens, which provide further exploration of storytelling, writing, acting, improvisation and the Practical Aesthetics Acting Technique. Teaching artists often explore different styles of acting with their students while integrating basic elements of art and history. The mission of the program is to create well-rounded, socially responsible citizens and to empower children with tools that encourage their imagination and creativity.

Contact Heather Baird, Director of Education and Recruitment, at 646-216-1171 for more information, or go to the Acting School website