Classic Stage Company (CSC) has made Shakespeare engaging and accessible to New York City students for well over a decade in classrooms through interactive actor-driven workshops, vibrant study guides, and unforgettable performances in our East Village theater. Now, in our 50th season, we are thrilled to expand programming to appeal to students of all ages, from kindergartners to high school seniors.
GRADES K-5
“Words, words, words.” Shakespeare’s language is all around us, and even from a very young age, we use his words and phrases, often without knowing it. His words are also lots of fun to say, especially when meeting characters with names like “Froth” (Measure for Measure), “Bullcalf” (Henry IV Part 2), and “Dr. Butts” (Henry VIII).
“What’s in a name”, you say? Find out when you join the members of the cast of THE STOWAWAY this fall for a special pre-show workshop at your school, included in the price of tickets to a school-time performance!
PERFORMANCES FOR GRADES K-5
Download the performance calendar for THE STOWAWAY.
WORKSHOPS FOR GRADES K-5
Participation fees include one pre-show in-school workshop per class, conducted by members of the cast of THE STOWAWAY and CSC teaching artists.
Reservations are made on a first-come first-served basis.
Due to the size of the theater, we cannot guarantee accommodation for groups over 100 people.
CSC is an official NYC Department of Education Vendor.
Subsidized pricing is available for qualifying schools.
GRADES 6-12
Each year, our flagship education program presents a diverse company of young and talented actors in a 90-minute production of a Shakespearean play specifically crafted with young audiences in mind. We break the expectation of “boring” Shakespeare with innovative and often interactive staging, and design that aims to please the teenage aesthetic.
This same company of actors also serves as our teaching artists, facilitating workshops in schools across the city of New York and beyond. Students have the opportunity to learn from actors they can relate to, and experience firsthand how powerful – and fun – Shakespeare can be.
Join the members of the cast of JULIUS CAESAR this spring both at your school and here on our stage!
PERFORMANCES FOR GRADES 6-12
Download the performance calendar for JULIUS CAESAR.
We also offer school-time performances and workshops for most of the other productions in our season. Email education@classicstage.org to request information.
WORKSHOPS FOR GRADES 6-12
All the World's A Stage: 1 Workshop at Your School
This single workshop introduces students to Shakespeare’s theater and gives an overview of the plot, themes and characters in a given play, while still taking time to explore a short passage of text in detail.
BEST FOR: Schools with limited time and/or budget that just want to ensure that their students are prepared to see a performance.
Speak the Speech: 3-Workshop Series at Your School
This series of workshops begins with a brief overview of the plot, themes and characters in a given play before diving deeper to explore Shakespeare’s language in detail. Students learn tools that real theater artists use to make the text accessible and relevant to their own experiences.
BEST FOR: Schools that want to give their students the confidence to speak and take ownership of complex texts.
Suit the Action to The Word: 5-Workshop Series at Your School
This series of workshops begins with a brief overview of the plot, themes and characters in a given play before diving deeper to explore Shakespeare’s language in detail. Once students have found ownership of the text, the focus shifts to the tools needed to stage and perform scenes, and concludes with an in-class showcase highlighting key moments from the play.
BEST FOR: Schools that want to give their students the ultimate Shakespeare experience: successfully performing his work for an audience.
Prepare Yourself for More Amazement: 1 Post-show Workshop at CSC
This single workshop includes a Q&A with the cast, a behind-the-scenes look at the production, and an interactive Shakespearean battle of wits (always a crowd pleaser)!
BEST FOR: Our post-show workshop is most effective when paired with workshops at your school, but it can also be booked on its own for schools that simply want to enhance their students’ theater-going experience.
The Play's the Thing: Workshops on the Play of Your Choice
Our curriculum was designed to support Act Young productions, but can also stand alone if you would like to bring artists into your classroom to support your work on other Shakespeare plays. In addition to this year’s production of JULIUS CAESAR, we currently offer workshops on the following plays:
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
AS YOU LIKE IT
HAMLET
MACBETH
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
OTHELLO
ROMEO AND JULIET
THE COMEDY OF ERRORS
THE TEMPEST
TWELFTH NIGHT
Our curriculum meets the requirements in New York City’s Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts; we also address many New York State Learning Standards for the Arts and English Language Arts, as well as the Common Core Standards for English Language Arts.
Reservations are made on a first-come first-served basis.
Due to the size of the theater, we cannot guarantee accommodation for groups over 100 people.
CSC is an official NYC Department of Education Vendor.
Subsidized pricing is available for qualifying schools.
Resources
Our free study guides are packed with information about Shakespeare, his language, the play, and our specific production. It even includes simple activities that you can facilitate with your students to expand on the work they’ve done during the workshops!
The Sixth Annual Shakespeare Smackdown will be held on MONDAY, MAY 7, 2018.
CSC’s Shakespeare Smackdown is a chance for your students to show off their acting chops on our stage! Participating schools may send student groups to represent them in performing selected short scenes from a Shakespearean play selected by CSC Education each year. No two groups present the same scene, and scenes are performed in chronological order. The effect is a collaborative, student-driven, mini-production of the play. Students are recognized for their efforts with prizes, including tickets to productions at CSC, free workshops for their schools, and much more.
REGISTER YOUR STUDENTS
Any student participating in the current Act Young season for grades 6-12, whether through in-school workshops and/or attending performances, is eligible. This is a FREE event.
Registration for the 2018 Shakespeare Smackdown has passed. Download and read the handbook below.
