Arts in Education
The Ridgefield Playhouse Announces 20 For 20: Our Goal to Reach 20,000 Students & Educators With FREE Curriculum-Related Theater to Celebrate the 20th Anniversary Of Arts in Education At Ridgefield Playhouse!
The application is now closed. Please reach out to Jodi Simon Stewart at artsed@nullridgefieldplayhouse.org
if you would like more information or to be added to a waitlist for a live show. Virtual options are unlimited!
Jack and the Beanstalk
Presented by Virginia Rep on Tour
This musical adaptation is a rollicking retelling of the classic fairy tale. Join our modern-day young hero as he uses his imagination to become the famous Jack from the book he is reading. As he spins the tale of trading the family cow for three magic beans, we watch the giant beanstalk grow and let our imaginations soar as our hero climbs through the clouds to meet an ill-tempered giant, find fabulous treasures and more adventures than you can shake a stalk at.
Grades K-5
Mister C Live, Vol. 2 The World in Motion - LIVE SHOW SOLD OUT. UNLIMITED LIVESTREAM/VIRTUAL OPTION AVAILABLE
Are you ready for some toe-tapping music, mind-blowing media and hair raising science? If so, join Mister C for another amazing day of learning in the lab! Pendulum swings, inertia hammers, and hovercrafts! Mister C is no stranger to finding exciting and engaging ways to explore STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) in our everyday lives. Full STEAM Ahead Live Vol. 2 - The World in Motion invites attendees to continue singing, moving, and learning to the tune of science and focuses on the Laws of Motion! Students and teachers will be amazed with this fun and educational series as Mister C uses humor, media and the engineering design process to make the ordinary extraordinary!
Grades 3-8
Pete the Cat’s Big Hollywood Adventure - SOLD OUT
Presented by Theaterworks USA
Lights! Camera! Action! When Pete the Cat and his buddy Callie sneak into the Hollywood Studios, they get lost in the world of the movies. Join Pete, Callie, Grumpy Toad, Gus the Platypus, Ethel the Apatosaurus, and Robo-Pete in this rockin’ new musical adventure that features several fun-filled Pete the Cat books including Cavecat Pete, Pete the Cat and the Treasure Map, and The Cool Cat Boogie.
Grades PreK to 3
Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
Presented by Virginia Rep on Tour
This stirring drama with music is a classic tribute to the great American who freed herself and hundreds of others from the bonds of slavery. Share her adventurous life with your students in this accurate and deeply moving musical history lesson.
Grades 3-Adult
Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
Presented by Virginia Rep on Tour
This stirring drama with music is a classic tribute to the great American who freed herself and hundreds of others from the bonds of slavery. Share her adventurous life with your students in this accurate and deeply moving musical history lesson.
Grades 3-Adult
Ellis Island: Gateway to a Dream
Presented by Sundog Theatre
Ellis Island served as the portal for immigrants coming into the USA from 1892 to 1954. Before it’s closing, an estimated 12 million people passed through on their way to a new life in America. This one-hour musical geared towards young audiences captures the essence of their journey.
Grades 3-8
Shanghai Acrobats: The New Shanghai Circus
The youthful and graceful company enthralls audiences with a range of demanding performances, most of them typifying Chinese circus and constituting a refreshing alternative to the Western tradition.
All ages
El Otro Oz
Presented by Theatreworks USA
Join la fiesta and journey to El Otro Oz! In this bilingual musical, Dora, a contemporary Latiné teenager, struggles with her family's ideas about tradition and dreads her impending quinceañera! But, when Dora gets swept away to a strange new land, she learns how to celebrate her unique rhythm and embrace her cultural identity.
Grades 3-7
The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System
Presented by Theaterworks USA
When the class gets lost on the way to the planetarium, Ms. Frizzle saves the day by blasting into outer space for an epic interplanetary field trip! But when rivalries, both old and new, threaten to tear the students apart, our young heroes must learn to pull together or risk getting forever lost in the solar system. Hop on the Magic School Bus for a ride in this musical adaptation based on the original book series published by Scholastic. Adapted by Matthew Lee Robinson and Marshall Pailet.
Grades K to 5
The Little Red Hen
Presented by Virginia Rep on Tour
“Who’ll help me plant the seed?,” asks the plucky red hen as she begins the process that goes into making a loaf of her delicious bread. “Not us,” say the sheep, the cow, the horse, and the pig. They all have better things to do. But, “a hen’s gotta do what a hen’s gotta do,” and so our crimson heroine perseveres until her work is done. But, the tricks of the conniving fox combine with the hen’s common sense to add adventure and a sound moral lesson to this classic, feel good, foot-stompin’ country musical.
Grades K-5
Mayhem Poets
Performance Poetry Artists
These theatre trained, comedically gifted, lyrical virtuosos seamlessly blend raw elements of hip hop, theatre, improv and stand up comedy to tell gut wrenching truths that leave audiences forever changed. The Mayhem Poets’ unique approach to spoken word has landed them feature spots on the Today Show and Eyewitness News after winning first place and a grant for 100k in the Microsoft Idea Wins Challenge in 2006. Since then they’ve been touring internationally and spreading their mission to reshape society’s view of poetry.
Grades 5-12
Pete the Cat EXTRA DATE ADDED!
Presented by Theaterworks USA
For Pete the Cat, life is an adventure no matter where you wind up. So the minute the groovy blue cat meets The Biddles, he gets the whole family rocking. That is, except for young Jimmy Biddle, the most organized second grader on planet Earth. But when Jimmy draws a blank in art class during the last week of school, it turns out Pete is the perfect pal to help him out. Together, they set out on a mission to help Jimmy conquer second grade art, and along the way, they both learn a little something new about inspiration. Join Jimmy and Pete on an adventure of friendship, all the way to Paris and back in a VW Bus!
Grades Pre-K-3
Frindle
Presented by the Griffin Theatre Company
Based on the book by Andrew Clements. Nicholas Allen has plenty of ideas. When he ends up in Mrs. Granger’s language arts class, he has his best idea ever. He decides to create his own word…FRINDLE! Before long Nick’s word creates a buzz in his school, his town and then to his surprise it spreads all around the country, and a power struggle erupts with the strict Mrs. Granger. Will the word “Frindle” win? Based on the multiple award winning best-selling novel by Andrew Clements this quirky, imaginative tale about creative thought and the power of words will have your young audience inventing their own words.
Grades 3-7
Ada Twist, Scientist & Friends: Previously titled Rosie Revere, Engineer & Friends
Presented by Theatreworks USA
Ms. Greer's classroom includes three inquisitive out-of-the-box thinkers. Rosie Revere has big dreams, Iggy Peck has a relentless passion for architecture, and Ada Twist's curiosity can drive her teacher crazy. On a field trip gone awry, they are faced with the ultimate test of their problem-solving skills that can only be conquered with teamwork.
Grades K-4
Charlotte’s Web
Presented by Theatreworks USA
Charlotte's Web is based on E.B. White's loving story of the friendship between a pig named Wilbur and a little gray spider named Charlotte. Wilbur has a problem: how to avoid winding up as pork chops! Charlotte, a fine writer and true friend, hits on a plan to fool Farmer Zuckerman. She will create a "miracle." Spinning the words "Some Pig" in her web, Charlotte weaves a solution which not only makes Wilbur a prize pig but also ensures his place on the farm forever. This treasured tale, featuring madcap and endearing farm animals, explores bravery, selfless love and the true meaning of friendship
Grades K-5
DOT DOT DOT: A New Musical
Presented by Theatreworks USA
DOT DOT DOT: A New Musical is an exciting new musical based on the Creatrilogy trio of award-winning picture books by New York Times bestselling author Peter H. Reynolds- The Dot, Ish and Sky Color. Adapted by Composers Keelay Gipson and Sam Salmond, the musical, like the series, celebrates the power of originality, self-expression, and opening our eyes to look beyond the expected.
Grades K-5
WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL MAKE OUR ARTS IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS PART OF YOUR CURRICULUM THIS SCHOOL YEAR:
- Parking is free and easy.
- Playhouse staff greets your bus and escorts your group to their seats. We also dismiss one group at a time and walk you back to your buses right outside the Playhouse doors.
- Our shows are one hour in length and usually allow for a short talk back with cast members.
- The Playhouse is handicapped accessible, and we are happy to make arrangements for all of your students’ special needs.
- Our 500-seat performing arts center is intimate, has easy access to restrooms and not a bad seat in the house!
- Free study guides are emailed to each school to help prepare students for the show and to offer follow up activities back in the classroom.
Do not hesitate to call with any questions or concerns you may have.
Looking for a bus company? Ally Charter Bus offers private group transportation to the Ridgefield Playhouse for educational groups.
WE EXPRESS OUR SINCERE GRATITUDE TO THE FOLLOWING DONORS FOR SUPPORTING THE LEIR FOUNDATION ARTS FOR EVERYONE PROGRAM AND THE ARTS IN EDUCATION SERIES:
SPONSORS: The Leir Foundation, 7th Annual Bernie Williams Day, The George Link Jr. Charitable Trust, Ridgefield Thrift Shop, Barbara Benton Davis Fund at Fairfield County Community Foundation, The Box of Rain Foundation, Pitney Bowes Foundation, Fairfield County Bank, Anita & Nick Donofrio, Daniela Sikora & Keitha Kinne, Allison & Jon Stockel
WITH ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FROM: AAA Northeast, Christine & Ron Agard, Lauren & Carl Bailey, The Barker Welfare Foundation, Matt Bartelme & Kelly Moriarity, Jackie & Bill Bishop, Kimberly & Chris Bishop, Madeline & Kent Calhoun, Ann & Steve Carlson, Jeannine & Thomas Carr, Martha & Dick Cavett, Diane & Anthony Dalessio, Deborah & Dan De Clercq, Eric Diefenbach & James Keith Brown, Elizabeth Murray Ellis, Emerson Charitable Trust on behalf of Branson Ultrasonics, Enterprise Holdings, Darlina & Michael Fleitz, Liz & Steven Goldstone, Sameena & Peter Groves, Carolyn & Jon Hageman, Lillian Kraemer, George Landegger & Isabelle Bellis, Rebecca & Stephen Mucchetti, Sr., Annie Mulgrew & Brock Emmetsberger, M&T Bank, Macy’s, Peggy & Rudy Marconi, Robert Markumas, The Meek Foundation, Carol & Thomas Newman, Darlene & Paul Ottolini, Cheryl Patterson-Zaic & Gregory Zaic, The Perlmutter Family Foundation, Peggy Reed & Patti Fernandes, Meredith & Eric Reuben, Ridgefield Playhouse Board of Directors, Savings Bank of Danbury, Katy Schermann, Paul Shaffer, Charlotte & Kameron Shahid, Lisa & Alan Smith, Rachel & Joe Sondheimer, Beth Walters-Storyk & John Storyk, Dianne & Tom Thulin, Union Savings Bank and Wendy & Stephen Wooters