Arts in Education
The Ridgefield Playhouse Arts in Education 20th Anniversary Season!
2023/2024 ARTS IN EDUCATION PROGRAM AT THE RIDGEFIELD PLAYHOUSE
IT IS NEVER TOO EARLY TO HOLD SEATS AS OUR SHOWS SELL OUT EARLY!
Please reach out to Jodi Simon Stewart at artsed@nullridgefieldplayhouse.org
to review study guides and hold seats.
Mister C Live! Air is Everywhere
Are you ready for some hair-raising science, toe-tapping music and mind-blowing media? Join Mister C for an amazing day of learning in the lab! As the creator and host of the regional Emmy nominated show Full STEAM Ahead, Mister C is no stranger to finding exciting and engaging ways to explore STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) in our everyday lives.
Grades 3-8
Pete the Cat’s Big Hollywood Adventure
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
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
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 poetr
Grades 5-12
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
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
We hope that you will make our Arts in Education programs part of your curriculum next year:
- For in person shows at The Ridgefield Playhouse, tickets are $10 each and for every 20 tickets purchased, you get one for free!
- For virtual options, email Jodi Simon Stewart at artsed@ridgefieldplayhouse.org for an affordable quote based on the amount of students watching.
- 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.
IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY TO BOOK YOUR SEATS! NUMBERS CAN BE APPROXIMATE AND NO PAYMENT DUE UNTIL ONE MONTH BEFORE YOUR SHOW.
REFUND/CANCELLATION POLICY:
Please note that once seats are confirmed and invoices paid, there are no refunds except in cases of inclement weather. We do not refund for student absences as the seats have been held for you and cannot be re-sold by that time. In cases of school delays or cancellations, we do our best to re-schedule the show or move a group into another show but we will provide a refund if no alternate plan can be made.
Email Jodi Simon Stewart at ARTSED@RIDGEFIELDPLAYHOUSE.ORG or call her at 203.917.9226 for assistance and to make your reservation. Do not hesitate to call with any questions or concerns you may have.
TITLE 1 SCHOOLS CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR SPECIAL GRANT-FUNDED ARTS FOR EVERYONE PROGRAMS:
- Funding from our Art for Everyone program enables us to work with Title 1 schools in the area to bring them to The Playhouse free of charge.
- In some cases, we provide free tickets and/or free buses.
- With some funding, we can send our Arts in Education Coordinator, who is also a certified teacher, into the classroom to help prepare the students for the show with a pre-show workshop.
IF YOU ARE A TITLE 1 SCHOOL AND WANT TO START A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PLAYHOUSE, PLEASE EMAIL JODI SIMON STEWART AT ARTSED@RIDGEFIELDPLAYHOUSE.ORG.
*PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE OPPORTUNITIES ARE BASED ON WHAT FUNDING AND GRANTS THE PLAYHOUSE IS AWARDED EACH YEAR.
ALLY CHARTER BUS Ally Charter Bus offers private group transportation to the Ridgefield Playhouse for educational groups. Call them at 203-653-2233 for more information on their charter bus service.
We are Grateful for the Support of our Arts for Everyone and Arts In Education Sponsors:
The Leir Foundation, The George Link, Jr. Charitable Trust, Pitney Bowes Foundation, Barbara Benton Davis Fund – Fairfield County Community Foundation, Fairfield County Bank, Ridgefield Thrift Shop, The Box of Rain Foundation, Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation
We support from:
Union Savings Bank, Eric Diefenbach & James Keith Brown, Branson Ultrasonics / Emerson Charitable Trust, Christina & Robert DiTullio, Lisa & Alan Smith, Macy’s, The Barker Welfare Foundation, Enterprise Holdings Foundation, Rachel & Joe, Sondheimer, AAA Northeast, Liz & Steven Goldstone, Perlmutter Family Foundation, Savings Bank of Danbury, The Meek Foundation
Free study guides are included to help prepare students for the show and to offer follow up activities in the classroom.
We hope you will make our Arts in Education programs part of your curriculum this year!
Jodi Simon Stewart
Arts in Education Director
artsed@ridgefieldplayhouse.org
203-917-9226 mobile
