Inside Hartford Stage Education
Part One
By Erin Frederick, Education Enrollment and Marketing Coordinator
The Education Department at Hartford Stage serves approximately 20,000 students each year – more than any other theatre in Connecticut. Our programs include student matinees, in-school theatre residencies, teen performance opportunities, theatre classes for ages 3 through adult, afterschool programs and professional development courses.
The Education Department’s vision is expressed in four points:
- We are committed to developing a new audience of theatre-goers by offering opportunities for students of all ages and backgrounds to see and engage with productions at Hartford Stage.
- We are enthusiastic about nurturing the next generation of artists by providing training and performance opportunities for young people and adults.
- We are devoted to being a leader in providing in-school, theatre-based programs to address the disparity of arts access and literacy in our community and to promote creativity, collaboration, communication and critical thinking, all 21st century skills that will help prepare students for the world and workforce of the future.
- Dedicated to serving students of all abilities, ages, backgrounds, ethnic and racial groups, and socioeconomic levels, creating an audience that reflects the diversity of our community, increasing the diversity of future theatre audiences, and ensuring that students with little or no access to theatre have access to Hartford Stage.
In the next four issues of Stagenotes, we will take a closer look at each one of these points. We will interview students and teachers, take a behind-the-scenes look at educational programs, and explore the ways in which Hartford Stage impacts its students by instilling confidence, creativity, and a sense of community.
