Student Matinees
Supported by the Arthur M. and Martha R. Pappas Foundation
Throughout the school year, the theatre presents an assortment of field trip opportunities.
STUDENT MATINEES
Scroll down to view the 2024-2025 Student Matinee Series!
For More Information, Contact:
Kim Pheymannicie, School Programs Manager
[email protected] or 508.471.1765
THE
CRUCIBLE
Presented by THT Repertory
Date: Fridays: September 19, September 27 and October 4, 2024
Time: 10 AM
Cost: $15
Run Time: approximately 3 hours with a 15 minute intermission; we invite school groups to eat their lunches in the theatre during intermission.
Recommended Grades: Grades 7 – 12
Location: The BrickBox Theater, 20 Franklin Street, Worcester, MA
Among the greatest American plays ever written, The Crucible is a gripping drama set in Salem, MA., during the infamous witch trials of the late 1600s. The story follows John Proctor, a young farmer whose affair with former servant Abigail Williams incites a chain of events that lead to mass hysteria. As fear and paranoia consume the town, innocent people are convicted of witchcraft and sentenced to death. Ultimately, Proctor must confront his own integrity and decide whether to sacrifice himself for the greater good. Set in Salem jail, this fully-realized production builds on THT Rep’s 2023 experimental staged reading, featuring an all-female cast.
Applicable Standards: ELA: RL.1-10
History/Civics: 8.T4.3, 8.T4.7, 8.T4.10
ELA Book Connections: The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Resources Available:
- Teacher Resource Guide
- Optional Talk-Back after the performance
EDGAR ALLAN POE DOUBLE HEADER
Presented by THT Repertory
Date: Wednesday, October 30-Friday, November 1, 2024
Time: 10 AM
Cost: $15
Run Time: 60 minutes
Recommended Grades: Grades 6 – 12
Location: The BrickBox Theater, 20 Franklin Street, Worcester, MA
This Edgar Allan Poe Double Header features two of Poe’s most famous stories, “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Cask of Amontillado.” Staged as a séance, viewers will conjure the narrators of Poe’s stories to “visit” through the medium of a single live performer, Livy Scanlon.
Applicable Standards: ELA: RL.2-7, RI. 4-7, W.1, SL.1
ELA Book Connections: The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe
Resources Available:
- Teacher Resource Guide
- Optional Talk-Back after the performance
A
CHRISTMAS CAROL
Presented by The Hanover Theatre
Dates: December 17, 18 and 19
Time: 10 AM
Cost: $17
Run Time: 120 minutes
Recommended Grades: Grades 4 – 12
Location: The Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester, MA
Adapted by president and CEO Troy Siebels and featuring the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ, our annual production returns to the main stage with timeless music, colorful costumes and spectacular lighting and scenery. New and returning cast members tell the tale of curmudgeonly miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, who is visited by the Spirits of Christmases Past, Present and Yet to Come.
Applicable Standards: ELA: RL.1-3, RL.6, RI.1-4, W.1, W.2, W.4, W.5, SL.1-4
History and Social Science: WHII.T1.2, WHII.T2.2
SEL: CASEL 5- Social Awareness, Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Responsible Decision-Making, Relationship Skills
ELA Book Connection: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Resources Available:
- Teacher Resource Guide
- Optional Talk-Back after the performance
THE WINTER'S TALE
Presented by The Hanover Theatre Conservatory’s Youth Acting Company
Date: Monday, February 24, 2025
Time: 10 AM
Cost: $15
Run Time: TBD
Recommended Grades: Grades 8-12
Location: The BrickBox Theater 20 Franklin St, Worcester, MA
King Leontes of Sicilia falsely accuses his wife, Hermione, of infidelity with his best friend, the King of Bohemia. Inflamed by jealousy and convinced that he is right, Leontes’ torment causes a storm of loss that only the next generation can heal. Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale is a captivating parable of betrayals, renewed hope, and the transformative power of time and love.
Applicable Standards: RL.1-7, RL.9, SL.1, SL.3, SL.4, SL.6, L.1, L.3-6
ELA Book Connection: The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare
Resources Available:
- Teacher Resource Guide
- Optional Talk-Back after the performance
BLACK ANGELS OVER TUSKEGEE
Presented by Layon Gray Enterprises
Date: Thursday, February 27, 2025
Time: 10 AM
Cost: $15
Run Time: 50 minutes
Recommended Grades: Grades 7-12
Location: The Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester, MA
Black Angels Over Tuskegee is a story told in narrative of six men embarking on a journey to become pilots in the United States Army Air Forces. The play explores their collective struggle with Jim Crow; challenging their intelligence, patriotism, brotherhood, and dreams of an inclusive and fair society. The play goes beyond the headlines of popular stories and reveals the heart and soul of the Tuskegee Airmen who exhibited courage to excel, in spite of all the overwhelming odds against them.
Applicable Standards: History: 5.T5.7, 5.T5.8, USI.T5.7, USI.T7.4, USII.T3.3, USII.T3.8f, WHII.T4.15
Resources Available:
- Teacher Resource Guide
- Optional Talk-Back after the performance
THE STORIES OF HANSEL AND GRETEL & PETER AND THE WOLF
Presented by The Hanover Theatre Conservatory’s Youth Ballet Company
Date: Thursday, March 6, 2025
Time: 10:30 AM
Cost: $12
Run Time: 80 minutes
Recommended Grades: PreK – 4
Location: The Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester, MA
Music and dance are woven together for an enhanced arts experience for the entire family. These well-known fairy tales are told through ballet and bring the story book pages to the grand stage. Come see this irresistible adaptation of classics that continues to delight through music and dance.
Applicable Standards: ELA: SL.2, SL.4, SL.5
Science: PreK-LS2-2(MA), K-LS1-1, 2-LS2-3(MA), 3-LS1-1, 3-LS4-3, 3-LS4-4, 5-LS2-1
Music: PK-K.M.P.04, 3-4.M.R.07, 5-6.M.R.07
Theatre and Dance: PK-K.D.R.08, PK-K.D.R.09, 1-2.D.P.04 , 1-2.D.R.07, 1-2.D.Co.10, 1-2.T.Cr.03.a, 5-6.D.R.07, 1-2.T.Co.10
SEL: CASEL-Social Awareness
ELA Book Connection: Hansel and Gretel by the Brothers Grimm, Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev and Janet Schulman
Resources Available:
- Teacher Resource Guide
- Optional Talk-Back after the performance
THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS: LOST IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM
Presented by TheatreWorks USA
Date: Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Time: 10:30am
Cost: $15
Run Time: 60 minutes
Recommended Grades: K-5
Location: The Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester, MA
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.
Applicable Standards: ELA: RI.1-10, SL.1-6
Science: PreK-ESS1-1(MA), PreK-ESS1-2(MA), 1-ESS1-1, 5-ESS1-1, 5-ESS1-2
ELA Book Connection: The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System by Joanna Cole
Resources Available:
- Teacher Resource Guide
- Optional Talk-Back after the performance
PETE
THE CAT
Presented by TheatreWorks USA
Date: Thursday, April 3, 2025
Time: 10:30AM
Cost: $15
Run Time: 50 minutes
Recommended Grades: PreK-3
Location: The Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester, MA
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!
Applicable Standards: ELA: RL.1-10
SEL: SEL5-11
ELA Book Connection: Pete the Cat Book Series by James Dean and Kimberly Dean
Resources Available:
- Teacher Resource Guide
- Optional Talk-Back after the performance
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
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Presented by THT Rep
Date: April 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 2025
Time: 10:00am
Cost: $15
Run Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Recommended Grades: 7-12
Location: The Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester, MA
A delightful romp, Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing follows the tangled affairs of Benedick and Beatrice, two fiercely independent souls engaged in a battle of wits, and the sweet courtship of Claudio and Hero, whose young love is threatened by jealousy and deception. This sharp-tongued comedy proves that, sometimes, the biggest fuss is made over absolutely nothing at all.
Applicable Standards: RL.1-7, RL.9, SL.1, SL.3, SL.4, SL.6, L.1, L.3-6
ELA Book Connection: Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
Resources Available:
- Teacher Resource Guide
- Optional Talkback after the performance
MOMIX: ALICE
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Presented by MOMIX
Date: Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Time: 10:00am Cost: $15
Run Time: 55 minutes
Recommended Grades: 4-12
Location: The Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester, MA
Seamlessly blending illusion, acrobatics, magic, and whimsy, MOMIX sends audiences flying down the rabbit hole in Moses Pendleton’s newest creation, ALICE, inspired by Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice in Wonderland. Join this dazzling company on a mind-bending adventure, as Alice encounters time-honored characters including the undulating Caterpillar, a lobster quadrille, frenzied White Rabbits, a mad Queen of Hearts, and a variety of other surprises.
Applicable Standards: RL.1-10
ELA Book Connection: Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
Resources Available:
- Teacher Resource Guide
- Optional Talkback after the performance
DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS! THE MUSICAL!
Presented by TheatreWorks USA
Date: Thursday, May 1, 2025
Time: 10:30am
Cost: $15
Run Time: 60 minutes
Recommended Grades: PreK-2
Location: The Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester, MA
Whatever you do, don’t let the Pigeon star in his own musical production! With a script written by Mo Willems, the creator of the #1 New York Times best-selling, Caldecott Honor award-winning “Pigeon” picture books, and featuring music by Deborah Wicks La Puma (Elephant & Piggie’s We Are in a Play!), TheaterWorksUSA‘s Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! The Musical! is even more fun than staying up late and having a hot dog party!
It’s not easy being the Pigeon-you never get to do ANYTHING! But when the Bus Driver has a crisis that threatens to make her passengers (gasp!) late, maybe that wily bird CAN do something. Featuring an innovative mix of songs, and feathers, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! The Musical! is sure to get everyone’s wings flapping.
Applicable Standards: ELA: RL.1-10
SEL: SEL5-11
ELA Book Connection: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems
Resources Available:
- Teacher Resource Guide
- Optional Talkback after the performance
ADA TWIST, SCIENTIST & FRIENDS
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Presented by TheatreWorks USA
Date: Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Time: 10:30AM
Cost: $15
Run Time: 60 minutes
Recommended Grades: K-4
Location: The Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester, MA
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 lead her to solve any problem.
A fun musical based on the books Rosie Revere, Engineer; Iggy Peck, Architect; and Ada Twist Scientist by Andrea Beaty, which spotlights the STEM curriculum (focusing on science, technology, engineering and math).
Applicable Standards: ELA: RI.1-10, SL.1-6
Science: K-PS2-1, 1.K-2-ETS1-1, 1.K-2-ETS1-2, 2-PS1-1, 2-PS1-2, 2.K-2-ETS1-3, 3.3-5-ETS1-1, 3.3-5-ETS1-2, 3.3-5-ETS1-4, 4.3-5-ETS1-3, 4.3-5-ETS1-5
ELA Book Connection: Ada Twist, Scientist, Rosie Revere, Engineer, and Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty
Resources Available:
- Teacher Resource Guide
- Optional Talkback after the performance
Please check back regularly as we update our season of field trip offerings.
For More Information, Contact:
Kim Pheymannicie, School Programs Manager
[email protected] or 508.471.1765
Give your students access to the arts.
For More Information, contact [email protected]