Student Matinees and Field Trips
Throughout the school year, the theatre presents an assortment of field trip opportunities.
NEW: STEAM WORKSHOPS
New this year, we are also offering a variety of STEAM Workshops focused on arts integration.
STUDENT MATINEES
For the 2022-2023 school year, the theatre will be presenting an assortment of in-person student matinees for all age groups. After more than a decade of successful school partnerships, we are eager to continue our connection with the students and schools of central Massachusetts and beyond.
Study Guides are also available for all or most shows to help both students and educators prepare for what they will be seeing on stage. These guides contain background material on the show and include educational activities to enhance the classroom experience before entering the theatre.
Scroll down to view the 2022-2023 Student Matinee Series!
Please check back regularly as we update our season of field trip offerings.
For More Information, Contact:
education@thehanovertheatre.org
Upcoming productions
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Presented by The Hanover Theatre
Dates: Tuesday, December 20 – Thursday, December 22, 2022
Time: 10am
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 a flying Marley and the Spirits of Christmases Past, Present and Yet to Come.
Applicable Standards: ELA: RL.2, RL.6, RI.1-4, W.1, W.2, W.4, W.5, SL.1-4
History and Social Science: WHII.T2-4
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
AFRICAN FOLKTALES
Presented by Bright Star
Date: Friday, February 17, 2023 – Limited Seating Available
Time: 10:30am & 12:00pm
Cost: $15
Run Time: 45 minutes
Recommended Grades: PreK-5
Location: The BrickBox Theater, 20 Franklin Street, Worcester, MA
From the desert lands of the Sahara to the plains of the Serengeti to Mount Kilimanjaro and beyond – join a variety of characters from a wide range of cultures in stories that celebrate the various folk tale traditions of the continent of Africa. African music helps to set the stage for these energetic stories. Our stories include Anansi, porquoi tales and many facts and figures about this incredible continent.
Applicable Standards: ELA: RL.1, RL.3, 1.RI2, 2.RL.2, 3.RL.2, SL.1-6
History and Social Science: PreK.T1.1-3, PreK.T1.4, PreK.T2.1-2, PreK.T3.3, PreK.T4.2, K.T1.3, K.T2.1, K.T2.2, K.T3.2, 1.T1.1, 1.T1.4, 1.T1.10, 1.T2.1, 1.T2.4, 1.T2.5, 2.T1.1, 2.T2.1, 2.T2.2-4, 2.T3.4
SEL: Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, Responsible Decision-Making
ELA Book Connection: Various Anansi Stories or Anansi and the Golden Pot by Taiye Selasi
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, in collaboration with WCMS
Date: Monday, March 6, 2023
Time: 10:30am
Cost: $12
Run Time: 80 minutes
Recommended Grades: PreK – 4
Location: The Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester, MA
The Hanover Theatre Conservatory Youth Ballet Company joins Worcester Chamber Music Society musicians on stage for the stories of Hansel & Gretel and Peter & the Wolf. 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, RL.2, RL.3, RL.5
Science: PreK-LS2-2(MA), K-LS1-1, 2-LS2-3(MA), 3-LS1-1, 3-LS4-3, 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 – SOLD OUT
Presented by TheatreWorks USA
Date: Thursday, April 6, 2023
Time: 10:30am
Cost: $15
Run Time: 60 minutes
Recommended Grades: K-4
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: RL.1, RL.3, RL.5, RL.6, RI.3, RI.6, SL.1-6
Science: PreK-ESS1-1(MA), PreK-ESS1-2(MA), 1-ESS1-1, 5-ESS1-2
SEL:Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Responsible Decision-Making, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills
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
THE POUT-POUT FISH
Presented by TheatreWorks USA
Date: Friday, May 5, 2023
Time: 10:30am
Cost: $15
Run Time: 50 minutes
Recommended Grades: PreK-2
Location: The Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester, MA
Turn the poutiest of frowns upside down in this new musical featuring whimsical puppets and live performers in a sweeping oceanic adventure. When Mr. Fish sets out on a quest to find Miss Clam’s missing pearl, he discovers there is more to him than his permanently plastered pout. This colorful adaptation of The New York Times bestseller is co-conceived, directed, and designed by the acclaimed puppeteers of Acheson Walsh Studios, whose work was featured in Broadway’s The King And I, On the Town, and Radio City’s New York Spectacular. Writing team includes New Victory LabWorks Residency recipients Christopher Anselmo, Jared Corak, Matt Acheson, and Fergus Walsh.
Applicable Standards: ELA: RL.1-3, RL.6-10, SL.1-6, L.4, L.6
Science: PreK-ESS2-1(MA), PreK-ESS2-3(MA), PreK-LS1-1(MA), 1-LS1-1, 2-LS2-3(MA), 2-LS4-1
SEL:Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Responsible Decision-Making, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills
ELA Book Connection: The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
Resources Available:
• Teacher Resource Guide
• Optional Talk-Back after the performance
THE LIGHTNING THIEF
Presented by TheatreWorks USA
Date: Wednesday, May 10, 2023 – SOLD OUT
Time: 10am
Cost: $15
Run Time: 60 minutes
Recommended Grades: Grades 2-7
Location: The Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester, MA
Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy’s Greek mythology textbook and into his life. Worse, he’s angered a few of them. Zeus’s master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. Now Percy has ten days to find and return Zeus’s stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief. He must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.
*Adapted from the book The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, based on the Broadway production of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical.
Applicable Standards: ELA: RL.2-7, RL.9, SL.1-4, SL.6, L.3-6
History and Social Sciences: 7.T4b.6, 7.T4b.7b,e
SEL: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Responsible Decision-Making, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills
ELA Book Connection: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Resources Available:
• Teacher Resource Guide
• Optional Talk-Back after the performance
MIDDLE SCHOOL
EDGAR ALLAN POE DOUBLE HEADER
Presented by THT Repertory
Date: Thursday, October 27 2022 – Limited Seating Available
Friday, October 28, 2022 – Limited Seating Available
Time: 10am
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, 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: Tuesday, December 20 – Thursday, December 22, 2022
Time: 10am
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 a flying Marley and the Spirits of Christmases Past, Present and Yet To Come.
Applicable Standards: ELA: RL.2, RL.6, RI.1-4, W.1, W.2, W.4, W.5, SL.1-4
History and Social Science: WHII.T2-4
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 LIGHTNING THIEF
Presented by TheatreWorks USA
Date: Wednesday, May 10, 2023 – SOLD OUT
Time: 10am
Cost: $15
Run Time: 60 minutes
Recommended Grades: Grades 2-6
Location: The Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester, MA
Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy’s Greek mythology textbook and into his life. Worse, he’s angered a few of them. Zeus’s master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. Now Percy has ten days to find and return Zeus’s stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief. He must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.
*Adapted from the book The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, based on the Broadway production of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical.
Applicable Standards: ELA: RL.2-7, RL.9, SL.1-4, SL.6, L.3-6
History and Social Sciences: 7.T4b.6, 7.T4b.7b,e
SEL:Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Responsible Decision-Making, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills
ELA Book Connection: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Resources Available:
• Teacher Resource Guide
• Optional Talk-Back after the performance
HIGH SCHOOL
MACBETH
Presented by THT Repertory
Dates: Thursday, October 6, 2022 – SOLD OUT
Friday, October 14, 2022 – SOLD OUT
Time: 10am
Cost: $15
Run Time: 90 minutes
Recommended Grades: Grades 9 – 12
Location: The BrickBox Theater, 20 Franklin Street, Worcester, MA
Applicable Standards: ELA: RL.1-7, RL.9, SL.1, SL.3, SL.4, SL.6, L.1, L.3-6
SEL: Self-Awareness, Self-Management
ELA Book Connection: Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Resources Available:
• Teacher Resource Guide
• Optional Talk-Back after the performance
Excerpts from Fences
Presented by National Players
Date: Wednesday, October 26, 2022
Time: 10am
Cost: $15
Run Time: TBD
Recommended Grades: Grades 8-12
Location: The Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester, MA
Troy Maxson was a star in the Negro Baseball League, but he was past his prime by the time Jackie Robinson broke the color line in 1947. Now in 1950s Pittsburgh, Troy hauls garbage to provide for his family. When his son Cory wants to play football, Troy worries the same barriers he faced will crush Cory’s dreams, and he’ll crush them first before anyone else does. But Troy’s own mistakes and regrets may be as big a threat to his family’s security as the racism that limited his opportunities. As the past closes in, Troy finds the walls he’s built for protection crumbling. For the first time in its history, National Players takes August Wilson’s most acclaimed drama in his Century Cycle Plays to the stage.
Applicable Standards: ELA: RL.1-7, RL.9, SL.1, SL.3, SL.4, SL.6, L.1, L.3-6
History: USI.T5.7, USI.T7.4, USII.T4.4-6
SEL: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Responsible Decision-Making, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills
ELA Book Connection: Fences by August Wilson
Resources Available:
• Teacher Resource Guide
• Optional Talk-Back after the performance
EDGAR ALLAN POE DOUBLE HEADER
Presented by THT Repertory
Date: Thursday, October 27 2022 – Limited Seating Available
Friday, October 28, 2022 – Limited Seating Available
Time: 10am
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: Tuesday, December 20 – Thursday, December 22, 2022
Time: 10am
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
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