Student Matinees
Throughout the school year, the theatre presents an assortment of field trip opportunities.
Scroll down to view the 2025-2026 Student Matinee Series!
For More Information, Contact:
Kim Pheymannicie, School Programs Manager
[email protected] or 508.471.1765
EDGAR ALLAN POE DOUBLE HEADER
Presented by THT Repertory
Dates: Tuesday, November 11, 2025
Time: 10 AM
Cost: $15
Run Time: 60 minutes
Recommended Grades: Grades 6 – 12
Location: The Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge St, 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
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CHRISTMAS CAROL
Presented by The Hanover Theatre
Dates: December 17-19, 2025
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
BLACK ANGELS OVER TUSKEGEE
Presented by Layon Gray Enterprises
Date: Thursday, February 10, 2026
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: Wednesday, March 4, 2026
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 10, 2026
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
DR. SEUSS'S CAT IN THE HAT- LIVE ON STAGE!
Presented by Broadway & Beyond Theatricals
Date: Friday, March 13, 2026
Time: 10:30 AM
Cost: $15
Run Time: 60 minutes
Recommended Grades: K-5
Location: The Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester, MA
Step into the world of The Cat in the Hat and experience Dr. Seuss’s timeless classic come to life on stage! With its zany characters, imaginative storytelling, and playful humor, The Cat in the Hat is more than just a children’s book – it’s a cultural phenomenon. Adapted for the stage in 2009 by the National Theatre of Great Britain, this live show stays true to
the original story. Join Sally, her brother, and their over-protective pet Fish as they meet the mischief-making Cat in his iconic red-striped hat on a rainy afternoon. What follows is an afternoon of fun, chaos, and valuable lessons about creativity and imagination.
Applicable Standards:
ELA Book Connection: The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
Resources Available:
• Teacher Resource Guide
• Optional Talk-Back after the performance
THE GIVER
Presented by Literature to Life
Date: Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Time: 10:00am
Cost: $15
Run Time: 60 minutes
Recommended Grades: Grades 5-12
Location: The Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester, MA
At the age of twelve, Jonas, a young boy from a seemingly utopian, futuristic world, is singled out to receive special training from The Giver, who alone holds the memories of the true joys and pain of life. In the process, Jonas is forced to question everything in his ideal world: a world without conflict, poverty, unemployment, divorce, injustice, or inequality.
This Literature to Life Award winner marked the first young adult novel on the Literature to Life roster. Adapted by Elise Thoron, this piece features sixty minutes of solo-performance focusing on the relationship between the young Jonas and his mentor, The Giver. As Jonas trains to become the Receiver of Memories, the buried truth about the world that he was born into becomes hauntingly clear to both Jonas and the audience.
Applicable Standards: ELA: RL.1-10
ELA Book Connection: The Giver by Lois Lowry
Resources Available:
• Teacher Resource Guide
• Optional Talk-Back after the performance
CAT KID COMIC CLUB: THE MUSICAL
Presented by TheatreWorks USA
Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Time: 10:30 AM
Cost: $15
Run Time: 60 minutes
Recommended Grades: Grades 1-5
Location: The Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester, MA
Cat Kid and Molly Pollywog have started an epic club to teach 21 rambunctious baby frogs how to make their own comics! Their fishy father Flippy is overjoyed that his kids will learn to unleash their creativity, but when the frogs’ constant bickering and outrageous imaginations send their comics comically off the rails, Flippy flips out! Will the club survive? Will the frogs ever get along? And will creativity finally save the day? All will be answered in this madcap musical based on Dav Pilkey’s irreverently hilarious book series. This hilarious musical adaptation of Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man spin-off series, Cat Kid Comic Club, is written by Kevin Del Aguila and Brad Alexander – the team that brought you DOG MAN: THE MUSICAL!
Applicable Standards:
ELA Book Connection: Cat Kid Comic Club by Dav Pilkey
Resources Available:
• Teacher Resource Guide
• Optional Talk-Back after the performance
HAMLET
Presented by Shakespeare and Company
Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Time: 10:00am
Cost: $15
Run Time: 90 minutes
Recommended Grades: 7-12 Location: The Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester, MA
One of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, Hamlet tells the story of a man grieving the loss of his father. But when Hamlet’s dead father appears to him one night, he sets Hamlet off on a quest for revenge. Hamlet’s mother has married his uncle, and Hamlet now has reason to believe his uncle is his father’s killer. As Hamlet embeds himself in the spirit of revenge, many others become wrapped up in his plot.
Applicable Standards: RL.1-7, RL.9, SL.1, SL.3, SL.4, SL.6, L.1, L.3-6
ELA Book Connection: Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Resources Available:
• Teacher Resource Guide
• Optional Talk-Back after the performance
CLICK CLACK MOO
REQUEST TICKETS
Presented by TheatreWorks USA
Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Time: 10:30AM
Cost: $15
Run Time: 60 minutes
Recommended Grades: K-4
Location: The Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester, MA
“Cows that type? Hens on strike! Whoever heard of such a thing!” Farmer Brown cries.
When his granddaughter Jenny comes for a visit, Farmer Brown declares the farm a tech-free zone. He takes her laptop in the cold barn with the shivering cows who use her computer to type messages requesting blankets.
“No way,” replies Farmer Brown. “No blankets!”
So the cows go on strike and the chickens join them in solidarity. No blankets? No milk! No eggs!
Will Farmer Brown give in to the animals’ demands? Will Jenny get her computer back? Find out in a hilariously moving musical about negotiation and compromise, based on the Caldecott Honor Book by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin.
Applicable Standards: ELA: RL.1-10
History: K.T1.3, K.T4.2, 1.T1.1-6, 1.T4.5-7, 2.T5.5-7
SEL: SEL5-11
ELA Book Connection: CLICK CLACK MOO Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin
Resources Available:
• Teacher Resource Guide
• Optional Talk-Back after the performance
ADA TWIST, SCIENTIST & FRIENDS
REQUEST TICKETS
Presented by TheatreWorks USA
Date: Tuesday, May 19, 2026
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 Talk-Back after the performance
DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS! THE MUSICAL!
Presented by TheatreWorks USA
Date: Tuesday, May 26, 2026
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 Talk-Back 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]