Dozens of nearby schools celebrate the year's end with a trip to the theatre. But this December and January, we partnered with the Phoenixville Area School District to create a new in-class workshop series. In addition to their attendance at Little Red Robin Hood: A Musical Panto, all third grade students in the district participated in a career exploration workshop led by People's Light Company Member Teri Lamm or Susan McKey, along with Education staff Nicole Dvorin and Kathryn Moroney.  

We brought an interactive lesson into each of the classes at Barkley, Manavon, and Schuylkill Elementary Schools – fifteen classrooms and approximately 340 students all together – and invited students to step into the roles of various theatre professionals. Workshop leaders and students identified three distinct career clusters—Makers, Connectors, and Performers—in order to highlight the wide variety of professional roles in the theatre. 

When they divided into committees, students identified themselves as “Makers” to problem-solve design and technical challenges posed in the script, brainstorming their own ideas for how to achieve the magic of the story with real-world materials. As they studied the People’s Light marketing materials and images, they discussed what it takes to be a “Connector” who organizes, publicizes, and then hosts the public for a special event. While exploring what it takes to be a “Performer”, students identified unseen roles like playwright, director, and choreographer while developing their own movement sequence to fit the story. 

In each class, the third graders named their own personal skills and strengths that they're developing in school – ranging from problem-solving, visualizing, cooperating, memorizing, measuring, and more – and made the connection to the work they saw professionals sharing at People’s Light.

“The students LOVED it! I hope we can continue to partner with People’s Light.” - Karen Moore, Manavon Elementary

People's Light leads a variety of tailor-made workshops, including classroom offerings for local districts tied to both school curriculum and People’s Light productions, and workshops for public libraries, scout troops, and other community groups. 

“My students were so excited returning from the Panto. They talked about it throughout the day! People's Light made us feel very prepared going to the show. Their plays are engaging, exciting, and teach academic content in a more theatrical way.” - Samantha Varano, Schuylkill Elementary

Learn more about our full suite of Education offerings here, and if you are interested in partnering with us on a workshop, email us at artsdiscovery@peopleslight.org or call 610.647.1900 ext. 137. 

Education