The Acting Company reaches over 25,000 students per year through its celebrated education programs, which include student matinees, teacher resource guides, workshops and master classes, our website, and our Literacy Through Theater residency program.

For nearly 30 years, The Acting Company has employed the most promising young actors in the American theater, who have played in a wide variety of classic plays for student audiences across the country. Acting Company Alumni include Frances Conroy, Keith David, Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Jesse L. Martin, David Ogden Stiers and Jeffrey Wright.  Our tradition of bringing America’s best young actors to student audiences continues through our Student Matinees.

Our 2001-2002 National Tour features Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, directed by Eve Shapiro, and an adaptation of Mark Twain’s novel Pudd’nhead Wilson adapted by Charles Smith, directed by Walter Dallas, Artistic Director of Freedom Theatre in Philadelphia.

The Acting Company is also offering a one-hour long workshop production of Shakespeare's Othello, specifically designed for the classroom, as part of the Bob Hope Student Workshop Series.  The Acting Company’s Othello, which uses minimal sets, costumes, and a cast of four actors, focuses on the language of the play.  This production encourages students to use their imaginations and to let the magic of the theater transport them.  It is designed as an introduction to Shakespeare for young audience members (especially 5^th to 8^th Grade students) who may have never before seen one of his plays. 

We are pleased to offer Teacher Resource Guides for all The Acting Company's productions (as well as for plays from past seasons), which include ready to use drama-based exercises for classroom teachers and their students.  These are available for download via Adobe Acrobat.

Master Classes in classical theater are taught by our highly-trained touring Company.   The talented young actors lead students in explorations of Shakespearean texts, stage combat, mask work, and the basic techniques of acting.  We also have Workshops which can introduce students to our productions of Shakespeare’s Shrew and Twain’s Pudd’nhead. The workshops are suitable for high school and college level students and can be tailored to the individual needs of a class in consultation with our Education Department. 

Our Literacy Through Theater residency program is a week-long, intensive exploration of one play.  Teaching Artists spend up to five days working in a school, teaching a hands-on curriculum related to a play in The Acting Company's repertoire. At the end of the week, students attend the play, meet and share ideas with the actors in the company.

This residency program is a cross-curricular drama-based exploration of language, visual art, music, design, and acting.  The Teaching Artists use a variety of teaching techniques, modeling new teaching techniques for the classroom teacher and leading the students through experiential learning at its best.

For further information about any of our programs or to inquire
about booking a Literacy Through Theater residency,
please contact Paul Michael Fontana or Stephen Aleman
in The Acting Company’s Education Department
by phone at 212.944.5517 or by E-mail.