Student Matinees
Introduce your students to professional world-class theater, with student matinees available for almost every performance and a variety of grade levels.
At Two River Theater, your students will experience high quality, professional productions created by accomplished actors, writers, directors, and designers. The themes of our plays will inspire engaging and relevant discussions for your classrooms, after-school clubs, and groups. Every year, over 2,500 students and teachers from area schools see a show at Two River Theater.
STUDENT MATINEE INFORMATION
- Convenient 10:00 AM performances
- Curriculum Guides to help you integrate our work on stage to your work in the classroom
- A post-show Q & A with the actors
- For $3 more per person, we offer a 9:15 AM Pre-Show Workshop to further engage students with the production they are about to see.
- Add on a Pre-Show Workshop at your school for $125 per class of up to 25 students
Student matinees for A Little Shakespeare begin at 10:30 AM, and pre-show workshops at TRT are not available.
Upcoming Student Matinees:
For more info on our 2023/24 student matinee offerings, email us to ensure that you are on our mailing list: stumats@trtc.org
THE SCARLET LETTER
Grades 9–12
Approx. Run Time: 2hrs
Rechnitz Theater
Hester Prynne dares to strive for a better life for herself and her daughter. Kate Hamill (Pride and Prejudice, Little Women), one of American theater’s most celebrated contemporary playwrights, reimagines Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic tale of courage. This world premiere, directed by Shelley Butler (Beautiful: The Carol King Musical, A Doll’s House Part 2), showcases the strength of a woman who will not let the rules of an unjust society define her.
A LITTLE SHAKESPEARE: LOVE'S LABOURS LOST
Grades 4–12
Approx. Run Time: 90mins
Marion Huber Theater
*Please note performances begin at 10:30 AM
The King of Navarre and his classmates have sworn an oath to hit the books and swear off dating for three years. Can their vow survive the arrival of the brilliant Princess of France and her charming friends? Back for the 11th year as Two River’s most popular education program, A Little Shakespeare presents an abridged version of Shakespeare’s comedy. This raucous celebration of head versus heart is directed and designed by theater professionals, and performed and supported backstage by high school students.
A THOUSAND MAIDS
Grades 9–12
Approx. Run Time: 2hrs
Marion Huber Theater
Cordelia’s stuck. Cordelia needs to design a maid’s costume, but she can’t stop thinking about The Help and Maid in Manhattan and Gone with the Wind and As Good As It Gets and… and… and… How can she find a way to show these women for who they really are? Two River favorite Tony Meneses (The Hombres, Guadalupe in the Guest Room) returns with this world premiere comedy, directed by May Adrales (The Electric Baby, Vietgone).
'HAVE A SEAT' PROGRAM
Have a SEAT (Student / Engagement / Access / Theater), formerly No Seats Empty, is a grant-funded arts-in-education initiative that makes theater accessible to all students by providing free tickets and transportation to under-resourced schools attending student matinee performances, as well as offering them the option to attend every pre-show workshop at Two River Theater for free. Depending on the performance, qualifying schools are eligible to receive up to either 30 or 50 free tickets per school. Additional tickets can be purchased at student matinee ticket prices, if available.
- School is designated as a Priority or Focus School by the NJ Department of Education.
- NSLP Free and Reduced Lunch eligibility percentage of student population is higher than the NJ statewide average of 35.5%.
- Other extenuating inequities may be considered on an individual school basis. Schools that feel they may qualify based on these inequities are encouraged email us at stumats@trtc.org to discuss it further.
FREE VIRTUAL STUDENT MATINEE
Two River’s most popular education program breaks the mold to create something entirely new with Tiny Shakes: Romeo and Juliet, co-directed by Aneesha Kudtarkar and Em Weinstein (A Little Shakespeare: Twelfth Night).