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Teacher Resources

AMERICA PLAYS! Celebrating Great American Stories
A five-year community engagement initiative that celebrates the power great American stories have in our community. Events include reader’s theatre at libraries and bookstores, post-show discussions, pre-show lectures, and special events that relate to the subject matter of the AMERICA PLAYS! production. Students have the opportunity to explore the themes of the play in a variety of interesting and creative ways before seeing the show. All events are free and open to the public.

Artist-in-Residence Program
A more extensive classroom experience in which professional artists from Arizona Theatre Company spend multiple days with your students to delve deeper into the craft of performance and the exploration of dramatic literature. Residencies range from two to five days and allow students the chance to discover and develop specialized techniques, as well as sharpen their critical and analytical skills.

Lesson Plans
A teacher’s resource for engaging lesson plans that help students explore the text of plays and learn about every aspect of the theatre from costume design to playwriting.

Master Classes
This service to Arizona educators allows them to invite ATC teaching artists into their classrooms to teach one-day workshops in areas such as acting, lighting and sound design, make-up design, stage combat, and careers in theatre to both theatre and non-theatre classrooms. Sessions are available at a highly subsidized cost to the school.

Open Doors
A venture to take high school students to a variety of professional performing arts events in Phoenix and Tucson. The students participate in an active discussion with project leaders and present a culminating project to demonstrate their understanding of theatre in their lives. The goal is to glean insights from the young people about what impact the arts has on their lives and to give these students a chance to experience new adventures.

Play Guides
An informative guide, available free of charge for all patrons. The guide covers topics relating to the play, the time period in which the play is set, and the process the play went through to reach production. As an added feature for educators bringing students to see ATC’s student matinees, this guide includes questions for post-show discussion as well as theatre and language-arts related lesson plans for each production.

Student Matinees
One of ATC’s educational offerings most favored by students and teachers. Student matinees for each ATC performance are scheduled at greatly subsidized ticket prices. Each one is followed by a post-performance discussion with cast members and ATC staff, providing students the opportunity to interact with key members of the production team. Free pre-or post-show school visits may also be available.