Students attend a matinee of an MTC production after intensive classroom preparation. Four workshops with MTC teaching artists supported by classroom teachers enrich students’ experiences at the performance. Students discuss the play, do improvisations on its themes, perform key excerpts, and write scenes of their own. This work provides specific insights into the plays being studied and deepens the students’ understanding of theatre in general.

• Lights Up! reached 1,572 high school students during the 2023-24 school year.
• “I loved the way the students reflected, wrote, and created… [Our teaching artist] was phenomenal in engaging the students, motivating them, and directing their ideas. We loved the quality of the production and the workshops!” – Teacher, High Tech High School
• “[This whole experience] really motivated me to open my eyes to all the possibilities, not just in a play, but in life, too.” – Student, High School for Fashion Industries
• “The work we did in class was fun and interactive. It helped me build a better understanding of playwriting and build a better connection with my classmates. As well as that, the production [Poor Yella Rednecks by Qui Nguyen] was very touching to me as my family is also refugees from Vietnam. I even brought them to go see the show again.” – Student, Brooklyn Technical High School

Are you a New York City area high school educator interested in learning more about our Lights Up! program? Please click here to complete an interest form and a member of the MTC Education team will be in touch with you.

High schools anywhere can bring Broadway to their classroom at no cost! The Lights Up! Library unit of study includes National Core Arts Standards-aligned classroom activities and one month’s access to performance recordings of selected productions from the MTC archives. Click here to learn about available productions and register.

Students in geographically disparate communities collaborate on a playwriting and production project via the internet. Classes at each site write an original play based on an MTC production; their play is then produced by students at a partner school. Using distance-learning technologies, students confer with MTC teaching artists, study the MTC play, and communicate with their partner school. The work culminates in a presentation of the plays via video conference.

TheatreLink teachers are required to participate in a professional development conference in the fall. The TheatreLink semester runs from January-May.

• Since 1997, over 6,000 students have participated in TheatreLink.
• 369 student written plays have been developed through TheatreLink.
• “I was surprised by the way… our creative visions really aligned, which was cool to see considering the physical distance between us.” – Student, Springfield High School (Oregon)
• “I always find it interesting when we receive plays from schools in different states or countries because it enables us to get an insight into the lives and cultures of other students. Their way of speaking and how different it is from ours is always interesting to see…They also have different life experiences, which they are able to communicate through the plays they write.” – Student, Spotswood High School (New Jersey)
• “My students love this program for the interaction with the other schools. I love the program because it covers reading/analyzing of a script, creating an original script, and producing an original script all in one semester.” – Teacher, Collierville High School (Tennessee)
• “Teaching English as a foreign language, I found that my students managed to cultivate and develop their language skills in a setting which is truly unique… English jumped out of the pages for them, and they learnt to use it as a means to come to an understanding of a play.” – Teacher, Anatolia College (Greece)

Are you a high school educator outside of the Connecticut-New York-New Jersey tri-state area interested in learning more about our TheatreLink program? Please click here to complete an interest form and a member of the MTC Education team will be in touch with you.

Students develop original scripts inspired by the Manhattan Theatre Club production they have studied and attended. A team of professional actors, directors, and the classroom teacher supervises the writing and revision process; the project culminates in a performance of the students’ work by the professional actors.

• Write on the Edge served 308 high school and high school equivalency students during the 2023-24 school year.
• “My students were given the confidence to see themselves as writers. They became committed to their “vision” and their ownership of the creative work. [They grew] as people, creatives, and theatre lovers. Thank you for providing such an empowering space for them.” – Teacher, Memorial High School
• “The only term I could use to describe it is ‘eye-opening.’ It taught me the power that story building and human emotion have when combined with each other.” – Student, Judith S. Kaye High School Manhattan
• “When I was writing the play I never imagined I was going to love it this much. The actors’ performance… was much better than I thought it would be. It was an amazing experience.” – Student, Abraham Lincoln Young Adult Borough Center

Are you a New York City area high school educator interested in learning more about our Write on the Edge program? Please click here to complete an interest form and a member of the MTC Education team will be in touch with you.