AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS
Traveling Theatre has developed a series of after school programs for children in grades K-12 that build their academic and artistic skills while servicing their social and emotional needs. In collaboration with the Providence After School Alliance (PASA), Traveling Theatre has been able to run these programs in public schools throughout Rhode Island. Below is a “menu” of workshops that are available for schools to choose from. Most of them meet twice a week and culminate in a performance for family and friends. They are separated into five focus areas: Theatre/Performance, Dance, Visual Arts, Vocational, and Film.
Theatre/Performance
Drama Games and More! (Grades K-2) – What could be more fun than playing games? Youth in this program will learn and practice basic theatre skills through modified exercises that many professional actors use to warm-up and focus. Games build skills in movement, characterization, voice, improvisation, and pantomime.
Stage Sprouts (Grades K-2) – This program is geared toward emergent readers, as it lets them journey into stories and poems such as those by Dr. Seuss. This enrichment program lets kids develop interest in the fine arts while promoting literacy, creative and critical thinking, and age-appropriate social-emotional development, approaches to learning, and multicultural viewpoints.
Books Alive (Grades 3-5) – In one of our most popular programs, children literally make a book come alive, turning popular stories such as “Where the Wild Things Are” into performances. Youth in this program will have tons of fun using their imaginations as they build important theatre, communication, and literacy skills.
Poetry Jam (Grades 3-5) – “Draw a crazy picture, write a nutty poem, sing a mumble gumble song, whistle through your comb. Do a loony-goony dance ‘cross your kitchen floor, put something silly in the world that ain’t been there before.” Shel Silverstein isn’t the only great poet in the world! Kids work together and discover a new way to send their own words out into the world.
Young Actor’s Playground (Grades 3-5) – What happens when “Once Upon A Time” meets “Wonderland?” Join Alice, Prince Charming, the Wicked Queen, the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, and the princesses and dragons of fairytale land in the world of make-believe to tell their stories through song and dance.
Teen Actor’s Playground (Grades 6-12) – Calling all wild and crazy imaginations! We want you to be our actors, dancers, poets, costume designers, directors, writers, and musicians at our Playground!
Acting 101 (Grades 6-12) – This class offers a broad overview of basic acting skills, as youth are introduced to pantomime, movement, improvisation, voice, articulation and acceptance. The session concludes with a performance using previously scripted materials, such as "Alice," "The Note," and "Birmingham Jail."
The Art of Improv (Grades 6-12) – Inspired by the concepts of “thinking on your feet” and “Who’s Line is it Anyway?” students explore basic acting skills with a stronger focus on improvisation and voice.
If You Really Knew Me, Would You Still Like Me? (Grades 6-12) – This unique enrichment program interconnects disciplines for students surround the idea of identity. During their experience, students are given the opportunity to act as professional writers, social researchers, actors, stage managers, and critics while increasing their empathy for each other and the realization that all humans, despite their vast array of differences, have the same essential fears, hopes, and dreams.
Walk a Mile in Somebody Else’s Shoes (Grades 6-12) – Who am I? How did I get here? How did my great-great-great-grandparents live? Why America? All these questions and more are explored during this program while students simultaneously learn about basic acting skills. The end result: a student-created performance piece about how the past affected their present and how their present will affect the future.
Performance & Society (Grades 6-12) – Students participating in this program receive instruction in basic theatre skills while investigating and discussing social ills and how their lives are affected. The program concludes with a student-developed performance piece which provides them with an opportunity to speak to and be heard by the community in which they live.
Standing Room Only Musical Review (Grades 6-12) – A show stopper for sure! Take a trip down the “Great White Way” in this program, where youth will learn to sing and perform some of the greatest Broadway hits of our time.
Slam (Grades 6-12) – Can you kick a rhyme? Do lyrics live in your head? Do you have something to say to the world and want to know how you can make them listen? Come and learn one of the greatest arts, Spoken Word, born out the Harlem Renaissance, Jazz, and the tradition of oral story telling that eventually emerged into what we know of as modern freestyle rap. Come kick it with us at Slam!
Stage Craft (Grades 6-12) – The techies – no great show is ever complete without them. Techies are jacks-of-all-trade and masters of everything backstage, including set design, scenery, costumes, props, lights, and sound. Join the crew to create, design, and run the behind-the-scenes aspects of the “End of Session Celebrations.”
Theatre Fusion (Grades 6-12) – Bet you never knew so much went on when it comes to creating live art! Come work with professional theatre and visual artists to stage a short scene or play. Practice your acting chops while you try your hand at directing!
Dance
Creative Movement (Grades K-2) – Did you knew that your body has a voice? Come dance, move, and use your energy! Play and learn through games and activities where you will have the change to use your imagination to create a performance that does not use words to tell a story.
Dance…Dance…Dance (Grades 3-5) – Put on your dancing shoes and join us for a hand clappin,’ hip shakin,’ toe tappin’ time!
Visual Arts
Picasso’s Playground (Grades K-2) – Come and explore the creative worlds of painting, sketching, block printing, and sculpting, to name a few. This will probably be messy, and it will definitely be fun!
Puppet Theatre and Folktales (Grades 3-5) – This program combines visual arts and storytelling as youth create and design their own puppets to bring to life classic folk-tales.
Da Vinci’s Apprentice (Grades 6-12) – Did you know that the person who painted the Mona Lisa also designed the first helicopter and parachute? What can you do with your own creative ideas? Become a modern-day renaissance wonder in this program.
Vocational
Woodworking 101 (Grades 6-12) –Do you like working with your hands? Got a vision? This is not your ordinary shop class. Imagine, design, measure, cut, and assemble plastic, wood, or metal – when kids do projects their creativity is flowing every step of the way.
Handy Kids Go Green (Grades 6-12) – Going green is about more than changing a few light bulbs. Learn how to do basic household repairs in an eco-friendly way, utilizing hand and power tools, recycled materials, problem solving skills, and more!
Young Inventors (Grades 6-12) – Do you have a big idea? Ever wanted to start your own business? In this program, students learn to design, create, test, and market their own product that will be used to better the world.
Film
Youth Film Institute (Grades 6-12) – Lights…camera…action! Youth filmmakers learn to write, star in, direct, and produce their very own film alongside professional actors and directors.
