BEAT Children’s Theatre is very excited to present our first official menu of offerings of In-Class theatre programming. Over the years we have received many requests for in-school programs and have been experimenting with a lot of possibilities . . . and the result is the list below. We are fortunate to have in our community and in our organization, some extraordinary individuals with experience and training in both performing arts and education, making them the ideal instructors for these opportunities. As schools continue to struggle against reduced funding and try to fund performing arts opportunities for their students, BEAT hopes to be a valuable partner for you by providing well structured, affordable options. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions - the more we hear from you, the more we can prepare to provide what you need!
Spotlight (short term / light impact)
These programs are intended to give students a more broad overview of popular topics in theatre, and give them an introduction to the performing arts. Available for K-12.
Cultural Student Performances
Schools are invited to bring a class / classes of students to a live BEAT Children’s Theatre production on a field trip. Tickets are offered at a reduced price of $5 per student (or seat for chaperone). Length of shows varies, but it typically between 75-110 minutes. If you are bringing a class to a BEAT performance as a field trip, we can also enhance that live theatre experience for your students by providing a short, in-school workshop before and/or after the show.
Seating is limited and these programs fill up quickly, so early reservation is encouraged.
In-School Workshop Before show A BEAT instructor will come to your class and offer 30 minutes of pre-show preparation. This will include an introduction to the story and characters, a conversation about what to watch for (such as cool lighting or sound effects), and a bit of general information about live theatre. This is an excellent workshop for young students who have not seen much live theatre before!
$45 for one class of 35 or less $25 for each additional 1-20 students
In-School Workshop After show 45 - 60 min interactive experience. Students often come from a live performance excited by what they have seen and wanting to learn more. This post-show workshop will bring 1-2 BEAT instructor to your class for a 45-60 minute interactive experience. Students will have the opportunity to ask all their questions about the performance they attended and have the chance to try out some show-related theatre games as well.
$55 for one class of 35 students or less $25 for each additional 1-20 students
Mini-Residencies Artist-in-residence program for one to five visits, requiring a team of two BEAT teaching artists and ending with an abbreviated performance. The exact structure of the Mini-Residencies will be worked out with the individual school / class based on timing, ages of students and available funding. The goal of the Mini-Residency is to provide students the opportunity to experience a “beginning to end” theatre program where they will learn all the theatre basics (acting with face, body and voice / storytelling / music) and have the fun of sharing their performance at the end!
$55 for the first hour, $35 each additional hour – for one class of 35 students or less $25 per hour for each additional 1-20 students
Short-Term Workshops
One to three session workshops with a team of two BEAT teaching artists. Short-Term Workshops will use a more focused topic to introduce students to the essentials of performing arts. These may, or may not, end in a performance.
Available Short-Term Workshop Topics
- Shakespeare: An introduction to the work of the Bard. Includes accessible and enjoyable games, scenes, and theatre exercises that bring Shakespeare’s iconic stories to life.
- Curriculum Integration: A Short-Term Workshop can be built around a topic already being studied in a classroom. This allows students to use performing arts to further explore the material.
- Musical Theatre: Sing and dance the class period away with this introduction to musical theatre. Songs and scenes from well-known musical productions ignite a passion for performance in any young actor.
- Presence and Performance (Theater for Middle School Behavior Modification): Theatre games can be used to help bring students’ awareness to their behavior choices. These exercises both introduce students to the world of performing arts and engage them in conversation about behavior and natural consequences.
- Design: Students learn to design set and lighting plots. They practice the mechanics of set painting and prop creation for a show. This can be taught in conjunction with any of the performance-based workshops, so design and performance are student-led.
- Theatre History: An interactive theatre history course that gets students up on their feet and practicing earlier iterations of history including storytelling, greek/roman theatre, commedia dell’arte, Shakespeare, French slapstick-filled farce, and more.
- Bilingual Theatre: BEAT offers dual language performance experiences. Courses are available for Spanish/ English or French/English and will introduce students to the challenges and opportunities of dual language performance. Spoken Word: This workshop introduces students to the power of the words we choose, and all the ways in which the meaning of words is affected by the way they are delivered. Students will begin with pre-selected words and then work with words of their own choosing.
- Kinder BEAT Drama: Introduction for Ages 4-6 An introduction to theatre, with games, exercises, songs and scenes perfect for the littlest actors.
$75 for the first hour, $35 each additional hour – for one class of 35 students or less $25 per hour for each additional 1 - 20 students
Encore (longer term / deep impact)
Longer-Term workshops are intended to bring a greater depth of understanding to the world of performing arts. The exact details can be worked out with individual schools / classes, depending on time, ages and needs of students, and available funding. No experience is required as instructors will start with theatre basics, but with a longer-term time frame the students will be able to explore more meaningful material and actually try their own hands at their newly acquired skills.
Intensive Residencies: Intensive residencies with one BEAT teaching artist. BEAT designs curriculum in collaboration with classroom teachers and curriculum integration goals. Eight to 40 weeks, one to five times per week.
For one class of 35 students or less $105 per week (eight weeks $840 - 40 weeks $4,200) $25 per hour for each additional 1 - 20 students
Electives: Semester long courses taught by one BEAT teaching artist. Course topics designed in collaboration with school officials.
For one class of 35 students or less $87.5 per week (13 weeks $1,137.50) $25 per hour for each additional 1-20 students
BEAT's In-School program is supported by a grant from the Deschutes Cultural Coalition with funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust to support Oregon's arts, heritage, and the humanities.
For more information contact: