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  year-round education

BTF PLAYS!

“…a wonderful, rich experience that my students will never forget.”
4th grade teacher, Undermountain Elementary School, Sheffield, MA

Berkshire Theatre Festival’s year-round education program, BTF PLAYS! serves area students from kindergarten through high school. At the heart of BTF PLAYS! is a passionate commitment to bring live theatre and all its inherent excitement and creativity to children in our region. Since its inception in 1984, the program has reached more than 50,000 students in underserved rural and inner city schools throughout Berkshire Country.

“Theatre is a big adventure, like a field of poppies.”
4th grader, Muddy Brook Elementary School, Great Barrington, MA

About Berkshire Theatre Festival

Founded in 1928, Berkshire Theatre Festival (BTF) is one of the oldest professional regional theatres in the United States and the longestrunning cultural institution in the Berkshires. The organization’s mission is to sustain, encourage, promote, and produce theatre for its community through performance and educational activities. Now under the helm of Executive Director Kate Maguire and Administrative Producer M. Edgar Rosenblum, BTF presents theatre that matters—world premieres, contemporary works, and classics that speak to who we are in our world today.

BTF PLAYS! School Residency Program

BTF PLAYS! School Residency Program provides students the opportunity to work directly with trained actors and playwrights to develop, write, and perform their own original plays. The program emphasizes dramatic structure, imaginative thinking, and the value of building and working as an ensemble. A substantive study guide accompanies each residency to help teachers integrate the program into their curriculums.

BTF PLAYS! After-School Programs

During our after-school programs, students learn the basics of acting and play ensemble theatre games that help them discover creativity through their bodies and voices. After-school programs culminate in public performances.

BTF PLAYS! Vacation Camps

Our week-long drama camps take place during spring break and summer vacations. These courses incorporate storytelling, improvisational games, movement, vocal technique, and acting skills. Students perform a classical myth or fairytale at the end of each session.

BTF PLAYS! Touring Performances

Beginning in October and running through the school year, BTF’s artists-in-residence perform an original play at dozens of venues throughout the region. These well-crafted productions are appropriate for elementary through high school level and are designed to introduce students to the excitement of live theatre. A question and answer session with the actors and audience follows each performance.

 

for more information, contact:

Allison Rachele Bayles, Administrative Director of Education
413-298-5536  ext. 19,   asr@berkshiretheatre.org

 

“The BTF PLAYS! School Residency Program was fabulous!”
5th grade teacher, Becket Washington School Becket, MA