George Street Playhouse Offers Culturally Immersive Learning Experiences at the Intersection of Arts & Academic Standards
Photos by Egan Jimenez.
"The communications from the program were excellent and informative. We received a detailed program summary and how to prepare our students for the performance, along with billing and arrival information."
When asked to rate the overall quality of the lesson plans provided by GSP on a scale of 1-5
(the response was)
Bus parking loading/unloading: Students will be unloaded at the entrance of The New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, and Buses will be parked at Boyd Park, Rt. 18 N, New Brunswick.
Past Student Matinees
THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE This Spring’s musical event is the 2005 Broadway and Off-Broadway hit, THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE! This charming musical comedy tells the tale of six middle school “misfits” in Putnam County, NY finding themselves through one of the most competitive and brave journeys adolescents can embark on – a Spelling Bee! With a book by Rachel Sheinkin, music & lyrics by William Finn, conceived by Rebecca Feldman, and helmed by returning director Colin Hanlon, this Tony Award-winning timeless and hilarious story about self-discovery proves that W-I-N-N-I-N-G (and losing) isn’t everything.
HER PORTMANTEAU is a Live Theatre Experience at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center.
This stunning play about a Nigerian family in America centers around reconciliation, reinvention, and at its heart, the relationship between a mother and her daughters. Making her directorial debut on this production is George Street Playhouse’s Artistic Associate Laiona Michelle, who wowed audiences in Little Girl Blue both at George Street Playhouse and off-Broadway. The fourth installment in Mfoniso Udofia’s epic nine-play Ufot family cycle about the Nigerian American identity and the universality of a family’s unconditional love is not one to be missed.
“Dedicated to the mothers who do the hardest things and the children who love them." - Mfoniso Udofia
Mfoniso Udofia's plays, SOJOURNERS, RUNBOYRUN, HER PORTMANTEAU, and IN OLD AGE have been seen at the American Conservatory Theater [A.C.T.], New York Theatre Workshop [NYTW], The Playwrights Realm, Magic Theater, National Black Theatre, Strand Theater Company, and Boston Court....
Laiona Michelle added writer to her resume with her double bill as writer and star of the critical and box-office smash, LITTLE GIRL BLUE: The Nina Simone Musical, which launched its world premiere engagement at the George Street Playhouse on Feb 1, 2019. Now, she takes on the mantle of book writer, for a new project, MANDELA -- a musical based on Nelson Mandela’s life; from his days as a leading activist against Apartheid, to his imprisonment and eventual release to become the nation’s President....
Arts Integrated Lesson Plans to Supplement the Performance
(2) Pre-performance Lesson Plan
(1) Post-performance Lesson Plan
(1) Instructional Video on How to Deliver the Lesson Plans
(1) Dramaturgy Packet
Links to Online Resources and audio and Visual Assets for Differentiated Learning Options
NJ Department of Education Standards included:
Life Literacies and Key Skills (habits of mind)
21st Century Themes and Skills
NJ Social & Emotional Competencies
NJSLS English Language Arts
NJSLS Visual & Performing Arts
Joanne Kerekes
Educator in Residence
During her 43 years in public school education, Joanne Kerekes worked in the East Windsor Regional and South Brunswick Public School Districts where she served as a teacher, unit leader, staff developer, project specialist, principal, and assistant superintendent....
The mission of George Street Playhouse is to enrich people’s lives by producing world-class theatre.
To accomplish our mission, we seek:
to produce the highest quality of intellectually and emotionally challenging new works, re-imagined classics, and educational programs that speak with relevance to society;
to serve as a vital cultural institution in New Jersey and a creative force nationally;
to positively shape and be shaped by the diverse character of our community; and
to create a nurturing home for the highest level of professional in the arts.
The values of George Street Playhouse embody and celebrate the identities, backgrounds and diverse experiences of our communities.
We espouse to be an organization fully committed to:
Being open to and receptive of new ideas
Being an advocate of diverse populations within our communities
Being collaborative within our organization by giving everyone a voice
Being authentic in our curiosity and seeking opportunities to develop our own lives through learning and celebrating others