George Street Playhouse's Education Department offers student matinees in our state-of-the-art facility at New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC). With an array of productions ranging from world-premiere dramatic plays to musicals, George Street’s Student Matinees provide culturally immersive educational experiences for students and introduce them to the world of professional theatre. At a George Street Student Matinee, students gain valuable insights into society, history, and culture. Most Student Matinees have accompanying lesson plans. ALL Student Matinees have after-show talkbacks with the creative team or scholars on the show's subject matter. Thanks to our generous sponsors, Student Matinee seats are available for a discount. Student Matinee seats are limited and sell out quickly.
George Street Playhouse presents the world premiere of The Pianist, a play with music. Based on the memoir by Polish-Jewish pianist and composer Wladyslaw Szpilman. Adapted for the stage by award-winning writer-director, Emily Mann. The Pianist tells the true story of Szpilman, a survivor of Nazi-occupied Warsaw in World War II.
*The memoir was the source of the 2002 Oscar-nominated film of the same name starring Adrien Brody.
This production is appropriate for students in grades 7-12
STUDENT MATINEES FOR THIS PRODUCTION ARE OFFERED ON THE FOLLOWING DAYS:
October 4th at 11am (SOLD OUT)
October 11th at 11am (SOLD OUT)
October 18th at 11am (Limited Seats Available!)
STUDENT TICKETS ARE ONLY $20 EACH
Lesson Plans, Supplemental Materials for Differentiated Learning Packet are available for free thanks to our generous sponsors.
The education department is planning to work with the Allen and Joan Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life at Rutgers University to develop the educational materials for The Pianist.
Show Run-time: 90 minutes with no intermission
240 seats available per performance.
Following the performance, students are invited to join THE PIANIST creative team and cast in a facilitated conversation about the production.
Adapted for the stage by Emily Mann, Having Our Say is an enthralling full-length play based on the bestselling book by Sarah (Sadie) Delany and Elizabeth (Bessie) Delany. This powerful production revolves around the remarkable lives of African-American sisters, Sadie and Bessie Delany, who both surpass the age of 100. Their extraordinary journey unfolds as they share their personal experiences which include growing up as daughters of a former slave who became a respected professor, establishing successful careers, and integrating a New York suburb. During its celebrated run on Broadway, Having Our Say captivated audiences and received a Tony Award nomination for Best Play. Through this powerful adaptation of the Delany sisters’ book, audiences are invited to witness a compelling tale that transcends race and gender, offering a profound reflection on American history as seen through the eyes of two unforgettable women.
This production is appropriate for students in grades 6-12
STUDENT MATINEES FOR THIS PRODUCTION ARE OFFERED ON THE FOLLOWING DAY:
December 13th at 11am (Limited Seats Available)
STUDENT TICKETS ARE ONLY $20 EACH
Lesson Plans, Supplemental Materials for Differentiated Learning Packet are available for free thanks to our generous sponsors.
Show Run-time: 2 hours with 15 minute intermission
240 seats available per performance.
Following the performance, students are invited to join the HAVING OUR SAY creative team and cast in a facilitated conversation about the production.
PLEASE NOTE: There will be NO food or lunch accommodations and student matinee performances can NOT be rescheduled!
For more information, call Daniella Saldaña at 732-258-7561 or email Education@GeorgeStPlayhouse.org or patronservices@georgestplayhouse.org
George Street Playhouse Offers Culturally Immersive Learning Experiences at the Intersection of Arts & Academic Standards
Photos by Egan Jimenez.
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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.
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
Award-winning Playwright
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....
Director, Broadway Actress, Award-winning Playwright
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....
The Immersive Learning Experience includes:
NJ Department of Education Standards included:
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:
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: