Since 1985, The L.A. Troupe, Theatre-in-Education has strived to promote an enhanced understanding of social, cultural, and community issues by engaging with students of all ages. We achieve this by creating age appropriate performances, workshops, and residencies which explore themes that resonate in contemporary society. Programs include the works of Shakespeare, Rostand, Homer, and Poe, as well as productions developed specifically for curriculum or community requirements. The Troupe has toured to schools and community centers throughout California, working with Segerstrom Center for Performing Arts, Cerritos Center for Performing Arts, Title 1 and GATE programs, The Arts Community Partnership Network, Sun Valley Youth Arts Center/Department of Cultural Affairs, Quest for Burn Survivors, The Pasadena Fire Department, and The Children's Burn Foundation. With the help of in-school financing and private and public grants, The Troupe is proud to have enriched the lives of over a million children.
The L.A. Troupe, Theatre-in-Education offers in-school assemblies, residencies, and workshops of William Shakespeare’s A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, ROMEO AND JULIET, AND MACBETH. The performances are forty-five minute adaptations of these classic plays, and combine audience interaction with creative staging to give students a clear understanding of Shakespeare’s language and fully engage them in each production. Set designs, costumes, and props that reflect the period along with Shakespeare’s imagery and figurative language give students an insight into how a theatrical presentation can fire the imagination. The L.A Troupe’s artist-educator led residencies use adapted Shakespearean scripts and are rehearsal based, culminating in a student performance. In the course of the residency, students are encouraged to explore the different ways language can be used to express ideas, and how language can be used to convey the emotional context of words. Also, through working together in an ensemble production, students learn to respect each other as contributing members of a group, as well as gaining confidence in their own abilities. Each residency includes one pre-residency faculty session; twelve sequential student workshops; and two student performances. Students discover the historical context of their play (A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, ROMEO AND JULIET, or MACBETH), write their own version of Shakespeare’s language (iambic pentameter), and learn theatrical vocabulary as they rehearse for their performance. Every child has a role to play and is given a chance to shine as a Shakespearean actor.