Central Square Theater believes that Theater can be a powerful tool to support student learning and growth, helping students make discoveries about themselves, their communities, and their world. We especially embrace Theater’s potential to help students express their own stories and perspectives, as well as to step into perspectives that are entirely new to them.
CST’s Residencies are custom-designed for each school, based on:
Your curriculum and learning goals
Student grade level(s)
Time available
Your budget
Our residencies range in scope from 1-day events for the whole school, to 6-month long experiences for one grade. We frequently intersect with ELA or History curriculum, but can also successfully support units in Science, Math, Languages, or other subjects. Let us know your goals, and we’ll figure out together how to reach them.
Sample Residencies
Here are a few of the many residencies we’ve co-created with area schools:
PAGE TO STAGE: THE JUSTICE PLAYWRITING PROJECT
School: Boston International Newcomers Academy
Grade Level: High School
Residency Length: 6 weeks
Curriculum Supported: ELA
Description: In conjunction with a unit focused on Ethical Decision-Making, 11th grade English Language Learners worked in small groups to write short plays exploring questions of ethics. Teaching Artists guided students through all phases of the playwriting process and coached students on performance skills. Professional Actors read first drafts of the scripts, informing revisions and modeling performance techniques for the students. The residency concluded with the students performing their plays for the rest of the school in a full-day Play Festival.
CHARLES RIVER PLAY PROJECT
School: Cambridgeport Elementary School
Grade Level: Elementary
Residency Length: 3 months
Curriculum Supported: Science & Social Studies
Description: Supporting a unit focused on the Charles River ecosystem, as well a unit exploring the history of Massachusetts peoples, third grade students wrote and performed a full-length play about the river, its inhabitants, and its history. Teaching Artists guided students through a series of playmaking exercises, synthesized their ideas into one cohesive script, and led workshops focused on ensemble-building, character development, and other theater skills. The residency concluded with third graders performing their play on the Central Square Theatre Mainstage for their classmates, families, and community members.
EMPATHY IN TEXT: EXPLORING PERSPECTIVES
School: Bigelow Middle School
Grade Level: Middle School
Residency Length: Two weeks per grade
Curriculum Supported: ELA
Description: A full-school residency using drama to explore characters in students’ grade-specific ELA novels. Working with 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students, Teaching Artists utilized theater exercises to help students explore their characters more deeply, take on the perspective of a novel’s protagonist(s) or antagonist, and develop empathy towards these fictional characters, in order to deepen their understanding of both the text and diverse world views. Each grade level designed their own culminating share with the school community, enabling students to make connections between seemingly disparate stories, characters, and perspectives.
New for School Year 2022-23:
PANDEMIC STORIES
Grade Levels: Middle School/High School
Residency Length: variable
Curriculum Supported: Health/Social-Emotional Learning
Description: Over the course of nearly 15 years working with teens in Youth Underground, we’ve seen the power of theater to help drive connection and healing, through a combination of perspective-taking, writing, and collaborative performance. With a desire to be of service to our community, we will offer in-school residencies for schools that are seeking innovative ways to spark conversation and help students process their experiences from this past year. We will introduce YU’s model and investigative theater techniques in order to collect students’ stories, and then shape them into a final piece that could be shared within their community. Additionally, we will partner with mental health counselors, inside and/or outside the school community, to provide additional support to students facing trauma.
To talk with us about designing a Residency for your school, contact Education Programs Manager Kevin Williams at kdw@centralsquaretheater.org.