Education Report 2008-2009
Education Report 2008-2009
2008/09 At a Glance…
Increasingly, young people need to be critical thinkers, comfortable speaking
in front of a group, collaborating as members of a team, and developing
solutions to complex problems. While 2008-2009 was a challenging year
given economic setbacks, Education @ Roundabout had many successes in
helping students develop these capacities.
Greg McCaslin, Education Director
Photos from cover (top right, clockwise):
Bronx Theatre High School Class President
Zalika Tor addresses classmates at
graduation; Teaching Artist LaTonya Borsay
leads a Page-to-Stage workshop with
students from High School for Fashion
Industries; Bill Irwin leads Bronx Theatre
High School student Danny Astacio in a
clowning master class, Student Production
Workshop’s production of Alkie.
Thanks to our varied programs, several thousand young people
experienced and responded to world-class theatre firsthand. Guided by
professional teaching artists, students improvised, interpreted, and
composed. They revised their work, gave and received criticism, and
explored difficult issues. Their projects progressed over time and always
culminated in a presentation, performance or exhibition of learning.
Through our work, students were engaged in active learning, involved with
authentic theatrical processes and materials, and challenged to explore “big
ideas” about art and human experience.
We greatly appreciate the part our generous friends and contributors
played in making this work possible and we hope you enjoy this review of
the 2008-2009 school year.
• With a budget of $1.2 million,
Roundabout’s Education Program
served 5,317 students and 603
teachers in 246 classrooms.
• We employed 46 teaching artists
who worked a total of 4,517
hours last season.
• The students who participated in
our programs are located in all five
boroughs and are 41% Hispanic,
40% African American, 11% Asian,
7% Caucasian, and 1% Native
American.
• Over 64% of these students live in
poverty and are eligible for Title One
funding.
• 5,212 free or subsidized tickets
were distributed to students from
throughout the tri-state area to
see Roundabout productions.
Education @ Roundabout: 2008/09 School Year:
PROGRAM
STUDENTS
TEACHERS
SCHOOLS
CLASSROOMS
ARTIST SESSIONS
Theatre Access
2,238
77
49
75
90
School Partnerships
2,991
242
20
171
1,662
-
273
20
-
2,449
After-School Programs
50
11
9
-
281
Career Development
38
-
25
-
35
5,317
603
123
246
4,517
Professional Development
TOTALS
Professional Development
Recognizing that the key to successful learning begins with the teacher, we offer a variety of
professional development workshops and one-on-one mentoring to help teachers use theatre
as a tool for learning. Our unique Theatrical Teaching Framework – which utilizes basic
theatrical elements such as theme, plot, spectacle and character and establishes parallels to
educational components such as academic content, lesson plan, structure, classroom setting and
teaching demeanor – serves as the basis for all of our professional development work.
During the 2008/09 school year we provided:
• 2,449 hours of professional development sessions for 273 NYC public school teachers
• A 4-day intensive Theatrical Teaching Institute for 40 classroom teachers and teaching artists
Empowering Educators
Each summer, educators from throughout the City gather for Roundabout’s Theatrical
Teaching Institute (TTI) -- a four day seminar designed to stimulate teachers’ creativity and
provide new teaching strategies for the classroom. At the heart of TTI is our Theatrical
Teaching Framework, which posits that every great lesson has the elements of a great play. By
understanding the Framework teachers learn how to incorporate into their practice a
playwright's sense of storytelling, a director's ability to focus an audience on a particular action,
and a designer's awareness of how color, sound and image enliven an environment.
During this summer’s TTI, participants had a chance to learn theatrical techniques, apply new
strategies to their curriculum, investigate new approaches to student engagement and
investment, collaborate with fellow teachers and artists, and create and rehearse lessons in a
supportive and creative atmosphere. Workshops explored:
• How artists collaborate to create a piece of theatre: the effect of sequence, character and
spectacle in dramatic storytelling
• How artists use language to create a story: enhancing language by identifying and
physicalizing similes and metaphors, and understanding the importance of character and
structure when creating a dialogue or a lesson
• How artists use text to make physical choices: extracting and manipulating evidence
to support a thesis statement and using movement to convey the style or genre
of a piece
TTI culminated with participants drafting and sharing lesson plans that showed how to structure
and integrate theatrical practice into the classroom. The seminar proved to be a huge success,
with 88% of participants saying it included strategies that they will take back to the classroom.
Teachers participate in Roundabout’s annual Theatrical Teaching Institute
Here’s what our 2009 TTI participants had to say…
“TTI is ideal for my teaching practice. It clearly lays out the
necessary means for a successful lesson, which is
essentially a successful story. It is a new way of looking at
lesson planning that follows the Department of
Education's original blueprint.”
“I’m more consciously aware of my role as a ‘performer’ in
the classroom and I have a deeper understanding of each
student having a specific role in my ‘production’
(the lesson for that day).”
“It is much clearer to me now how easily one can make
parallels between the classroom and the theatre and I
now have useful strategies in applying this to my subjects.”
School-Based Partnerships
School-Based Partnerships are at the core of our work and are customized to address each school’s
particular goals for student learning. Classroom Partnerships take place in NYC public schools that have
limited access to the arts and, in particular, to theatre. They focus on building relationships with individual
teachers. Residencies generally consist of 10-12 artist visits and include tickets to Roundabout productions.
School-Wide Partnerships provide NYC public schools with in-depth programs that connect the process of
theatre production to project-based learning objectives and curriculum standards. These yearlong partnerships
and residencies take place in several classes or grade levels within each school. Although tailored to meet the
needs of schools, both Classroom and School-Wide Partnerships follow any of four curriculum models — Page
to Stage, Curriculum Connections, Perspectives, or Producing Partners — which give structure to each
residency.
During the 2008/09 school year we provided:
• 20 twelve-week Perspectives residencies serving 700 students and 20 teachers
• 15 ten-week Page to Stage residencies serving 525 students and 15 teachers
• 30 six to ten-week Curriculum Connections residencies serving 1,050 students and 30 teachers
• 41 Producing Partners residencies providing 560 hours of theatrical production mentoring serving
anywhere from 2 to 35 students per residency.
• 65 Specially-designed residencies
James Madison High School students Syndi Wilkinson and
Sam Karamanos rehearse The American Dream
Classroom Partnership: The American Dream – A Musical
Michelle Bingham, an English teacher at James Madison High School in Brooklyn, asked Roundabout to create a
residency for her low-performing 11th grade English class. Frustrated with the class’s lack of engagement and
refusal to read or write, her goals for the residency were to help students find and use positive modes of
expression, better understand classic literary characters through character analysis, and improve their writing
skills through the creation of a theatrical presentation.
To complement the students’ reading of The Great Gatsby, the residency centered around the thematic
question, “How does an actor use character to explore and portray the American Dream?” Over the course
of five visits and a trip to see Pal Joey, the class worked toward writing and sharing a rap musical based on the
themes of Gatsby and Pal Joey. As part of the process, students were assigned a specific character and scene
from The Great Gatsby. Roundabout teaching artist Jamie Kalama worked with students, introducing them to
acting through character analysis (including objective, motivation, tactic and rhythm), vocal and physical
expression, and rehearsal techniques. For the final project, students performed their own version of the scene
in a rap musical entitled The American Dream.
Kalama recalls the students’ incredible transformation, “Beginning with the first workshop, students who had
not submitted work all semester submitted work and participated in class. From workshop one to five, I saw a
huge difference among the students’ attitude towards each other. They were more supportive and there were
fewer instances of antagonistic behavior. For many of these students, I think this residency offered a peek into
a different kind of life for them – they are smart, creative, and don’t have to pigeon-hole themselves in their
past.” Ms. Bingham reported that as a result of engaging these students in non-traditional ways of learning,
they became active learners with 90% of the class passing their English Regents.
“I know that because of this residency the
teacher’s relationship with the class has
changed from one of frustration and tumult
to one of affection and synergy.”
Jamie Kalama
Teaching Artist
School-Based Partnerships
School-Wide Partnership: Investigating The Diary of Anne Frank
Roundabout helped to launch Bronx Theatre High School (BTHS) six years ago as part of the
New Century High School Initiative. Located within JFK High School in the Marble Hill section of
the Bronx, BTHS aims to prepare its 400 students for higher education and professional careers
in theatre and its allied industries. With three senior classes that have graduated to date, the
school has been tremendously successful, enjoying a 72% graduation rate compared to the city
average of 60%. While Roundabout is involved year-round with residencies in all subjects, one
particular experience—an 11th grade production of The Diary of Anne Frank—sparked a turning
point in how the school learns collectively.
During an early rehearsal for the production, Roundabout Teaching Artist Jim Jack realized the
students lacked an adequate knowledge of the Holocaust and its effects to effectively portray the
play’s characters and plot. Social studies teacher Debbie White collected data on the students’
understanding of this historical event and confirmed a need for an in-depth exploration of the
Holocaust throughout BTHS’ 11th grade social studies and drama classes.
Bronx Theatre High School students in The Diary of Anne Frank
Jim and Debbie, together with Roundabout’s Education Program Associate Aliza Greenberg and
BTHS costume instructor Siobhan Antonioli, planned a hands-on exploration, beginning with an
image analysis for students to learn about the changes the Holocaust brought. All 11th graders
then attended Shabbat and visited the Living Memorial to the Holocaust at the Museum of
Jewish Heritage. At the museum they viewed videos, explored artifacts and listened to a
Holocaust survivor recount her memories. Meanwhile, those students in the production gained
insight into their characters’ lives by examining first-hand historical accounts of the Jews’ plight.
This visit played a great role in supplementing BTHS’ specially-designed classroom units.
“The students learned how to make audio
choices, listen carefully and critically to the
impact of those choices, defend their work,
and make compromises to collaboratively
create an artistically meaningful sound event.”
To provide realistic and poignant sounds for The Diary of Anne Frank, professional sound designer
and Roundabout Teaching Artist Mark Bruckner mentored three BTHS students to design a
historical, character-specific and musical soundscape. These students learned to utilize the
software programs Garage Band and QLab to create and record sound sequences—from offstage voices to an air raid—and build sound cues for the production. This soundscape provided
cast and audience members, including the entire BTHS student body, with a high level of
understanding of Anne Frank’s world and was a highlight of the production.
Mark Bruckner
Teaching Artist
Theatre Access
Through Theatre Access, we provide student groups from throughout the tri-state area with
free and discounted matinee tickets to our productions. To prepare students for a trip to the
theatre, teachers receive lesson plans and are invited to participate in professional development
workshops. All-student matinees include post-show talk-backs with the actors and creative
teams. Pre-show workshops are also available for students.
During the 2008/09 school year we provided:
• 5,524 free or discounted tickets for students
• 90 artist sessions serving 2,238 students in preparation for their attendance at productions
• 8 post-show talkbacks with Roundabout actors and creative teams
The Art of Collaboration
Elyse Aronauer, who serves as the Arts Coordinator for Flushing High School, decided to pair
the school with Roundabout three years ago after participating in one of Roundabout’s
professional development workshops. Since Flushing High School is a multicultural school with
many ESL learners, Aronauer understood how theatre could be a powerful way to help nonnative speakers improve their English proficiency and deepen their understanding of American
culture.
During the 2008/09 school year, 31students from Athena Schinas’s drama class participated in a
Postcard Production workshop prior to seeing a matinee of Roundabout’s production of Pal Joey.
The aim of the two-hour workshop was to provide students with an understanding of the
process of creating a theatrical production – a model that would later serve them as they staged
their own production in the spring. During the workshop, students fulfilled the roles of set,
costume, light and sound designers; stage managers; director; actors; and marketing staff. They
began with a traditional "Meet and Greet" and then engaged in making creative choices as they
moved through text analysis, design concept meetings and theatrical rehearsals. The workshop
culminated with teams presenting their own interpretation of an excerpt from Pal Joey.
Aronauer reported that “the post ‘scene’ talk-back where the students discussed their
experiences of creating the scene contributed to their unity as a class and as a theater
community about to embark on creating their own school play.” Last May, Ms. Schinas’s class
applied what they had learned to their staging of Maxwell Anderson’s The Bad Seed. According
to Aronaurer the school's play was truly enhanced by the students' participation in the Postcard
Production workshop and attendance at a professional Broadway production.
Students from Flushing High School participate in a
Postcard Production prior to seeing Pal Joey
“By working together, both in individual areas such
as lighting, sound and costuming, as well as having
those various components come together to form a
coherent scene from a play, students got to
experience how theater production is similar to a
family that works together: each person works within
the group to create a positive outcome. You
enabled our students to viscerally understand a
theater production and how the individual helps to
create a successful outcome in group work –
a lesson that they can carry with them for the
rest of their lives.”
Elyse Aronauer
Arts Coordinator, Flushing High School
After-School Program
Our after-school program consists of two student-driven theatre companies. Voices focuses on
preparing students for post high school life, including college and career, through disciplined theater
training. Student Production Workshop is designed for students who are most at risk of dropping out
of high school and focuses on reengaging them in their current education.
During the 2008/09 school year we reached:
• 50 at-risk students through our two after school programs – Voices and Student Production
Workshop
Giving Students a Voice
Last winter, 30 at-risk high school students from throughout the City met in Roundabout’s black box
every weeknight from 4 to 6 pm. Their purpose? To rehearse and stage a production over a threemonth period and, in the process, learn how to function as a member of a team as well as develop
better communication and leadership skills.
The program is called Student Production Workshop and while Roundabout’s Education Associate Jay
Gerlach oversees the program, it is truly a student-driven initiative. Each year four students receive a
stipend to take on the roles of Artistic Director, Production Director, Technical Director and Managing
Director. Together, these students choose which play to produce, cast the production, allocate
expenses based on a given budget, and interview other students for such positions as stage manager;
costume, set and sound designers; marketing manager; stagehands; and technical crew.
Helming this year’s Student Production Workshop was Andrea Valentin, a junior at Bronx Theatre High
School who has been a part of the program since her freshman year. Described as smart, articulate and
sweet, Andrea also had a habit of skipping classes and was in jeopardy of dropping out of high school
before joining Student Production Workshop, which requires students to attend all their classes. After
three years in the program, Andrea assumed the role of Artistic Director and her growth and maturity
were clearly evident in the respect she showed the other ensemble members as she listened and guided
them to reach decisions as a group.
For the spring production, Andrea and her team chose Jerome McDonough’s Alky -- a play that deals
with alcoholism. To help guide the students throughout the production process, professional artists,
including the cast of Distracted, provided classes and workshops. On April 5-6, 2009, friends and family
attended the sold-out performances of Alky, which took place in the black box theatre at the Harold and
Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre. As the program encourages students to think beyond their own
lives and community, each year a cause is selected that ties in with the theme of the play and all ticket
proceeds are given to a chosen charity. This past year that charity was MADD, Mothers Against Drunk
Driving. It was a transformative year for these 30 students who, in being allowed to come forward and
find their voice, found a new sense of purpose and direction in their lives.
Andrea Valentin directs the Student Production Workshop’s
production of Jerome McDonough’s Alky
“Student Production Workshop has made me
into the person that I am today because it’s
taught me how to work in a creative
environment with many ideas instead of just
one. It’s taught me how to be a leader and
just overall how to be a better person. It’s
taught me so many lessons that I use in
everyday life today, like how to deal with
certain emotions, how to talk about my
emotions, and how to channel my emotions
into positive energy and use it on stage or
in my work.”
Andrea Valentin
Artistic Director
Student Production Workshop
Career Development
Through our Career Development program we offer a wide range of hands-on learning
opportunities for young professionals interested in theatre administration or production
careers. Interns share in daily organizational and artistic operations, attend regular seminars
with members of Roundabout’s senior staff, and receive an hourly wage.
During the 2008/09 school year we provided: internships for 38 students from 25
different colleges and universities and 4 high schools.
Landing a Job at the Country’s Largest Not-for-Profit Theatre
Knowing she wanted to work in the arts in New York City, Colorado native Jill Boyd kept
her eye on Roundabout’s internship program after attending a few Roundabout productions
during her visits to the City. During her final year as a master’s candidate in Arts
Administration at the University of Colorado in Denver, she applied and was accepted as an
intern in Roundabout’s management department.
In addition to taking on such projects as maintaining artist contracts, drafting correspondence
to agents, and learning about copyright issues, one of the highlights for Jill was preparing
research for and actually attending Roundabout’s union negotiations with LORT (League of
Resident Theatres).
During her 5-month internship, Jill quickly became an integral member of the management
team and the department was not ready to see her go when her internship ended in May
2009. When a position within the department opened up a short time later, Jill applied
and was hired as Roundabout’s Management Associate, reporting to Managing Director
Harold Wolpert. “I was thrilled to become a full-time staff member at the conclusion of my
internship and enthusiastically recommend Roundabout’s internship program to
aspiring arts administrators.”
Jill is one of hundreds of aspiring arts professionals to complete Roundabout’s Career
Development program. Others have gone on to have successful careers at such
organizations as Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Vineyard Theatre, Second Stage, Brooklyn
Academy of Music and the theatre public relations firm Boneau/Bryan Brown.
Management Intern Jill Boyd meets with Roundabout’s
Managing Director Harold Wolpert
“I did a lot of research to help prepare
Roundabout’s Managing Director and
Associate Managing Director for their LORT
union negotiations and was even given the
opportunity to attend a week of the
negotiations. I learned a tremendous
amount working with them and watching
them in action.”
Jill Boyd
Management Intern
Participating Schools: Overview of Services Provided
During the 2008-2009 school year, the following New York City public schools participated in Roundabout’s education programs:
# of
Students
Served
# of
Teachers
Served
# of Artist
Sessions
Page to Stage, Pre and Post Show Workshops
60
1
39
19% African American, 56% Hispanic,
18% Asian, 7% Caucasian
81%
Bronx
Page to Stage, Curriculum Connections,
Producing Partners, Professional Development,
Pre and Post Show Workshops
415
28
259
1% Native American, 36% African
American, 60% Hispanic, 1% Asian,
2% Caucasian
77%
Brooklyn School for Music and
Theatre
Brooklyn
Curriculum Connections, Producing Partners,
Professional Development, Pre and Post Show
Workshops
402
31
204
1% Native American, 86% African
American, 10% Hispanic, 1% Asian,
2% Caucasian
60%
Curtis High School
Staten Island
Curriculum Connections, Producing Partners,
Pre and Post Show Workshops, Professional
Development
350
25
199
1% Native American, 36% African
American, 30% Hispanic, 6% Asian,
27% Caucasian
46%
Gramercy Arts High School
Manhattan
Professional Development, Pre and Post Show
Workshops, Page to Stage, Producing Partners
240
5
82
16% African American, 30% Hispanic,
43% Asian, 11% Caucasian
68%
High School for Global
Citizenship
Brooklyn
Professional Development
0
33
6
1% Native American, 85% African
American, 12% Hispanic, 1% Asian,
1% Caucasian
68%
High School of Fashion
Industries
Manhattan
Perspectives
35
1
22
35% African American, 56% Hispanic,
4% Asian, 5% Caucasian
63%
IS 237
Queens
Perspectives, Public Speaking Workshops,
Professional Development., Producing Partners,
Family Series
400
25
386
8% African American, 24% Hispanic,
62% Asian, 6% Caucasian
70%
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
High School
Manhattan
Perspectives, Pre and Post Show Workshops
82
2
51
26% African American, 63% Hispanic,
6% Asian, 5% Caucasian
52%
James Madison High School
Brooklyn
Page to Stage
34
1
14
26% African American, 14% Hispanic,
16% Asian, 44% Caucasian
28%
Schools
Location
RTC Programs Provided
Albert Shanker School for
Visual and Performing Arts
(IS 126)
Queens
Bronx Theatre High School
School Demographics
% of Title
One / Free
Lunch
Participating Schools: Overview of Services Provided
Schools
Location
RTC Programs Provided
# of
Students
Served
# of
Teachers
Served
# of Artist
Sessions
Leon Goldstein High School
Brooklyn
Locust Valley High School
School Demographics
% of Title
One / Free
Lunch
Page to Stage
44
1
28
17% African American, 8% Hispanic, 12%
Asian, 63% Caucasian
28%
Long Island
Perspectives
35
1
22
1% African American, 9% Hispanic, 3%
Asian, 87% Caucasian
17%
Manhattan Bridges High School
Manhattan
Curriculum Connections, Perspectives
175
2
82
100% Hispanic
94%
Pacific High School
Brooklyn
Professional Development
0
15
4
81% African American, 17% Hispanic, 1%
Asian, 1% Caucasian
81%
Repertory Company High School
Manhattan
Professional Development, Curriculum
Connections, Pre and Post Show
Workshops
206
15
78
0.5% Native American, 49% African
American, 43% Hispanic, 2.5% Asian, 5%
Caucasian
56%
Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy
(MS/HS 141)
Bronx
Page to Stage
70
2
20
1% Native American, 13% African American,
47% Hispanic, 10% Asian, 29% Caucasian
54%
Robert F. Kennedy High School
Queens
Page to Stage
35
1
13
16% African American, 33% Hispanic, 22%
Asian, 29% Caucasian
28%
Tito Puente Education Complex
Manhattan
Professional Development, Curriculum
Connections, Postcard Production,
Producing Partners
408
22
140
2% Native American, 38% African American,
57% Hispanic, 1% Asian, 2% Caucasian
91%
William H. Maxwell High School
Brooklyn
Professional Development
0
15
8
1% Native American, 69% African American,
27% Hispanic, 2% Asian, 1% Caucasian
74%
19 Schools
5 Boroughs
2,991
226
1,657
Roundabout also reached 2,238 students and 72 teachers from 46 schools in New York City and around the country who attended
Roundabout productions through the Theatre Access program.
Education Budget
Education Funders
We gratefully acknowledge the following education funders:
Expenses
School Partnerships
$548,478
Theatre Access
$103,504
11%
12%
45%
Professional Development
$99,379
Theatre Plus
$63,186
11%
Carer Development
$138,512
5%
8%
After School Program
$148,160
8%
Program Development
$142,240
Total $1,243,459
Income
0%
24%
39%
Income from Schools
$301,910
Contributions
$455,030
Roundabout Operations
$486,519
37%
Total $1,243,459
The Aeroflex Foundation
American Airlines
American Theatre Wing
Rose M. Badgeley Residuary Charitable Trust
Bank of America
Theodore H. Barth Foundation
Books of Wonder
CIT
Citi Foundation
Con Edison
The Walt Disney Company
Samuel and Rae Eckman Charitable Foundation
Leah and Ed Frankel
The Heckscher Foundation for Children
Alan and Marilyn Korest
David and Anita Massengill
The McGraw-Hill Companies
Mellam Family Foundation
New York City Council Member Oliver Koppell
New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
New York State Council on the Arts
The Picower Foundation
The Rudin Foundation
Adolph and Ruth Schnurmacher Foundation
The Honorable Jose M. Serrano
State of New York Department of State
Patricia Stockhausen and Mike Emmerman
The Michael Tuch Foundation
Beth Uffner
The Honorable Helene E. Weinstein
Roundabout also thanks the 29 donors who so generously
contributed to our After-School Programs at the Spring Gala.
Education Staff
Greg McCaslin
Education Director
Jennifer DiBella
Associate Education Director
Jay Gerlach
Education Associate for Theatre Programs
Aliza Greenberg
Education Program Associate
Ted Sod
Education Dramaturg
Jamie Roach
Education Assistant
Education @ Roundabout’s Jamie Roach, Aliza Greenberg, Ted Sod, Jay Gerlach, Greg McCaslin and Jennifer DiBella
Teaching Artists
Cynthia Babak, Victor Barbella, Grace Bell, LaTonya Borsay,
Mark Bruckner, Joe Clancy, Vanessa Davis, Joe Doran,
Elizabeth Dunn-Ruiz, Carrie Ellman-Larsen, Kevin Free, Tony
Freeman, Deanna Frieman, Natalie Gold, Sheri Graubert,
Matthew A.J. Gregory, Melissa Gregus, Adam Gwon, Devin
Haqq, Carrie Heitman, Karla Hendrick, Jim Jack, Jason Jacobs,
Lisa Renee Jordan, Jamie Kalama, Alvin Keith, Tami
Mansfield, Erin McCready, Kyle McGinley, Andrew
Ondrejcak, Meghan O'Neill, Laura Poe, Nicole Press,
Jennifer Rathbone, Leah Reddy, Amanda Rehbein, Bernita
Robinson, Christopher Rummel, Cassy Rush, Nick Simone,
Heidi Stallings, Daniel Sullivan, Carl Tallent, Vickie Tanner,
Jolie Tong, Cristina Vaccaro, Jennifer Varbalow, Leese
Walker, Eric Wallach, Michael Warner, Christina Watanabe,
Gail Winar, Conwell Worthington, III
Renée Flemings, Teaching Artist Emeritus
Education Committee
David Massengill, Chair
Joseph Cantara
Beth Chapin
Scott Ellis
Jodi Glucksman
Maureen Hayes
Carole Krumland
Julia C. Levy
Carol Mitchell
Ken Murphy
Ruthe Ponturo
Charles Randolph-Wright
Pat Stockhausen
Our Mission
Through its educational initiatives, Roundabout Theatre Company strives to use theatre to enhance
teacher practice and deepen student learning. Roundabout is dedicated to using its resources as a
professional theatre to accomplish the following educational objectives:
Transform the classrooms of New York City schools by creating learning opportunities across all disciplines
through the exploration of theatre and by collaborating with teachers and teaching artists to infuse theatrical
teaching strategies into their curriculum.
Expand the impact of Roundabout’s productions by providing historical, literary and social contexts in the
classroom and the theatre.
Engage students in theatre experiences that explore the universal themes of the human condition and develop
their ability to think critically about the plays they attend.
Build a community of confident, expressive young people who, in producing classic and original plays, are
committed to and responsible for their own learning.
Foster a new generation of artists and arts administrators by providing career development opportunities to high
school and college students through internships in Roundabout’s administrative and production departments.