Adopt-A-School Program and the NEA

Adopt-A-School Program Approved for $10k Grant from the NEA

The Hanover Theatre & Conservatory for the Performing Arts has been approved for a $10,000 Grants for Arts Projects award to support the Adopt-A-School program. This project will help us to fulfill our mission to ignite and nurture a passion for the performing arts in audiences and artists of today and tomorrow. At its core, Adopt-A-School aims to enhance the learning experience by tying every day curriculum to a live Broadway performance that an entire school body can experience together. The Hanover Theatre’s project is among the more than 1,100 projects across America totaling nearly $27 million that were selected during this second round of Grants for Arts Projects fiscal year 2021 funding.

“As the country and the arts sector begin to imagine returning to a post-pandemic world, the National Endowment for the Arts is proud to announce funding that will help arts organizations such as The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts reengage fully with partners and audiences,” said NEA Acting Chairman Ann Eilers. “Although the arts have sustained many during the pandemic, the chance to gather with one another and share arts experiences is its own necessity and pleasure.”

The Adopt-A-School program was created in 2013 to provide a school-wide arts experience for Worcester’s South High School. Eight years later, the program now introduces youth from both Burncoat High School and South High School to Broadway theatre and ties arts into core curriculum concepts to enhance learning. The theatre’s education staff works collaboratively with teachers to incorporate the themes, history and social impacts from a Broadway show into lessons across every subject (ELA, history, chemistry, physics, biology, algebra, geometry and more). For the 2022 Adopt-A-School program, the theatre is excited to partner with the national tour of Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. As we seek innovative ways to fulfill our mission to ignite and nurture a passion for the performing arts in audiences and artists of today and tomorrow, Summer presents the perfect opportunity for us to collaborate with school administrators and teachers on this arts enhanced curriculum-based program. “We are thrilled that our AdoptA-School program has been selected for funding by the NEA for a second time. After a year without field trips and live performances, we are eager to bring the students of South and Burncoat high schools back to our building next spring to witness this inspiring story,” said Meghan Montaner, president of the theatre’s conservatory and education division.”

Over a period of three weeks, all 2,400 Burncoat High School and South High School students will participate in lessons within every subject that incorporate Summer’s themes, historical and sociological elements, artistic aspects and musical score. Cast members will visit the school to interact with students prior to the show. At the culmination of the program, both schools will see the show for free and witness their lessons come to life on stage. Student projects will be displayed in the theatre’s lobby throughout the run of the show so that the community can witness the incredible work of our public schools. Some students will even rehearse a piece from the show and perform alongside the cast in the finale. Following the performance, the student body will participate in a talk-back with the actors before returning to school.

In the Worcester Public Schools, many students are economically disadvantaged and have limited access to the arts in our community. The Adopt-ASchool program aims to provide students in the city with the opportunity to experience and interact with live theatre on an annual basis. Over the last eight years, thousands of students have experienced their first Broadway show through this program.

For information on the projects included in the grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.

Students pose before the On Your Feet Adopt-A-School performance in 2019. Photo: Andrea Seward.