ARTS EDUCATION

Opening Act Summer Program

Two River Theater offered a unique and exciting summer education program for high schoolers in conjunction with our outdoor performance series with Plaza Players. “We were thrilled for students and teaching artists to work together in person again,” says Director of Education Kate Cordaro. Each week students teamed up with composer Elliot Roth (Music Director, Two River Theater Summer Intensives) and choreographer Dionna PridGeon (Founder and Creative Director moveDIPR, Guest Choreographer for TRT Summer Intensives ‘19) to learn a fun and challenging song and dance number, which they performed on Fridays as the Opening Act for Two River’s Plaza Players outdoor performances.

From one 14-year-old student: “The crown jewel of what I learned throughout this experience was the power of messiness and practice. Dancing is not my strong suit, so I was very intimidated while learning the routines during both of the weeks. This confusion and fear quickly were shed as the messy dance moves became better by the end of the week.”

From a parent: “My son had a wonderful experience at Opening Act. It was so great to see him light up on your outdoor stage during each show! It’s always amazing to see what the artists and the kids come up with when they perform. The themes were so creative and fun!”

Howard Aronson Metro Scholars

This year-long highly competitive program, open to high school juniors from across New Jersey, is a unique opportunity for students to learn about professional theater. In the 2021/22 season, the Howard Aronson Metro Scholars program offered a hybrid (in-person or virtual) opportunity for 12 local students to learn about how a regional theater works through workshops with theater professionals on season planning and casting, marketing, costume design, playwriting, scenic design, and more. Students saw every show in our season and took in-depth onstage and backstage tours led by our production staff. Since 2005, 201 outstanding students have completed the Howard Aronson Metro Scholars program.This program is made possible in part by a $30,000 challenge grant from the Aronson, Tenenbaum, and Kean families.

“This year was more than I expected. I was surprised to see how in-depth all of the workshops were. It was an amazing opportunity to experience different aspects of theater that I wasn’t familiar with before.”

“I loved getting to know everyone and seeing theater in a wider lens. This experience has been so enriching and I am honored and grateful to be a Metro!”

TINY SHAKES: ROMEO AND JULIET

During the 20/21 Season’s A Little Shakespeare program, we used the limitations of the year as a unique opportunity for students to delve deeply into the play and give them the agency to tell the story in their own way, filming scenes from home. Over the course of the program, 21 students partnered with industry professionals to learn more about acting, visual design, music, fight choreography, and filmmaking. The result is an eclectic and energetic production of Romeo and Juliet told through 24 short videos, featuring original music, TikTok dances, FaceTime calls, and more.

Since we were unable to offer student matinees this season due to the ongoing COVID crisis, we gave this 90-minute retelling of Romeo and Juliet a permanent home on our website as a free resource for educators. Over 175 teachers and students from across New Jersey (and one school in Texas!) accessed this production and corresponding curriculum guide to use as teaching tools in their classrooms.