The Festival’s School Residency Program celebrates 27 years of excellence in 2008-2009 with a record number of educational opportunities to enrich your school year. Launched in 1981, the residency program adapts the actor’s process of exploration by building the drama from student responses and complementing classroom studies through “hands-on” expressions of classic literature. Each year, over 16,000 students, ages 5-18, in over 130 schools navigate the artist’s journey through Shakespeare, Arthur Miller, Lorraine Hansberry, Tennessee Williams, or classic children’s authors such as Shel Silverstein and Dr. Seuss alongside theater professionals. It’s an intensely personal collaboration designed to stimulate dialogue and discovery.

How the Program Works
Each week-long residency contains activities and exercises developed to foster the highest possible level of student participation. Two professional actor-teachers from GLTF collaborate with your students in improvisation, discussion and the performance of key scenes, encouraging students to discover the Hamlet, Juliet, Willy Loman, John Proctor, Pandora or Anne Frank in themselves.

Our actor-teachers work with as many as five of your classes – the same five classes – for five consecutive days. The program is recommended for students of all ages and levels of ability. At the high school level, each participating class selects one play from the program’s repertoire to read and study prior to the residency; thus, your school can explore up to five different plays during the week – one in each class. At the middle school and elementary levels, students read plot summaries of several plays (middle school) or short pieces of classic children’s literature (elementary school) prior to the residency. GLTF program staff are available to meet with all participating teachers in advance to discuss lesson plans and student preparation.

Cost
One team of actor-teachers, up to five classes per day for five consecutive days: $1,265 (mileage stipend paid by schools beyond a 25-mile radius of downtown Cleveland: $75.00). Cost of adding one additional class per day (six class maximum per day): $200.00. Housing and per diem are to be paid by schools beyond a 50-mile radius of downtown Cleveland.

Please Note
The combining of students into other classes is prohibited. Schools desiring to reach more students with the program are encouraged to consider booking an additional team of actor-teachers, pending availability.

For more information, please call Lisa Ortenzi at 216-241-5490 ext. 306.

What Teachers Are Saying
“This program now is the best it has ever been! It exceeded my expectations. This is a very dynamic program. The actors were professionally and personally outstanding! This program crosses over the cultural, generation gap which alienates students from actually understanding and participating in the realm of characterization. Your actors were very apt at transporting my students.”

— Peggy Baker, Lorain Southview High School

“As always, the program was fabulous. Having a residency tailored specifically to our theme was exceptional, Student response was very positive.”

— Keith Kerr, Whitney Young Middle School

“Again, we’ve had a wonderful week with the actors! This experience is definitely one of the highlights of junior high years in our school. During the residency, I saw several of my students who are rather reticent in class about expressing their opinions really volunteer and freely join in the acting and discussions. Thanks again for such a worthwhile program!”

— Judy Carran, Saint Gabriel School

“This experience was rich in benefits to our students. They will carry, The Crucible with them for years. The characters became real people and the conflicts/issues became relevant and contemporary.”

— Linda Chambers, Holy Name High School

“WonderfuI job! At parent-teacher conferences, several parents remarked how much the students enjoyed the actors. The parents said their kids would come home ranting and raving about how much fun they had working with the actors. Impressing the parents is quite an accomplishment! Thanks for a job weIl done!”

— Julie Pavolino, Chardon High School