kef theatrical productions
education programs for public schools

The Purpose of Theater Arts in Public Schools

Through theater activities that foster creative expression, discipline, collaboration, self-awareness and personal transformation, students of diverse backgrounds and abilities channel their energies into inspiring artistic endeavors. Students engaged in Theatre Making learn to value the literary, oral and cultural traditions of societies. They learn to express themselves and develop empathy for their own and other’s situations. They begin to understand universal themes and ways of looking at the world, and they develop the means to express their own vision and ideas. Teaching and learning in theater develops confident learners who are better prepared to participate actively in their education, community and social lives.
—Blueprint for the Arts, NYC DOE

kef theatrical productions is now offering drama residencies for NYC public schools. Teaching artists will use theatre making tools to collaborate with classroom teachers. The end result will be a theater experience that will compliment either a specific in class curriculum, or classroom environment.

As a company, kef ‘s goal is to support original works. That philosophy will carry itself into each classroom. Our group of professional actors, directors, playwrights and designers, will enter the classroom as teaching artists to help mold and facilitate original works by the students. All programs can be customized for specific age groups and levels of learning. Below are a few examples:

Story Book Theatre

An in-school residency that supports The Readers Theatre curriculum, Teaching Artists will help students create an original in class production based on a story or book that is being covered in class. The students will gain a deeper understanding of the required text, as they create a world around the book. Recommended for grades 2-5

From Page to Stage

An in-school residency that will take a current book from the classroom, and either further the understanding of the current text, or use the end of the text as a launch into a new world. Recommended for grades 3-9

Self –scripting

This in-school residency will use self-scripting to help students shape an original work of theatre based on a specific theme. This residency can serve as an educational tool- or a tool to address as specific social climate within the classroom. Recent themes have included: Violence Prevention, Bullying, and Diversity. Recommended for all grades

Scripting Shakespeare

This in-school residency takes a hand on approach that supports a class that is either currently reading a Shakespeare Play, or needs an introduction to his work. The text will be explored from an actor’s perspective. This residency takes what is perceived as a challenging genre and open it up to any and all age groups Key scenes will be performed and will be added to student-created journal entries that comment on the related themes. Recommended for grades 9-12

All residencies can be manipulated to serve every subject based on the idea of The Multiple Intelligences Typical residencies work on a two class a week basis for a duration of no less than six weeks.

Please contact Kimberly@kefproductions.com