Walnut Street Theatre's Adopt-A-School program creates a special three-year partnership with a K-8 Philadelphia Center City public school. It creates long term, meaningful partnerships with individual schools to nurture the direct links between Walnut Street Theatre and its surrounding community. During our three-year stay at the host school, students and faculty members receive many unique opportunities to use Walnut Street Theatre's resources, including in-school performances and workshops. The Adopt-A-School program is individually designed to meet the Arts Education needs of the host school in creating theatre curriculum, improving students' dramatic skills and guiding teachers through every aspect of producing a theatre performance. We seek to support education reform by improving the school environment through enriching the school community.
Walnut Teaching Artist Hasani Allen with students from Edwin Forrest
Now in our 5th year with Southwark School, we see every student for a 6 week theatre unit. All outreach shows travel to the school at no cost, and every student attends one of our Kid Series performances. Staff receives professional development and attends mainstage dress rehearsals. We also include scholarships to our Theatre School as well as Camp Walnut as part of the adoption.
Walnut Teaching Artists Hasani Allen and Marques DeLeon with Director of Education T.J. Sokso
We are in our second year with Edwin Forest Elementary. We now see every student in the for a 6-week theatre unit. All outreach shows travel to the school at no cost, and every student attends one of our Kid Series performances. Staff receives professional development and attends mainstage dress rehearsals. We also include scholarships to our Theatre School as well as Camp Walnut as part of the adoption.
Walnut Teaching Artist Hasani Allen with students from Edwin Forest
We are excited to welcome Henry C. Lea School and William H. Ziegler as our newest 2022-2023 Adopt-A-School partners!
Teachers report that WST "exceeded their expectations" and are "thrilled" and "grateful for the adoption." One teacher wrote, "The only two questions my kids consistently ask are: "is it pretzel day" or "is there drama club today?" At the final drama club performance a teacher commented, "In the ten years I have been here, I have never seen this many parents in our school!", and another teacher remarked, "I've never heard children sing at school before."
Alumni Schools of the Adopt-A-School program include: Samuel S. Fels High School, Girard Academic Music Program, General George A. McCall School, William M. Meredith School, Chester A. Arthur School, and Belmont Charter School. Mini-adoptions have occurred at G.W. Pepper Middle School and A.M.Y. at James Martin.
For more information about these programs, contact the Walnut Street Theatre Education Department at 215.574.3550 ext. 566 or email us at education@walnutstreettheatre.org.
