Our Teaching Philosophy
As a leading cultural institution, education is central to our Mission. All classes and workshops are taught by professionally trained Teaching Artists and focus on literacy, cultural awareness, imaginative problem-solving, collaborative play, and creative thinking. Our teaching philosophy highlights process over product, deepening students’ ability to analyze, synthesize, and think critically while making connections to the thoughts and ideas behind the written word.
Education for Everyone
Portland Stage Education strives to welcome and celebrate all people regardless of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic class, national origin, religion, gender identity, neurological, or physical ability.
Financial Aid
Portland Stage strives to eliminate financial barriers to accessing our programs. Please click here to apply for financial aid and contact us directly with any questions!
Caregivers and educators can join the Education Email List for updates!
For more information call 207.774.1043 x104 or send us an email.
Classes
Classes at Portland Stage produce a safe environment for young people to find a higher sense of play, stretch their imaginations, and gain valuable social skills such as listening, risk-taking, ensemble building, public speaking, and leadership through storytelling. These classes are wildly fun, collaborative, spontaneous, and begin to build skills for the young actor or non-actors’ creative toolbox.
Portland Stage reserves the right to combine programs or extend the ages of the participants at its discretion.
Upcoming Classes
Shakespeare Teen Company
Grades: 7 – 12
Rehearsal Dates/Days: Apr 15 – May 22 | Tue, Wed, Thur* at Portland Stage
Time: 3:30 pm – 6:30 pm
*No class Apr 21 – 25
Tech Week Dates/Days: May 27 – May 29 | Tue, Wed, Thur at Maine Audubon’s Gilsland Farm
Time: 3:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Performances: May 30 & May 31 (Rain date June 1)
Cost: $450, financial aid available
Students come together as an ensemble to create a fully-staged production of Shakespeare‘s A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. Participants take on a variety of roles including acting, costume design, marketing, and more!
High School Intensive: Auditioning with Dustin Tucker
Grades: 9 – 12
Cost: $40, financial aid available
Date: Sat May 4
Time: 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Join Portland Stage Affiliate Artist and working theater, film, and TV actor, Dustin Tucker for this workshop on how to audition for your next big role! Check out this recent article about Dustin’s work in two Oscar-nominated films!
Play Me a Story
Experience the fun and magic of theater on Saturday mornings with Play Me a Story! Ages 4 – 10 enjoy a performance of children’s stories followed by an interactive acting workshop with Portland Stage’s Education Artists for $15. Sign up for the month and save or pick individual days that work for you. Build literacy, encourage creativity and spark dramatic dreams!
Camps
Dive into theater for five exciting days while on your school breaks! Our theater camps immerse participants in all aspects of theater, culminating in an open studio performance for friends and family at the end of the week! Camps are taught by professional actors, directors, and artisans. Students are invited to think imaginatively, critically, and creatively in an environment of inclusivity and safe play.
Vacation Camps
Dive into theater for five exciting days while on your school breaks!
February & April Vacation Camps
February Vacation Camp: Camp Half Blood
Dates: Monday February 17 – Friday February 21
Times: 9 am – 3 pm
Grades 4 – 6
Cost: $360, financial aid available
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan.
Welcome to Camp Half-Blood, demigods. Do you have what it takes to be a hero?
April Vacation Camp: Magic Trunk
Dates: Monday April 21 – Friday April 25
Times: 9 am – 3 pm
Grades: K – 1
Cost: $360, financial aid available
Every day is a new adventure with stories and the Magic Trunk! A spin-off of our Play Me a Story program.
Summer Camps
REGISTRATION FOR SUMMER 2025 WILL OPEN IN JANUARY 2025
Our week-long camps for rising K-12th graders focus on physical movement, creativity, & collaboration, all while empowering students to build their confidence and skills as actors.
Sign up for multiple weeks of camp and receive a 10% discount!
Please register for camps based on which grade your camper(s) will be enrolled in for the upcoming 2025-2026 school year.
Camp Cancellation Policies
Any cancellations or changes made more than two months prior to the first day of a Portland Stage Education program (after school programming, vacation camps, and summer camps) will be fully refunded.
Any cancellation made between two and one month prior to the first day of a program will receive a 50% refund.
Portland Stage will not be able to grant refunds made less than one month before the start of a program.
Portland Stage reserves the right to cancel a program two weeks prior to its start if a minimal enrollment is not achieved. In the event that Portland Stage cancels a program families will be contacted two weeks prior and a full refund will be offered.
Portland Stage also reserves the right to combine programs, change teachers, or extend the ages of the participants at its discretion.
Student Matinees
Our Student Matinees, offered for most of our Mainstage season programming, connect and reinforce Common Core Standards and are designed to grow with students as they progress through all grade levels.
Touring Programs
Our Touring Programs, including PLAY and Directors Lab, connect and reinforce Common Core Standards and are designed to grow with students as they progress through all grade levels.
At Portland Stage, we have developed a series of Education Programs that connect and reinforce Common Core Standards and are designed to grow with students as they progress through all grade-levels (K-12). Our touring programming focuses on building and enhancing literacy, cultural awareness, collaborative play, and creative thinking through a multidimensional approach to learning. All programs are accompanied by a comprehensive resource guide to enhance and support student/teacher engagement.
PLAY Program (For Grades Pre-K to 5)
Actors actively engage students in small groups/workshops using their bodies, voices, and imaginations to build understanding of the text while bringing the stories and characters to life. PLAY helps develop literacy and reading fluency, character recall, understanding of themes, social emotional skills, physical storytelling, and vocal characterization. The program also comes with a comprehensive Resource Guide filled with information and activities based on the books and poems.
“Through the PLAY program, students experience text in a new light…The program has potential as a beacon program for teachers who work with 21st century learners.”
Dr. Alec Lapidus, University of Southern Maine
This program has been studied and written about by Dr. Alexander Lapidus of the University of Southern Maine Literacy Education Department. You can read his paper Multiliteracies in Maine by clicking here.
Program Details:
- Bookings are available for Jan 2025, April/May 2025, and Summer 2025
- Dramatic Readings engage and entertain grades pre-K-5 and last approximately 30 minutes.
- After the performance, students have the opportunity to work with our teaching artists in interactive workshops.
- Workshops are 45-minute interactive experiences.
- Number of workshops can vary based on setting, whether it is select classrooms or different age groups.
- Cost: $1,030 for 8 workshops, performance for the whole school, a resource guide for the whole school. $645 for a summer tour visit to a library.
- For pricing and more information, call 207.774.1043 x104 or send us an email.
Directors Lab (For Grades 6 to 12)
What is Directors Lab?
Professional actors perform a 50 minute adaptation of a Shakespeare play, followed by a talkback. In February and March 2025 we will be touring Hamlet. After the performance, students engage directly with the text in an interactive workshop with the actors and creative team. In these workshops, students practice effective communication, creative collaboration, rhetoric, and critical analysis. The program also comes with a comprehensive Resource Guide filled with information and resources about the play we are focusing on. Directors Lab puts Shakespeare’s language into the hands and mouths of the students, empowering them to be the artists, directors, and ensemble with the power to interpret the text and produce meaning.
“Portland Stage was able to bring Shakespeare to life for my students and provide them with an entry point into a challenging text and language. The actors and staff brought a high level of professionalism and talent, and a unique ability to relate to, engage, and work with students to enhance their understanding of performance and text.”
Teacher at Gray New Gloucester High School
Directors Lab:
- The program runs limited engagements February-March 2025.
- The performance is 50 minutes.
- Talkbacks are also available.
- After the performance, the students work with the actors from the play in interactive workshops in their classrooms.
- Teachers receive a Resource Guide 1-3 months in advance.
- Workshops run 45-60 mins and taught to as many as 8 classrooms total.
- For pricing and more information, call our Education Department at 207.774.1043 x104 or send us an email.
Virtual Education Resources
With our community staying safe at home in the early phases of the pandemic, Portland Stage created a variety of virtual education resources to continue engaging young people, families, teachers, and students. Resources include: Tutorial Videos, Games to Play at Home, Follow-Along Videos, and other Interactive Activities. These resources are designed to get your bodies and creativity moving, all from the comfort of your own home!
Apprenticeship Positions
Applications are open for the Props Apprenticeships on a rolling basis until filled.
Education Program Supporters
Portland Stage would like to thank the Onion Foundation, Simmons Foundation, Margaret E. Burnham Charitable Trust, Sam L. Cohen, and Parson’s Family Foundation for their generous support of our K-12 Education Programs.
Portland Stage would like to thank Susie Konkel for her support of our In-Theater programming, and Bud & Cheryl Higgins for establishing the Jamie Higgins Endowment toward our Education Programs.
Enhance Your Theatrical Experience
Teachers and other audience members can enhance their theatrical experience with PlayNotes, our resource guide. Created by the Portland Stage Literary department, these extensive guides present a broad spectrum of information and perspectives on each play in our Mainstage season. PlayNotes appeals to a wide audience of student and adult readers who wish to delve more deeply into the plays on our stage.
