Dear Educator,


Thank you for bringing your students to New York Theatre Workshop‟s production of Peter and the Starcatcher by Rick Elice, directed by Roger Rees and Alex Timbers.


In order to help you make this the fullest experience for your students, we‟ve prepared this Study Guide with articles, background information, and jumping-off points for class discussion. We hope you find it useful! If you have any comments or suggestions for future Guides, please don‟t hesitate to contact me at BrynT@nytw.org.


We welcome you and your students to our theatre, and we hope to see you at New York Theatre Workshop again soon. To learn more about our Education Initiatives, please visit www.nytw.org/education.asp.


Enjoy the performance. Sincerely,


Bryn Thorsson Director of Education


NYTW‟s Education Initiatives are made possible through the generous encouragement of Con Edison, the Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation, the Michael Tuch Foundation,


the


Manhattan Borough President’s Office, the Office of Council Member Margaret Chin and the New York State Council for the Arts-Empire State Partnership.


Study Guide researched and written by Christine Drew Benjamin, Education Intern


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NYTW’s Education Initiatives provide access to the vision and methods of the artist, and enable audiences of all ages to participate in a community of dynamic learning where the developmental process, the final production, and the surrounding exchange of ideas have a profound impact on all involved. These initiatives strive to bring all members of our artistic family, which includes our audience members, closer to the creative process.


As we often collaborate with artists whose work takes risks and challenges theatrical forms, the artistic process at NYTW rarely follows a defined path. Our education initiatives embrace this iconoclastic approach, allowing us to craft each program and partnership with detail and creativity.


Learning Workshop is NYTW‟s multidisciplinary theatre education program that supports middle and high school students‟ creative development as artists and audience members by critically engaging them in the artistic process surrounding our productions.


With continual input from New York City public school educators, theatre artists, community advocates, and NYTW staff members, Learning Workshop strives to achieve key goals:


 Promote students’ critical thinking through the medium of theatre


By introducing students to provocative and challenging theatre and fostering their understanding and discussion of performances, NYTW aims to enrich young people‟s visual, textual, and critical literacies. 


Increase cultural participation among young people


By engaging students in the collaborative process of theatre-making and offering them the opportunity to connect theatre to their own coursework and lives, NYTW hopes to increase youth attendance at, involvement in, and advocacy for the performing arts.


 Build a greater sense of community By including students in meaningful conversations with our artists and the activities that make up the fabric of the organization, NYTW hopes to grow meaningful relationships with the students at our partner schools and encourage them to think of NYTW as a resource and creative space to return to in the future.


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