New York, NY – April 05, 2018 -- The Broadway League has awarded the New York Education and Engagement Grants to the Broadway productions of Manhattan Theatre Club’s Saint Joan, School of Rock: The Musical and The Play That Goes Wrong. Each production received a $3,500 grant toward its 2018 educational and engagement initiatives. The grants aid the growth and development of theatre education in the city in an effort to encourage Broadway productions to create more opportunities for young people.

The Broadway League established the New York Education and Engagement Grants in 2002 to recognize education initiatives and to support related programs for Broadway shows. As the national trade organization for the commercial theatre industry, the League also sponsors a grant program supporting education and engagement programs for Touring Broadway productions. The two programs combined have to-date awarded over $1 million to theatres in New York and across the country. Both grants were established by the League with generous additional financial support from Theatre Development Fund.

“The Broadway League is pleased to award the 2018 grants to Saint Joan, School of Rock and The Play That Goes Wrong. These important programs provide students with enriching theatrical experiences that we hope will encourage a lifelong appreciation of the arts,” said Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League. “We applaud and appreciate the efforts of the grant recipients in continuing to introduce more young people to live theatre and ensuring the growth and vitality of Broadway for generations to come.”     

Saint Joan - Write on the Edge (WrOTE) Playwriting Residencies

From March to June 2018, Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) will partner with two high schools – Manhattan Academy of Arts and Language and Alternative Design Academy – to engage 40 students in playwriting residencies built around MTC’s production of Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan. An MTC teaching artist will collaborate with classroom teachers and professional actors at each school to lead an 11-session residency during which students study Saint Joan, attend a matinee performance of the show, and write original short plays inspired by the themes and motifs of the play. Participants will also see Shaw’s written words come to life on the stage at a matinee performance of Saint Joan. Each residency concludes with performances of the students’ plays by professional actors, giving the students, many of whom are English language learners, the opportunity to work through the artistic process of writing a play.

School of Rock: The Musical - Rockin’ with School of Rock

Broadway’s School Of Rock: The Musical will partner with the national music education not-for-profit Little Kids Rock to extend arts education opportunities to 30 underserved students who have a passion for music and theatre. Working with Little Kids Rock, which trains public school teachers and donates musical instruments to ensure students have the chance to express themselves musically, means that young musicians will have the chance experience a world where music runs the show. These students will experience a day behind the scenes learning about the many elements that make School Of Rock: The Musical and other Broadway shows possible. Students will then spend their evening seeing School Of Rock: The Musical and meet cast members during an exclusive post-show Q&A.

The Play That Goes Wrong - From Improv to Broadway

The Play That Goes Wrong has partnered with legendary improvisational comedy school Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) for their Spring 2018 educational program “From Improv to Broadway.” The Play That Goes Wrong and UCB, both of which grew out of their creators’ devotion to long-form improvisational comedy, will give 30 New York City public school students and their teachers the opportunity to participate in a UCB-led workshop and create short sketch comedy presentations that the students will perform on stage at the Lyceum Theatre. Participants will then get to see what they have learned about improvisational and sketch theatre applied on stage by attending a performance of The Play That Goes Wrong.