The Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble is proud to continue its tradition of offering special matinees for area students as part of its 40th anniversary season.
BTE kicks off its anniversary season with The Diary of Anne Frank. Wendy Kesselman’s adaptation reveals a complex, three-dimensional Anne Frank for the stage. We not only sympathize with her as a victim of the Nazis, but care about her emotionally confusing, burgeoning adolescence. A downloadable Study Guide, script copy, and “TalkBack” after each performance are available to schools that attend. There are nine matinees for middle and high school students: September 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 2ZW8, October 3, 4, 5. All matinees begin at 10:00 a.m. The Diary of Anne Frank is also the Project Discovery selection for this season. Now in its 25th year, Project Discovery is a unique partnership between BTE, high schools in Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder and Union counties, and local businesses and corporations resulting in a bold initiative combining live theatre with dramatic literature into a unique educational experience. All high school students in the CSIU 16 schools may attend matinees of The Diary of Anne Frank at no cost. Schools outside the five-county area may attend at regular matinee prices.
For the holidays, BTE presents Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol, appropriate for all ages. Nine special school matinees for are scheduled for November 30, December 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19 and 20. Matinees begin at 10:00 a.m. and the cost is $9.50 for all audience members. Matinees fill quickly. School representatives are encouraged to call soon for best seating availability.
From the first ghostly rattle of Jacob Marley’s chains, the fun and frivolity of the Fezziwig’s party, to the ominous predictions of the Ghost of Christmas Future, students in all grade levels from kindergarten through High School will travel through time along with Ebenezer Scrooge as he is confronted by the boy he was, the man he has become and the fate that awaits him if he fails to change. Founding ensemble member Rand Whipple will reprise his role as Scrooge nearly 40 years later! This adaptation is by Ensemble member Richard Cannaday and marks BTE’s 13th production of this timeless tale of redemption and renewal.
In January, BTE presents I and You by Lauren Gunderson. Described by the Washington Post a “sharp and funny 90 minute drama”, I and Youwas one of the most produced new plays in American this past year. Two high school students are forced together to complete a report on Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass and end up discovering a shocking secret that will connect them forever. Perfect for high school audiences, BTE offers one special matinee on Tuesday, January 23 at 10:00 a.m. Script copy is available upon request.
All matinees are held at the Alvina Krause Theatre in downtown Bloomsburg and begin promptly at 10:00 a.m. For more information about all of the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble’s programs for students, contact Paula Henry, BTE’s School Programs Director at (570) 458-4075, email at phenry@bte.org or visit www.bte.org.