The State Theatre’s school-day matinees are a great introduction to the performing arts and an effective, creative way to explore a variety of curriculum areas. They help students meet the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards—not only in the arts, but in the other content areas as well. To help connect the performance to your classroom activities, we provide specially-designed Keynotes, a study guide containing background on the performance and artists; classroom activities that engage students in reading, writing, listening, analyzing, and creating; resources for further study; and information for students about their roles and responsibilities as members of the audience.

Blast!
Mayhem Poets
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
Women of Will
New Shanghai Acrobats
Hamlet
MOMIX reMIX
Peter and the Wolf & Other Musical Stories
Plop!


Mayhem Poets |
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Monday, February 27, 2012, 10:30am Tuesday, February 28, 2012, 10:30am Venue: State Theatre Program Length: 75 minutes For Students in Grades: 7-12 All Seats:$8
With words, humor, and extreme hip-hop energy, the
Mayhem Poets raise poetry to a playful and powerful new level. Witty and wise,
they boldly engage the audience with the issues that rock our world—from Dr.
Seuss to school to fast food. Their clever, eclectic riffs are as much Mad
Magazine and The Simpsons as Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou.
Home-grown in New Jersey but rapidly gaining international recognition, these
beat-boxing bards keep the rapid-fire rhythms flying in a clever concert of
words that will inspire students with the power of poetic/theatrical
expression.
 Curriculum connections: language arts, social studies, theater arts |
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Sylvester and the Magic Pebble |
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Enchantment Theatre Company Wednesday, March 07, 2012, 10:00am & 12:00pm Venue: State Theatre Program Length: 60 minutes For Students in Grades: Pre-K-3 All Seats:$8
The 10am performance is SOLD OUT.
When
Sylvester, an endearing young donkey, picks up a shiny red pebble, he discovers
that its magic works very well—sometimes! This heartwarming story teaches a
gentle lesson about the true importance of family and friends. William Steig’s
Caldecott-winning children’s book is brought to the stage by Enchantment
Theatre Company, the creative team behind last season’s acclaimed production of
Harold and the Purple Crayon. Their
brand-new staging of Sylvester and the
Magic Pebble seamlessly integrates a wide variety of theatrical techniques:
projections, animation, masks, puppets, magic, dance, and music.
 Curriculum connections: language arts, theater arts, life skills |
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Women of Will |
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State Theatre @ Crossroads Wednesday, March 14, 2012, 10:00am Venue: Crossroads Theatre Program Length: 2 hours, 30 minutes For Students in Grades: 11-12 All Seats:$8
Women of Will is a wide-ranging, thoughtful, and fascinating exploration of Shakespeare's heroines. Written and performed by Shakespeare & Company's Founding Artistic Director, Tina Packer, the show presents scenes, monologues, and lively analysis to illuminate the evolution of the playwright's female characters—from the shrewish Katherine to the innocent victim Juliet to the worldly-wise Miranda. Using just a few simple props and costume pieces, Packer and her co-star, Nigel Gore, inhabit some dozen different personas and engage the audience in a lively discussion of the ideas presented in the show. It is strongly recommended that students attending the performance have studied at least one of Shakespeare's plays.
Curriculum connections: theatre arts, language arts, history, social science |
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New Shanghai Acrobats |
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Monday, March 19, 2012, 10:30am Venue: State Theatre Program Length: 60 minutes For Students in Grades: 3-8 All Seats:$8
The New Shanghai Acrobats carry on the 2,000-year-old tradition
of Chinese circus arts. The astounding acrobats, jugglers, bicyclists, and contortionists
are showcased by show-stopping choreography, dazzling lighting, vibrant
costumes, and evocative music.

Sponsored by 
Curriculum connections: world cultures, dance, physical education, music, theater arts |
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Hamlet |
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State Theatre @ Crossroads Tuesday, March 27, 2012, 10:00am Wednesday, March 28, 2012, 10:00am Thursday, March 29, 2012, 10:00am Friday, March 30, 2012, 10:00am Venue: Crossroads Theatre Program Length: 2 hours, 15 minutes For Students in Grades: 6-12 All Seats:$8
Following
last year’s sold-out Midsummer Night’s
Dream, BAMA Theatre Company is
back with their brand-new production of Hamlet.
Shakespeare's tragic tale of family discord, personal ambition,
love, and revenge comes to life in a deeply compelling production that makes the story and
language clear and comprehensible to students. The company’s creative approach
captures the magic of live theater, with just nine actors deftly portraying
more than a dozen characters, using just a few simple props
and costume pieces. The program includes a question-and-answer period
immediately after the performance.
 Curriculum connections: theater arts, language arts |
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MOMIX: reMIX |
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Friday, April 20, 2012, 10:30am Venue: State Theatre Program Length: 60 minutes For Students in Grades: 4-12 All Seats:$8
Since
the early 80's the dancer-illusionists of MOMIX have transformed themselves into
sidewinders and Gila monsters, floated weightlessly through extraterrestrial
terrains, strapped themselves into snow skis, and hurled themselves through the
air like baseballs. In MOMIX: reMIX, this
world-renowned ensemble presents a ‘greatest hits’ collection of the company’s
work: a kaleidoscopic showcase of invention without borders.

Sponsored by 
Curriculum connections: dance, physical education, music, science, theater arts |
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Peter and the Wolf & Other Musical Stories |
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Princeton Symphony Orchestra Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 10:00am & 12:00pm Venue: State Theatre Program Length: 60 minutes For Students in Grades: 2-5 All Seats:$8
The
Princeton Symphony Orchestra introduces young children to the
orchestra through music inspired by beloved animal characters. In Prokofiev’s
perennial favorite, Peter and The Wolf,
individual instruments get to shine as they imitate Bird, Duck, Cat, Wolf, and
the other characters in the story. The musical narrative is accompanied by a fully-staged,
vaudeville-inspired one-man performance. The concert includes an
additional animal-inspired musical tale, as well as a demonstration of the individual
instruments and their families.
Underwritten by:
and THE FRANK AND LYDIA BERGEN FOUNDATION
Curriculum connections: music, theater arts |
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Plop! |
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Windmill Theatre Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 10:00am & 12:00pm Wednesday, May 23, 2012, 10:00am & 12:00pm Venue: Crossroads Theatre Program Length: 45 minutes For Students in Grades: Pre-K-K All Seats:$8
When two tiny rabbits are frightened by an apple falling from above, the anticipation of it happening again and again leads them to duck, dive, and do their best to stop the terrible Plop! The show explores the fear of unknown things that maybe aren't so scary after all. Featuring rhyme, music, puppetry, and a playful set design, this magical production from Australia's Windmill Theatre provides very young children with an intimate and non-threatening first theatrical experience.

Curriculum connections: theater arts, language arts, life skills, science, music |
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To order education events or for more information call 732-246-7469, ext. 545.
E & G Foundation; J. Seward Johnson, Sr. Charitable Trust; McCrane Foundation