Industry Press / 04.06.23
TDF School Programs Back to Pre-Pandemic Activity Serving 10,600 NYC Public School Students During this Currently 2022-23 YearS
April 6, 2023 – New York, NY – The school programs of TDF, the not-for-profit service organization for the performing arts, are officially back to the same level of activity as they were prior to the pandemic. This spring, with the completion of TDF’s 27th year of school programs, 10,600 students from over 160 schools will have been served through a variety of programs for public school students in New York City at no cost to either the students or the schools. For most of these students, TDF’s programs have provided an introduction to live theatre and dance.
“We are grateful to have completely rebuilt our live partnerships with both the theatre community and our amazing teachers and students, and are back to operating at full capacity,” said Ginger Bartkoski Meagher, Director of TDF Education Programs. During the pandemic, we kept our arts education programs alive through digital productions and zoom discussions. During this current school year we have been thrilled to be fully back in person with each other and serving as many students as we had pre-pandemic. We look forward to further expansion of our school programs so we can serve thousands more New York City public school students, most of whom have not experienced live theatre and dance.”
TDF’s programs for students in addition to the are: Introduction to Theatre, The TDF Wendy Wasserstein Project, TDF Young Playwrights Programs, and TDF Introduction to Dance, as well as special Summer Teacher Seminars that have been accredited by NYC’s Department of Education for their teachers.
A more detailed summary of TDF’s School Programs follows:
TDF SCHOOL PROGRAMS
TDF Introduction to Theatre since 1996
For over two decades, TDF Introduction to Theatre has provided over 100,000 middle, high school and college students with a meaningful welcome to live performance. Students receive a total of eight in-class workshops pre and post-performance workshops from TDF Teaching Artists who work directly with their classroom teachers.
This past year: 10,000 students, 160 schools, 200 teachers, 400 classrooms, 3,000+ individual workshops
TDF Wendy Wasserstein Project since 1998
In 1998, Wendy Wasserstein and TDF wanted to see if theatre was relevant to young people. We took eight high school students to see six shows in a season and afterwards had pizza and talked.
Today that experiment has blossomed into 23 groups annually. Top theatre professionals share their time and expertise with students throughout the five boroughs. Together they see hundreds of shows a year and come together for post-performance discussion.
This past school year: 184 students, 23 schools, 23 teachers, 27 mentors, 156 shows
TDF Young Playwrights Programs since 1996
TDF Young Playwrights is a series of sequential playwriting programs for middle and high school students. We ignite the spark for young storytellers.
The TDF Young Playwrights’ Residency Program is a year-long collaboration between TDF and schools. Together, we explore live performance as students craft original works that are shared as staged readings Off Broadway.
This past school year: 400 students, 5 schools, 9 teachers, 15 classrooms, 375 individual workshops
The TDF Young Playwrights’ Summer Program is a two-week playwriting intensive that is open to Tri-State area high school students will relaunch this July. We welcome those with a curiosity about playwriting to apply.
This program serves: 12-15 students, 2 weeks of master classes
The TDF Young Playwrights’ Group Program is a year-long afterschool playwriting workshop for high school students who have been a part of the residency or summer programs. The group
meets weekly to write, see and experience playwriting. Their work is showcased each June with professional actors in an Off Broadway theatre.
This past school year: 10-12 student members, 17 individual workshops
TDF Introduction to Dance
TDF Introduction to Dance gives students the opportunity to see live dance and attend workshops led by professional dancers and choreographers.
This past season: 180 students, 6 schools, 6 teachers
TDF Summer Teacher Seminars
Professional Development Series
TDF holds week-long summer seminars in partnership with the Department of Education on specific theatre practices for NYC public school teachers who are pursuing professional credits.
ABOUT TDF: Founded in 1968, TDF (formerly known as Theatre Development Fund) is a not-for-profit service organization dedicated to bringing the power of the performing arts to everyone. TDF’s mission is to sustain live theatre and dance by engaging a broad and diverse audience and eliminating barriers to attendance. We fulfill our mission with a variety of programs that expand access, cultivate communities and support the makers of the performing arts.
We are known for our theatregoing programs, including the TKTS by TDF Discount Booths and TDF Membership program; Accessibility programs (including open captioning, audio description, Autism Friendly Performances and the Veterans Theatregoing Program), Education & Community Engagement programs (serving more than 10,000 New York City students annually and thousands of underserved individuals), as well as the TDF Costume Collection Rental and Research Programs. TDF envisions a world where the transformative experience of attending live theatre and dance is essential, relevant, accessible and inspirational. To learn more about TDF, go to tdf.org. FB/Instagram/Twitter: @tdfnyc.
For more about TDF's Arts Education programs to go: www.tdf.org
ABOUT TDF: Founded in 1968, TDF (formerly known as Theatre Development Fund) is a not-for-profit service organization dedicated to bringing the power of the performing arts to everyone. TDF’s mission is to sustain live theatre and dance by engaging a broad and diverse audience and eliminating barriers to attendance. We fulfill our mission with a variety of programs that expand access, cultivate communities and support the makers of the performing arts.
We are known for our theatregoing programs, including the TKTS by TDF Discount Booths and TDF Membership program; Accessibility programs (including open captioning, audio description, Autism Friendly Performances and the Veterans Theatregoing Program), Education & Community Engagement programs (serving more than 12,000 New York City students annually and thousands of underserved individuals), as well as the TDF Costume Collection Rental and Research Programs. TDF envisions a world where the transformative experience of attending live theatre and dance is essential, relevant, accessible and inspirational. To learn more about TDF, go to tdf.org. FB/Instagram/Twitter: @tdfnyc.
TDF gratefully acknowledges these major donors for their generous support of TDF’s School Programs:
Anonymous, The Honorable Joseph C. Borelli - New York City Council District 51, Con Edison, The Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation, Myrna and Freddie Gershon, The Rona Jaffe Foundation, Angela and Scott Jaggar Foundation, Inc., Phyllis Jo Kubey, The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation, The Pinkerton Foundation, Kors Le Pere Foundation, Thomas A. and Georgina T. Russo Foundation, Scenery Bags, The Shubert Foundation, Andrew and Merrill Silver, Sony USA Foundation, TJX Companies, Inc.
TDF School Programs are supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and by the National Endowment for the Arts.
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