Our school year work with students happens in and out of school time, and may include classroom teachers participating to learn active arts techniques from BAYFEST teaching artists, or students may work together with our teaching artists in residencies ranging from 1 or 2 sessions to months-long engagements culminating in performances. All focus students on communications and imagination skills, collaboration, empathy, creative thinking and establishing stronger habits of mind and body that strengthen their abilities across subject-areas.
Our programs are tailored to meet the needs of the schools and/or groups of students we are working with and are always structured to be accessible to all learners. They include:
. • In school and after school K-12 drama, rhythm and movement skills classes.
• In school and after-school original performance-development projects.
• In-class sessions with BAYFEST teaching artists to stage class plays, work on acting, movement and rhythm, or other subjects of interest that align with current curriculum. These include kinesthetic methods to enhance STEM studies, history and/or current events, or just to inject some fun and creativity into the class.
Summer Drama Camp Intensives for teens 14-19 are a great opportunity for those who are really motivated to learn in a 6 day-a-week, rigorous and highly structured environment — all taught by professional theatre artists with years of experience working with teens. Most ensemble members receive scholarship assistance, and we encourage anyone interested to apply, regardless of ability to pay. The summer intensives are also about building a very tight and mutually-supportive ensemble, and many of our participants have kept friendships going and growing for decades. For more information, see our Summer Intensive FAQ, and look at our photo and video galleries, where a number of summer productions are archived.