Life Skills
Thinking skills
social skills
Emotional Skills
The StageNotes creative team, consisting of theater educators, scholars researchers, and theater professionals, has aggregated the following lesson plans and study guides in response to the need to align the delivery of arts education in the classroom with standards-compliant curricula.
Geek. Poser. Jock. Beauty Queen. Wannabe. These are the labels that can last a lifetime. With an unforgettable rock score from Tony Award-winning composer, Jason Robert Brown, (Parade, The Last Five Years, Bridges of Madison County) 13 is a musical about fitting in – and standing out! Composed of a precocious cast, no character in 13 is older than the show’s title, making it wonderful for theatre companies that feature young artists. In the Broadway production, even the band was made up of teens, which is a fantastic way to involve a diverse group of artists. The cast is comprised entirely of teenagers, but the stories that come to life here are ageless, the emotions they explore timeless, the laughter and the memories they provide priceless. Recommended for ages 12+.
Based on Charles Dickens' masterpiece, A Tale of Two Cities is a classic story about love, revolution and redemption.
The romantic story of a young American soldier, a beautiful French girl, and an indomitable European city... all set to the immortal score from George and Ira Gershwin.
Beautiful is the inspiring tale about a girl who became King with a stirring book by the late Oscar and Tony-nominated Douglas McGrath and the music and lyrics of icons Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Featuring such unforgettable classics as “You’ve Got a Friend”, “One Fine Day”, “So Far Away”, “Take Good Care of My Baby”, “Up on the Roof”, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling”, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”, and “Natural Woman”, this Tony® and Grammy® Award-winning musical phenomenon is filled with the songs you remember and a story you’ll never forget. Recommended for ages 12+.
Based on Tim Burton’s dearly beloved film, BEETLEJUICE tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose whole life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes. With an irreverent book, an astonishing set, and a score that’s out of this Netherworld, BEETLEJUICE is “A FEAST FOR THE EYES AND SOUL!” (Entertainment Weekly). And under its uproarious surface (six feet under, to be exact), it’s a remarkably touching show about family, love, and making the most of every Day-O! Recommended ages 10+.
Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella is the new Broadway adaptation of the classic musical. This contemporary take on the classic tale features Rodgers & Hammerstein's most beloved songs, including “In My Own Little Corner,” “Impossible/It's Possible” and “Ten Minutes Ago,” alongside an up-to-date, hilarious and romantic libretto by Tony Award nominee Douglas Carter Beane.
The Oscar-winning film DIRTY DANCING (1987) is one of the biggest and most important dance films ever made. This vital and sensual musical is based on the film and is a wild love story with pumping rhythms and vibrating dance steps. The year is 1963; it is summer, and the innocent 17-year-old Baby is on a holiday with her family. One night, as she is exploring the facilities of the holiday resort, she is drawn to the loud music coming from the staff houses. She meets Johnny, the dance instructor of the hotel, and together they develop a hot and passionate relationship which is not without complications.
After a whirlwind summer romance, leather-clad greaser Danny and girl-next-door Sandy are unexpectedly reunited when she transfers to Rydell High for senior year. But can they survive the trials and tribulations of teenage life and find true love once more? Recommended age 11+.
You Can’t Stop the Beat! HAIRSPRAY, Broadway’s Tony Award-winning musical comedy phenomenon is back on tour! Join 16-year-old Tracy Turnblad in 1960’s Baltimore as she sets out to dance her way onto TV’s most popular show. Can a girl with big dreams (and even bigger hair) change the world Recommended for ages 11+.
Come see all of your favorite characters from the special including Santa and Mrs. Claus, Hermey the Elf, Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster, Clarice, Yukon Cornelius and, of course, Rudolph, as they come to life in RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER: THE MUSICAL. It’s an adventure that teaches us that what makes you different can be what makes you special. Don’t miss this wonderful holiday tradition that speaks to the misfit in all of us. Recommended for ages 5+ .
THE ADDAMS FAMILY, a comical feast that embraces the wackiness in every family, features an original story and it’s every father’s nightmare: Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family– a man her parents have never met. And if that wasn’t upsetting enough, Wednesday confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before– keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. Everything will change for the whole family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday’s “normal” boyfriend and his parents.
With a joyous score featuring jazz, ragtime, gospel, African music and blues, THE COLOR PURPLE is a story of hope, a testament to the healing power of love, and a celebration of life. It premiered at the Alliance Theatre Company in Atlanta, Georgia and opened on Broadway on November 1, 2005, where it was nominated for eleven 2006 Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Original Score. The London off-West End production moved to Broadway in 2015, winning the Tony Award® for Best Revival of a Musical.
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1967, the hardened hearts and aching souls of Ponyboy Curtis, Johnny Cade and their chosen family of ‘outsiders’ are in a fight for survival and a quest for purpose in a world that may never accept them. A story of the bonds that brothers share and the hopes we all hold on to, this gripping new musical reinvigorates the timeless tale of ‘haves and have nots’, of protecting what’s yours and fighting for what could be. Adapted from S.E. Hinton’s seminal book and Francis Ford Coppola’s iconic film, THE OUTSIDERS features a book by Adam Rapp with Justin Levine, music and lyrics by Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay & Zach Chance) and Justin Levine, music supervision, arrangements & orchestrations by Justin Levine, choreography by Rick Kuperman & Jeff Kuperman and directed by Danya Taymor. Recommended ages 11 +.
“Wicked” is a popular Broadway musical based on Gregory Maguire’s novel “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” which is a reimagining of L. Frank Baum’s classic novel “The Wizard of Oz.” The musical explores the untold story of the witches of Oz, focusing on the relationship between Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba, who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. Recommended ages 8+.