Social Studies
History
Geography
Civics/citizenship
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.
AIN’T TOO PROUD is the electrifying new musical that follows The Temptations’ extraordinary journey from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. With their signature dance moves and unmistakable harmonies, they rose to the top of the charts creating an amazing 42 Top Ten Hits with 14 reaching number one. The rest is history — how they met, the groundbreaking heights they hit and how personal and political conflicts threatened to tear the group apart as the United States fell into civil unrest. This thrilling story of brotherhood, family, loyalty and betrayal is set to the beat of the group’s treasured hits, including “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination,” “Get Ready,” “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” and so many more.
With just one rub of a magic lamp, Aladdin’s journey sweeps you into an exotic world full of daring adventure, classic comedy, and timeless romance. It’s an unforgettable experience that blends all the cherished songs from the film’s Academy Award®-winning score with new music written especially for this Broadway production
Welcome to Hill Valley! When Marty McFly finds himself transported back to 1955 in a time machine built by the eccentric scientist Doc Brown, he accidentally changes the course of history. Now he’s in a race against time to fix the present, escape the past and send himself… back to the future. Recommended for ages 6+.
The fan-favorite musical Be More Chill is a rocking new sci-fi musical about growing up, high school, and what we will do to get what we want.
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+.
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.
It’s 1934 in Duluth, Minnesota. We meet a group of wayward travelers whose lives intersect in a guesthouse filled with music, life and hope. Experience this “profoundly beautiful” production (The New York Times) brought to vivid life by an extraordinary company of actors and musicians. Recommended ages 12 +.
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+.
Welcome to HADESTOWN, where a song can change your fate. This acclaimed musical by singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and director Rachel Chavkin is winner of 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical and the Grammy Award® for Best Musical Theater Album. It intertwines two mythic tales — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and Queen Persephone — as it invites you on an unforgettable journey to the underworld and back. Performed by a vibrant ensemble of actors, singers and dancers, HADESTOWN asks audiences to imagine how the world could be. Recommended ages 8+.
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+.
A revolutionary story of passion, unstoppable ambition, and the dawn of a new nation. HAMILTON is the epic saga that follows the rise of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton as he fights for honor, love, and a legacy that would shape the course of a nation. Based on Ron Chernow’s acclaimed biography and set to a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B, and Broadway, HAMILTON has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education. HAMILTON features book, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire. In addition to its 11 Tony Awards, it has won Grammy®, Olivier Awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and an unprecedented special citation from the Kennedy Center Honors.
Harmony: A New Musical by Barry Manilow & Bruce Sussman tells the true story of the Comedian Harmonists, six talented young men, Jewish and gentile, who came together in 1920s Germany and took the world by storm with their signature blend of sophisticated close harmonies and uproarious stage antics. Recommended ages 12 +.
Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Misérables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption – a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. This epic and uplifting story has become one of the most celebrated musicals in theatrical history. Recommended ages 12 +.
Set on a Greek island paradise, a story of love, friendship, and identity is cleverly told through the timeless songs of ABBA. Sophie’s quest to discover the father she’s never known brings her mother face to face with three men from her distant romantic past on the eve of a wedding they’ll never forget.
Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film comes to life onstage, remixed in a new musical mash-up extravaganza. Directed by Tony Award winner Alex Timbers, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is a theatrical celebration of Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and — above all — Love. With a book by Tony Award winner John Logan; music supervision, orchestrations, and arrangements by Tony Award winner Justin Levine; and choreography by Tony Award winner Sonya Tayeh, Moulin Rouge! is more than a musical — it is a state of mind. Recommended for ages 12+.
From Tudor Queens to Pop Icons, the SIX wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a Euphoric Celebration of 21st century girl power! This new original musical is the global sensation that everyone is losing their head over! SIX is the winner of 23 awards, including the 2022 Tony Award® for Best Original Score (Music and Lyrics) and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical. Recommended ages 10+.
SPAMALOT, the musical comedy lovingly ripped off from the film classic, MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL, returns to Broadway for the first time ever, following a record-breaking sold-out run at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Recommended ages 9+.
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.
The Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra arrives in Israel to play a concert. After a mix-up at the border, they are sent to Bet Hatikva, a remote village in the middle of the desert. For the residents of Bet Hatikva, life is aimless and monotonous. With no bus until morning and no hotel in sight, the unexpected travelers from the orchestra are taken in by the locals. Under the spell of the desert sky, their lives become intertwined in the most unexpected ways. With a haunting score by David Yazbek (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Full Monty) and contemplative book by Itamar Moses (Boardwalk Empire, The Fortress of Solitude), The Band's Visit is a carefully crafted gem of a musical.
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.
The powerful stage production of THE KITE RUNNER tells a haunting tale of friendship spanning cultures and continents, following one man’s journey to confront his past and find redemption. Afghanistan is a divided country, and two childhood friends are about to be torn apart. It’s a beautiful afternoon in Kabul and the skies are full of the excitement and joy of a kite flying tournament. But neither of the boys can foresee the incident which will change their lives forever. Told across two decades and two continents, THE KITE RUNNER is an unforgettable journey of forgiveness, and shows us all that we can be good again.
Winner of six Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, this landmark musical event brings together one of the most imaginative creative teams on Broadway. Tony Award®-winning director Julie Taymor brings to life a story filled with hope and adventure set against an amazing backdrop of stunning visuals.
The show follows the story of Atticus Finch, a lawyer in 1930s Alabama, as he defends Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of rape. Recommended for ages 12+.
“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+.