It is The Playmakers’ firm belief that the arts are essential to the education of all children and a powerful means of engaging children in learning.

Our commitment to this belief is grounded in a comprehensive theatre program for youth, which exists to build future artists and audiences for the performing arts and to help develop the aesthetic sensibilities of young people. Toward these goals, we work to create in students a deeper appreciation of theatre and its roots, an understanding of, and skills in, the practice of theatre, and an awareness of the many and diverse tasks of production and management that go into creating theatrical presentations.

The comprehensive program has three components: an after-school program for those students wanting to develop more extensive theatre skills in acting, directing, and design & technical areas; the opportunity to hone these skills by participating in a variety of productions, and an extensive in-school program for all fourth through eighth grade students in collaboration with the Grove Public Schools.

In-School Program

There have been many instances in which the Grove Public Schools and The Playmakers have cooperated to bring theatre to the students in the past 12 years. The school system administration values this cooperation, as theatre is not a part of the curriculum unless and until mid-school students enroll in speech & drama classes. In 2005, with the support of the Grove Public Schools superintendent, administration and teachers, and under the auspices of the Oklahoma Community Theatre Association (OCTA) the Playmakers began what has evolved into a long-term program to bring theatre education to the upper elementary and middle school students. This program provides the fundamentals on which the other parts of the Playmakers’ comprehensive youth program are built.

A grant to OCTA from the Oklahoma Arts Council developed a basic curriculum, which included five lesson plans. In the 2006 school year, using Playmaker artists as volunteer teachers, all fourth grade students were given this “Introduction to Theatre” which included theatre skills and their preparation, stagecraft, and collaborative production tasks. In 2007, the classroom experience was expanded to the fifth-grade classes as the new fourth grade classes began again.Oklahoma history subjects in the Centennial year were woven into the content of the previous year, allowing the students to adapt a story for the stage. By 2008, based on evaluations of the first two years, the curriculum was refined to the current program. Keeping the original “Introduction to Theatre” for fourth graders, now fifth graders are introduced to Greek theatre history and relevance to American theatre today. In sixth grade, Commedia dell’Arte is explored, again with emphasis on its contribution to modern theatre. In seventh grade, students explore the theatre style, “American Realism,” to broaden their understanding of theatrical presentation of emotional issues. Eighth graders are given the challenge of identifying the creative layers of a Shakespeare play.

Each year a live performance of an appropriate play by The Playmakers’ youth theatre illustrates the information being presented to grades 5-8 and gives many students their first exposure to a play. In-class critiques and evaluation of the performance and its relationship to the historical theatre subject provides the opportunity to re-enforce the material covered.

After-school Program

The Off Broadway Troupers, the title of our youth company, meets up to three days per week during the school year.   Its purpose is to further develop the talent and skills of students interested in performing in productions. It allows the shy to the outgoing to develop at their own pace with plenty of positive encouragement.

A fee of $80 per semester helps offset expenses. Those auditioning for a production, but not attending the normal after-school program must join the Off Broadway Troupers ($25). This membership fee is included in the fee for After-school students.

The fall semester emphasizes learning through performance, as most of the in-school productions need to be performed then or prepared for presentation in February & March. Students may be on-stage in some productions and work back-stage in others. Playmaker directors produce the in-school plays.

The spring semester emphasizes curriculum-based learning, primarily in acting, but those interested in technical and backstage skills receive instruction also.

When the original training program was discontinued in 2002, and without an available, competent teaching artist to lead the after-school program, The Playmakers focus changed.

We continued to produce a youth production as part of our regular season, and to include youth in regular season plays where possible. In 2006, we shifted our energies to the in-school program.

In 2008 with available teaching artists to initiate and instruct an after-school program, we began the program with funding from an OAC Local Government Challenge Grant. The After-School program operates with City funds, community donations, student fees, and a matching grant from OAC to the local government.

After School Theatre Opportunities

A series of theatre workshops for children in pre-school through high school will make up the Fall Semester program for The Playmakers’ After-School program beginning at the start of the academic year.

“We are excited about our new plan,” said Sandy McCabe, Instructor of the program, “because it will provide opportunities for more students to participate in shorter time periods. Also, students from 1st grade and up may audition for an appropriate production that is part of our In-School program. Rehearsals for most plays will begin immediately after school starts in the fall. In some cases, students may be able to be in more than one production, assuming schedules don’t overlap too much. Or they may be able to work backstage in one production and appear on-stage in another. Again, schedule permitting.”

Off Broadway Troupers who have been in the program for at least one of the last two years are encouraged to audition for an appropriate production also or for Elves and the Shoemaker, a regular season production opening in early November. (Students must be able to sing and move well for “Elves”—it’s a musical!).

Interested parents should go to The Playmakers’ website, gcplaymakers.com, for complete descriptions of the plays. For fees and times for the after-school workshops, call 918-786-8950 for more information.

The schedule begins with the Wiggle Worm set:

Mondays, August 16, 23, 30. Three sessions, each one focusing on different themes—shapes, music and body—using music, movement and dramatic play with help from “Mother Goose Manners.”

Mondays, November 1, 8, 15, 22, 29. These sessions will take the basic steps and build on them. Students will learn to use the body to imitate animals and people – expressing emotions without words. Music from “Peter and the Wolf” and “Carnival of the Animals” will provide a musical backdrop for the performers. (Previous August workshop is not a prerequisite.)

The After-School workshops below will use age-appropriate material and content to teach similar theatre skills for the different age groups. Students will learn the basic elements of theatre, improve listening skills, gain self-confidence and stage presence, develop characters through vocal and physical exercises to breathe properly & control and project the voice, and explore the expression of a character’s emotions through gestures and use of the body.

Tuesdays, Aug, 17, 24, 31 and Mondays/Tuesdays, December 6, 7, 13, 14 are for the Two Star Players (1st & 2nd grade students). The play, Totally Red will provide a performance format for skills learned in the December workshop.

Thursdays, August 19, 26, September 2 is for 3rd - 5th grade students, the Three Star Players. Tuesdays/Thursdays, November 9, 11, 16, 18, 23, 30: Four Star Players ( Middle School students)

Thursdays, September 9, 16, 23, 30, Oct 7, 21, 28, Nov 4: Five Star Players --New Off Broadway Troupers ( 3rd grade through high school) or those with only one year or less in the after school program.

All workshops and rehearsals will be at the Off Broadway Troupers building, 311 S. Grand in Grove, OK. You may contact Sandy McCabe or Suzanne Boles for further information and registration. Please leave a message at 918-786-8950 or email 1groveplaymakers@sbcglobal.net. This program is partially funded by a grant from the Oklahoma Arts Council and the City of Grove .

Summer Theatre & Year-round Performance Opportunities

After many years of presenting youth productions at various time of the year, the summer regular season show became a youth production in 2008 to relieve scheduling problems with other youth plays during the year .The summer production is part of our regular season and receives financial help from an Oklahoma Arts Council Major Support Grant. Four productions each year are performed as part of the In-school Program. These productions provide additional skills through our After-School Program. Besides the summer production, which is part of The Playmakers’ Regular Season, there are often other plays during the season with roles for students. See Youth Theatre History In the 2009-10 Season. For example, there were roles for two teenaged boys in Neil Simon’s Lost In Yonkers, performed in April, 2010. There were also roles for older students in the June, 2010, production, The Crane Wife. Occasionally, there are also roles students can take in short plays produced by our Readers’ Theatre.