News

This season, we were thrilled to welcome a record-breaking 18,667 students and teachers from around Central Virginia and make great memories with artists from all over North America. On average, our Arts Education Program serves over 16,000 students and teachers annually – and in total, more than 195,160 since 2004! We were also pleased to have assisted nearly 4,800 students with financial assistance beyond the subsidized ticket price of $8.50. Read more below for a breakdown of this season’s highlights – and stay tuned for 2019-20 Education Season programming details!

By The Numbers:

• 18,667 students and teachers attended performances in 2018-19
• Attendees were from 60 public schools, 25 private schools, and 56 home school groups
• Nearly 4,800 students were impacted by financial assistance
• 10 productions and 23 performances in total on The Paramount’s stage, including:

Theatre Heroes’ Call of the Wild: Illustrated Edition; Black Violin; Theaterworks USA’s Dragons Love Tacos & Other Stories!; National Players’ The Crucible; Childsplay’s Tomás and the Library Lady; Enchantment Theatre Company’s The Phantom Tollbooth; Mad River Theater Works’ Freedom Bound; Theater Unspeakable’s The American Revolution; Bay Area Children’s Theatre’s Peg + Cat Live; and Dallas Children’s Theater’s Diary of a Worm, A Spider, and A Fly.

Our Favorite Moments:

Over 235 teachers responded to post-performance surveys, and dozens of students shared their reactions through letters and art work – here’s what they had to say!

“The performance [Call of the Wild] was exceptional, and our students were blown away by the ability of a single actor to play so many roles!” – Walton Middle School, 7^th Grade Teacher

“This performance exceeded expectations. We want our students to see themselves as artists and performers. Having Black Violin members talk directly about their experiences in school and their choice to study violin in spite of criticism and stereotypes is exactly the kind of examples that help broaden the student imagination for what is possible.” – Aaron Eichorst, Fine & Performing Arts Coordinator, Charlottesville City Schools

“Our class loved that the performance [Tomás and the Library Lady] was bilingual and how they explained things as they went along. We wrote letters to “our library lady” (our librarian) to share our gratitude for sharing the love of reading with us. We believe in sharing with our children to be accepting of all people, share a love for all people, and create relationships. What a great way this performance did that for our students… all through the love of reading.” – Agnor Hurt Elementary School, K-2 Teacher

“Our kids were enthralled with the performance [Dragons Love Tacos]. They wrote about their experience in the theater and compared the play to the books. Literacy standards were met in abundance and the experience of being in the theater was one of the most valuable parts of our day!” – Woodbrook Elementary School, 1^st Grade Teacher

“Actors are masters of inferencing, and they showed our students how many meanings lie behind the words. This was incredibly valuable and helped our students from all levels better access difficult reading material. We would do it again in a heartbeat.” – Monticello High School, 11^th Grade Teacher

“We found the choice of The Crucible a strong complement to our curriculum, and we especially enjoyed the discussion of the technical aspects during the “talk-back”. From the informative study-guide, to the timely choice of show, to the wonderfully executed performance by the National Players, this show exceeded our expectations.” – Home school Group

“The value of coming to The Paramount Theater goes beyond the SOLs we teach.  The students get to see a story come alive in a beautiful theater.  They are captivated during the play, and then as a teacher we get to use this excitement to review and dig deeper into the SOLs.  Our students also were mesmerized by Charlottesville and the downtown mall. What a great experience for our students!” – Churchville Elementary School, 2^nd Grade Teacher

“We absolutely love Mad River Theater Works and their performances are a highlight for our students each year. The original music was terrific and provided a strong connection for our students. My students were able to connect and follow the story line more closely because we made real-world connections to the true history that inspired the play before going to see the performance. The educational value of this performance was great for my students.” – Peabody School, 3^rd Grade Teacher

“This was one of our favorite plays [Diary of a Worm, a Spider, and a Fly] to go see! We loved how diverse the characters were and the language they used. It really reflected where our kids come from.” – Johnson Elementary School, Kindergarten Teacher

4th & 5th grade students from Agnor Hurt Elementary react to Freedom Bound:

“Thank you for having us come to see the play Freedom Bound at The Paramount. My favorite parts of the play were dramatics. I also loved the singing and lighting. It was very nice that the play was sponsored by: UVA Office of the Vice President & Chief Officer for Diversity & Equity.”

“I liked the part where Amanda helped the person of color to write his name and then he came back to read it. I did not like the Marshall. He did not know the suffering they were going through. Thank you very much for the theater and Freedom Bound.”

“Thank you for having us come to see the play. I had lots of fun. I liked when the actors were singing songs. I can’t wait for the next show. I hope I will be coming to a lot of your shows because your shows are really fun to watch!”

“One of the things I liked was the singing and my second favorite part was the acting. It showed me to be good to people. Thank you and the UVA Office of the Vice President and Chief Officer for Diversity and Equity for sponsoring Freedom Bound.”

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