The Playhouse is committed to serving our community through education and engagement programs. Our in-school workshops and residencies are designed to engage learners of all ages, backgrounds and abilities and can be customized to better accommodate your school’s needs.
We have programs that can serve any grade, Pre-K through grade 12. Our in-depth enrichment workshops, drama integration residencies, and theatre skills residencies have been designed with teachers in mind to meet classroom learning objectives and integrate required reading material and social studies topics while underscoring current state academic standards We can’t wait to come to your school!
Residencies align with English Language Arts and Theatre standards in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, supporting reading comprehension, writing, speaking and listening, collaboration, and artistic interpretation. Residencies are adaptable to classroom texts and curricular goals.
We would love to serve your students! Each residency or workshop can be presented to classes of up to 30 students at a time. If your group has more than 30 students, they will need to be split into multiple classes.
Through generous grants, we are able to offer our in-school workshops and residencies at highly reduced rates. The rates below are for one curriculum presented to classrooms of up to 30 students and include one teaching artist per classroom and all materials. Additional curriculum are treated as separate residencies.
Each residency has five sessions (one per day) that typically last 45-55 minutes.
Through generous grants, we are able to offer our in-school workshops and residencies at highly reduced rates. Additional need-based subsidies are available for schools that qualify.
Registration for 2026-27 Workshops and Residencies is now open! Click below to book an in-school experience for your class.
For more information email education@cincyplay.com
This is a multi-session experience available to grades Pre-K to 12. Each session typically lasts 45 to 55 minutes.
Through fun-filled, immersive, multi-session residencies, Bringing Books to Life invites students to step inside the stories they love. Across four unique program models, students transform literature, informational text, and historical moments into collaborative, ensemble-based performances. By engaging their imaginations, bodies, and voices, students deepen reading comprehension, strengthen critical analysis, and discover how interpretation shapes meaning. Each residency is thoughtfully designed to meet students where they are developmentally - offering age-appropriate pathways into storytelling, theater-making, and creative expression.
Designed for our youngest learners, our Character Creation residency introduces students to storytelling through play, imagination, and ensemble performance. Using an established story as inspiration, students create their own original characters and collaboratively adapt the narrative to include them. Guided by a teaching artist, the class brings the story to life by exploring how characters move, feel, and interact onstage.
Through exploratory drama activities, students learn the building blocks of story structure while experimenting with visual storytelling, movement and dramatic language. Along the way, students discover how character details and physicalizing key moments from the text can clarify meaning and deepen comprehension.
Examples of Topic Character Creation: Where the Wild Things Are, The Snowy Day, Go, Dog, Go!, Green Eggs and Ham, Gillberto and the Wind, Dragons Love Tacos, Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, Junie B. Jones Is (almost) a Flower Girl, The Wind in the Willows, Shel Silverstein’s What If, Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock, The Tortoise & the Hare, Cinderella
The Living Museum residency transforms stories, informational texts, and historical moments into a dynamic, ensemble-based performance experience. Students collaborate to create a “museum” made up of frozen images, physical storytelling, and character perspectives that bring information to life.
As they explore how to use their bodies to represent moments in time, students think deeply about point of view and work together to craft a cohesive narrative experience. This residency strengthens comprehension and content knowledge while encouraging teamwork, empathy, and creative interpretation—blending literacy, history, and performance into one vibrant learning experience.
Examples of Topics Living Museum: Grandfather’s Journey, Phantom Tollbooth, Walk Two Moons, Wonder, Holes, Bridge to Terabithia, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, A Wrinkle in Time, The Chronicle of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Number the Stars, Because of Winn-Dixie, the Magic Treehouse, Stagecoach Mary, The Wright Brothers, Greek Mythology, The Three Branches of Government, Colonial America
In Dramatic Interpretation, students dive deeper into the craft of adapting literature for the stage. Working as an ensemble, participants analyze a selected text and collaboratively write and present their own dramatic adaptation.
This residency emphasizes story structure, styles of dramatic writing, and the translation of descriptive language into compelling visual moments onstage. Students examine how artistic choices affect audience understanding and emotional connection, developing both critical thinking and expressive skills while engaging rigorously with complex texts.
Examples of Topics Dramatic Interp: A Long Walk to Water, The Outsiders, The Diary of Anne Frank, A Christmas Carol, The Odyssey, Greek Mythology, The Fall of Mesoamerica, Once on this Island, Dear Evan Hansen, Romeo and Juliet, Percy Jackson, The Miracle Worker, The Giver, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Revolutionary War, Bud, Not Buddy
The Page to Stage residency offers students an immersive, behind-the-scenes look at how theater is made—while deepening their engagement with a shared text. Over the course of the week, students explore a wide range of theatrical roles, including acting, writing, costume design, set design, and dramatic structure.
By exploring multiple artistic disciplines, students gain an understanding of storytelling and interpretation. Through monologue writing, design exploration, and collaborative creation, they discover how every theatrical choice shapes meaning and audience experience. This residency is ideal for older students ready to take ownership of the creative process and explore storytelling from multiple perspectives.
Examples of Topics Page to Stage: The Crucible, The Odyssey, Romeo and Juliet, The Outsiders, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Great Gatsby, Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, Frankenstein, The Scarlet Letter, To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, Great Expectations, Grapes of Wrath
In Dramatic Interpretation, students dive deeper into the craft of adapting literature for the stage. Working as an ensemble, participants analyze a selected text and collaboratively write and present their own dramatic adaptation.
This residency emphasizes story structure, styles of dramatic writing, and the translation of descriptive language into compelling visual moments onstage. Students examine how artistic choices affect audience understanding and emotional connection, developing both critical thinking and expressive skills while engaging rigorously with complex texts.
Examples of Topics Dramatic Interp: A Long Walk to Water, The Outsiders, The Diary of Anne Frank, A Christmas Carol, The Odyssey, Greek Mythology, The Fall of Mesoamerica, Once on this Island, Dear Evan Hansen, Romeo and Juliet, Percy Jackson, The Miracle Worker, The Giver, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Revolutionary War, Bud, Not Buddy
Empower students to communicate with clarity, confidence, and purpose.
In our Public Speaking residencies, students develop essential speaking and listening skills by exploring text, voice, and performance. Through guided practice, students learn to identify key details in a story or speech, strengthen vocal techniques for oral presentation, and make meaningful connections between the language of a text and real‑world communication. These residencies support academic learning while helping students find and use their voice.
Residencies can be adapted to align with any classroom text or social studies theme.
Examples: Great Speeches, Great Speakers, Flower for Algernon, Greek Mythology, A Christmas Carol, Love That Dog, Out of the Dust
Inspire students to discover the power of the written word.
Our Writing Workshops are immersive, five session residencies that invite students to explore fiction, nonfiction, personal moments, and historical events through creative writing. Using imagination and storytelling skills, students deepen their understanding of texts by retelling moments in time through narrative and active monologue writing. These workshops encourage students to write with purpose, voice, and clarity while strengthening essential literacy skills.
Examples: Beowulf, Favorite Book Characters, Personal Monologues, Social Studies: Holocaust Survivor Stories, Social Studies: The Little Rock Nine, Letter to Your Future Self, Dear Levi, Speaking Your Own Words,
All the world’s a stage.
Our Theatre Skills residencies are ideal for classrooms interested in exploring specific aspects of theatre practice. Through immersive, five session residencies, students work with a Playhouse teaching artist to develop foundational and specialized theatre skills including acting, movement, musical theatre, and playwriting. These residencies emphasize hands-on learning, ensemble collaboration, and creative exploration.
Examples: Acting, Improv, Character Creation, Pop Musical Theatre Singing, Classic Musical Theatre Singing, Contemporary Musical Theatre Dance, Classic Musical Theatre Dance, Stage Combat, Character Movement
Introduce students to theatre as both a powerful form of expression and a potential career pathway —no long-term commitment required. This is a single session experience available to grades Pre-K to 12. Each session typically lasts 45 to 55 minutes.
Immerse your students in the wonder of theatre—no long-term commitment required.
Our One-Session Enrichment Workshops are dynamic, standalone experiences designed to introduce students to theatre as both a powerful form of expression and a potential career pathway. Led by a Playhouse teaching artist, each workshop uses interactive drama techniques, theatre activities, and guided exploration to expand on a selected topic while actively engaging students’ creativity, curiosity, and collaboration skills.
These workshops are ideal for enrichment days, arts celebrations, or schedule-friendly classroom visits. Each experience is one session only and runs 45–55 minutes, making it easy to bring professional theatre learning into your school day.
Actor’s Toolbox, Improv, Public Speaking, Audition Skills, Ensemble Building, Character Movement
Career Day, Playwriting, Costume Design, Set Design, Lighting Design, Makeup Design, Directing
Enhance your students’ theatre experience with our interactive pre‑ and post‑show workshops.
Pre‑show workshops prepare students for performances at their school or at the Playhouse by introducing key themes, characters, and context from the play. Post‑show workshops invite students to reflect on what they’ve seen through guided discussion and creative activities that deepen understanding and connection.
Looking to create a full enrichment experience? Schools may bundle four to five one‑session workshops into a single Production Sampler Day. Students rotate through workshops back‑to‑back, exploring multiple performance and design areas for a fast‑paced, immersive introduction to theatre. Ideal for enrichment days, arts celebrations, or grade‑level programming. Many schools pair a four‑workshop Production Sampler with a backstage tour at our theatre to create a dynamic, behind‑the‑scenes enrichment day experience.
