Michael Benson Photo
Annie DiMartino, third from left, works with students in Long Wharf Theatre’s Urban-Suburban project
Long Wharf Theatre has announced the launch of an education program in which 7th and 8th graders at the Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology will learn about bullying through the presentation of a theater piece.
According to a press release issued by Long Wharf Theatre on Monday, “Teaching Artist Mallory Pellegrino will work with 7th and 8th grade students to create a performance of Dr. Seuss’ The Sneetches, a children’s tale about bullying, and an original piece on the impacts of bullying on the teens’ own lives.”
Pellegrino was quoted in the press release as saying, “Bullying is such a relevant topic these days … I remember from my childhood watching an animated video of the story, and when we were brainstorming about what we should work on with ConnCAT, I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to bring the story to life and then have the students connect on a personal and deeper level.”
Steve Scapa, Long Wharf Theatre’s marketing and communications director, said ConnCAT approached his organization about developing a program for 7th and 8th graders. Long Wharf, Scarpa said, tailors its education programs to suit the needs of individual classrooms.
ConnCAT’s mission, according to its website, “is to inspire, motivate, and prepare youth and adults for educational and career advancement, through after-school arts, and job training programming.”
As reported by the New Haven Independent in May, a $224,500 grant from the Werth Family Foundation has allowed Long Wharf Theatre to expand its education programs. Scarpa said the theater has hired three new teaching artists, and that the expansion of education programs will allow the organization to reach out to more schools.
In addition to ConnCAT, Long Wharf Theatre’s press release indicates that “teaching artists will have residencies in five schools, including Fair Haven School, Connecticut Experiential Learning Center, Elm City College Prep, and Educational Center for the Arts.”
The theater has also launched a program called PAIR, in which “we are pairing an individual teaching artist with an individual classroom — an individual teacher,” Scarpa said.
The PAIR program is an outgrowth of the organization’s Educators’ Laboratory.
Annie DiMartino, Long Wharf Theatre’s education director, was quoted in the organization’s press release as saying, “The PAIR program aims to assist teachers with effectively employing arts-based techniques for intellectual stimulation and creative growth in students.”