Educational Programming

You can support students of all ages with a scholarship donation for Footlights classes. Got to

http://power2give.org/go/o/255 and your donation will be matched by Republic Bank!

Classes are held in MHT’s Studio Theatre classroom, 120 Market House Square downtown Paducah Class Pre-registration form is available online. File out the form and send it to info@mhtplay.comCLASSESand your donation will be matched dollar for dollar from Republic Bank!

FOOTLIGHTS

Sponsored by Ray Black and Son General Contractors

Footlights, Market House Theatre’s youth acting troupes for grades 1-12, is accepting registrations for its new trimester of classes, which begins April 7. All classes meet on Saturdays in MHT’s Studio Theatre classroom located at 120 S. 2nd Street, and are led by MHT’s Education Director April Cochran.Students receive classes in acting, theatre games and improvisation as well as produce an annual play. FOOTLIGHTS emphasis is on fun, as well as developing acting, teamwork and communication skills. No previous classes or performing experience is needed. The FOOTLIGHTS fee is $50 per trimester. Financial need partial scholarships are also available. Those who wish to obtain a scholarship can pick up an application form from the theatre.FOOTLIGHTS programming is sponsored through the generosity of Ray Black and Son General Contractors. To register – phone Market House Theatre at (270) 444-6828.

class registration form

online class registration form 2012 pdf

online class registration form 2012 word doc

STORY THEATRE TOURING TROUPE

STORY THEATRE tours regional elementary schools each fall and spring with a 30-45 minute musical based on a beloved children’s classic. Fast-paced action, lots of audience participation, and a significant story makes STORY THEATRE a popular and affordable drama enrichment choice for elementary schools in our four state region.
The Market House Theatre just finished its fall tour of Story Theatre! We presented “The Elves and the Shoemaker,” a musical adaptation of the beloved fable. This fast paced and hilarious show features lots of audience participation!

The cost for Story Theatre touring shows are 70 cents per child ($175 minimum) plus a travel per diem of 50 cents per mile for schools outside Paducah. Booking dates are April 13- May 27, 2011. Call the Market House Theatre box office for scheduling or additional information.

Sponsored by Backwoods BBQ, WPSD Local 6 and Ronald McDonald House Charities.

THEATRE IN SCHOOLS

MHT’s Education Director April Cochran is one busy lady, but her shirt tails positively fly out behind her in the spring of each year. From January through March, she directs a baker’s dozen of plays (yes, as in 13), many of which rehearse concurrently. Market House devotees probably know about The Hundred Dresses in February, EAT auditions and rehearsals, the three FOOTLIGHTS performance trimester plays in March, and the spring STORY THEATRE troupe, but you may not know about a huge component of her job that affects hundreds of children each year: MHT’s Theatre in Schools program.

In addition to teaching the elements of drama through interactive theatre games in individual classrooms, April works with schools to put on full plays, most of which cover core content. No yawning allowed—these plays are fun! With names like Hatshepsut – Queen of Denial and The Case of the Missing Paragraph, the plays teach history, grammar, and even science like no text ever could, making it entertaining as well as informative. Punny jokes abound.

“April gives our students the opportunity to experience a well-directed and well-scripted play,” says Dana Donner of Ballard Elementary. “She gives the kids a look into how real acting can be both fun and rewarding, and may even get some of the children started in a more serious direction at the Market House plays.”

April schedules 10-12 rehearsals for each play, which is then performed for parents, community members, teachers, and other students in the school. Students who are not in the play will often study the script and songs so they can learn the content as well. This year, Ballard, Clark, Concord, Lone Oak, and McNabb elementary schools have used April for in-school plays, as well as the Paducah Middle and McCracken County GTC Drama programs. Clark Elementary just finished Disney’s Cinderella Kids after school for its annual musical.

“April Cochran’s knowledge and skill is an invaluable resource for Clark students,” comments music teacher Dale Julian. “She not only helps kids to be creative and expressive in the area of dramatic theater, but she shows them how to perform with confidence and be aware of how they fit in to the presentation as a whole at all times. Her expertise and enthusiasm allows Clark to put on productions that would be hard to rival on any stage.”

Schools fund the classroom workshops and plays in a variety of ways. One uses an activity fund, another the teachers’ budget, and others use GTC funding, PTO contributions, parent donations, and/or fundraisers. International Specialty Products provides corporate sponsorship for the overall program, which helps schools with their core content arts and humanities curriculum. Although the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System has been dismantled and arts and humanities are no longer tested directly, schools must still meet benchmarks and show documentation of how they are implementing arts instruction in music, drama, and visual arts. Parents and teachers alike see the value in the in-school theatre training.