The Milwaukee Repertory Theater provides students with a day of theater education as students from Trowbridge Street School share their experiences. (students pictured: Maddie Plale, Raul Benavides, John Thompson, Aidan Treder, Jaden Pacheco and Emma Tyloch)
The Milwaukee Repertory Theater uses the educational potential of their theater as a tool for students. From programs for Theater Arts students to programs for teaching life skills, The Milwaukee Rep is committed to give back to the community they serve. We visited with Jenny Kostreva, the Education Director of The Rep, in the middle of Rep's "Immersion Day".
"It's a full day experience for students that come at 8:30 in the morning and they are here through the end of the show" says Kostreva.
The morning starts with a tour of the lobby to get familiar with the play they are about to see, The Diary of Anne Frank. There's a scavenger hunt, demonstrations by the Rep's production company and a lobby experience where the students make their own diaries.
A smaller group of students at Rep's Immersion Day are in the middle of another Education program, The Reading Residency. For 20 weeks, the Rep works inside of schools to teach reading comprehension through theater. A group of students from Trowbridge Street School were there and told me a little about the program. They had been reading from the script for Diary, but weren't allowed to know the ending. They experienced it live, during the actual performance. After they complete the course in January, each student will receive their own copy of the book, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl.
The day ended with a presentation from Holocaust Survivor, Howard Melton as
he spokeabout his personal experiences in the concentration camps when he was barely ateenager.
More information on The Rep, their educational programs or upcoming performances can be found online at www.milwaukeerep.com.