Education Program
Profile Theatre firmly believes the value of an informed, educated audience. We support this by providing educational opportunities to learners of all ages- from community members attending performances to high school students studying theatre.
Hands On Theatre Program
Profile's Hands on Theatre Program offers a 6 - 9 week residency program at no charge to two to three area high schools each year, to those with limited to no access to theatre arts. The Hands On Theatre Program is an in-depth residency, in which Profile places a trained teacher educator at your school site, culminating in a production. This teacher will direct all interested students in a fully staged production of a play by the playwright that Profile is presenting in the same season. Profile will work with your school to determine rehearsal times (during the school day or after-school) and performance dates, tailored to the needs of your particular school.
Students are involved in all aspects of the production, including: set design and construction (painting, carpentry); sound design; lighting design and light operation; acting; and directing (depending upon skill level of students).
To provide students participating in the Hands On Theatre Program with a full theatre experience, Profile makes every effort to ensure that participants also have an opportunity to attend student matinee performances throughout the season, also provided at no charge to the schools. In addition to viewing productions, students involved in the program receive detailed study guides and participate in pre- and post-show discussions
The 2007-2008 Hands On theatre Program is made possible by
- Hoover Family Foundation
- The Roy and Diane Marvin Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation
- James F. and Marion L. Miller Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation
- Herbert A. Templeton Foundation
- The Standard
Study Guide
Profile creates an in-depth study guide to accompany each season. The guide is provided at no cost to our audience, community members and students. Click here to download this season's study guide, focused on playwright John Guare.
Mat Chats
The first Sunday Matinee of each Full Production is time for Mat Chat. That's your opportunity to discuss the plays with the creative artists involved directly after the performance. These informal discussions are lively, informative and give you a behind the scenes look at the process that led to the work you have just seen.
What is a Staged Reading?
A unique aspect of Profile's season is the inclusion of staged readings to further its mission of presenting a full scope of one playwright's body of work. Staged readings are a cross between a full production and a more traditional sit-down reading with actors on stools behind music stands. In a staged reading, actors use scripts, but the play is fully staged and some minimal production elements are employed to enhance the overall experience. Response to Profile's past staged readings has been that audiences "forget the actors were holding their scripts" -it's like seeing a full production. They are produced at a fraction (one-fifth) the cost of a full production but afford the full experience of the play and thereby enhance the audience's experience of the playwright.
