Beyond the Stage 

PASSPORTS PROGRAM 

Theater J’s PASSPORTS Program is designed to embolden D.C. area high school students to actively engage in the immediate, compelling story-telling of live theater.  A natural extension of Theater J’s mission, PASSPORTS exposes culturally under-served students to the wealth of historical events, philosophies and human experiences that theater addresses.

The idea of a comprehensive arts outreach education program that focuses on youth originated in 2003 upon discussions with then visiting playwright Wendy Wasserstein, who had begun her own successful arts outreach program in New York.  Ms. Wasserstein’s ground-breaking program served as our paradigm in the creation of PASSPORTS, as it matched small groups of inner-city students with New York theater professionals for a year-long engagement of attending plays on and off-Broadway.

Theater J will to continue to expand our PASSPORTS program, to further engage students in schools representative of all DC neighborhoods.  We take an open-minded approach to the development of the program, recognizing that the schools we partner with each year have a specific set of goals for their students. We tailor the Program to aid in achieving those goals, incorporating elements of Language Arts, History, Community Involvement and other areas of their studies.  PASSPORTS enhances and enriches the students’ overall learning experience by taking them out of the classroom into a hands-on environment, where they can freely express their thoughts and interests with a diverse community of actors, playwrights, directors, and other students.

If you are interested in learning more about PASSPORTS or if you are a school leader interested in the program please contact, Shirley Serotsky.

2008 - 2009 PASSPORTS Initiatives

Theater J’s Passport’s Educational Program, in partnership with Langhart Communications, LLC and The Theatre Lab presents

A Staged Reading of “Anne & Emmett”                                                               
Written by Janet Langhart Cohen  
Directed by Jessica Lefkow  (Honey Brown Eyes)       

Tuesday, February 17, 2009, 7:30 pm

FREE Admission

“Anne & Emmett” is a one-act play that draws historical parallels between the lives of Anne Frank and Emmett Till, teen victims of anti-Semitism and racism. The setting of the play is an imaginary conversation between Anne and Emmett as they recount their lives and commonalities that they have experienced. The mission of the play is to both educate and inspire the much needed discussion amongst viewers, young and old, on racism and cultural differences

In the words of the playwright, Mrs. Cohen, "It is my deepest hope that this play will not just encourage dialogue but inspire each of us to take positive actions to ensure a more tolerant world.”

For more information and to reserve tickets, please contact Langhart Communications, LLC at (301) 789-3303.