Research


Scope and Content Note

This series documents educational and outreach activities undertaken by staff members of the New York State Theatre Institute (NYSTI). The records include study guides for teachers, which NYSTI staff developed to extend each production into the classroom curriculum. Each guide features a synopsis, vocabulary exercises and background information to prepare students, and (in many cases) costume sketches and set renderings. Design concepts and technical terms were intended to provide students with things for which to look at actual performances. Classroom activities, ideas for writing assignments and suggested interdisciplinary connections to the New York State Education Department's Learning Standards for teachers are included in the "after the performance" section. Study Guides were sent to all teachers making ticket reservations.

Also included are slides that depict scenes from various shows, as well as slides that document preparation for the show such as set building, costume design, lighting, etc. These slides were taken specifically for use by the education unit, distinguishing them from the public relations slides found in State Archives Series 22463. In recent years, these slides were replaced by Power Point presentations, and these have been saved on CDs. The series also includes schedules of educational programs (basically a calendar to keep track of when schools asked NYSTI staff to visit), lesson plans, video and audio tapes (used primarily as part of the Inservices program), contracts, and correspondence received from students.