about the project

Performing for Los Angeles Youth (P.L.A.Y.) is Center Theatre Group’s award-winning youth theatre and theatre education program. P.L.A.Y. serves more than 50,000 young people annually through a variety of performances, residencies, discount ticket programs, and innovative educational experiences.

Through a grant from the Annenberg Foundation, Center Theatre Group initiated the Annenberg Middle School Program (AMSP) to provide middle school students with theatre education and professional theatre experiences. Participating students attend two performances at the Ahmanson or Kirk Douglas Theatre and receive Discovery Journals providing background information about the play and instructional materials linking the play to the language arts and social studies curriculum. AMSP also provides middle school teachers with professional development opportunities on how to use the Discovery Journals and how to integrate theater arts in the classroom.

WestEd was contracted by Center Theatre Group to conduct a formative and summative evaluation of AMSP and provide technical assistance to integrate evaluation procedures as part of the curriculum. The research questions guiding the evaluation are:

• Does AMSP increase teachers' knowledge and proficiency of teaching techniques used in the theater?
• How can AMSP best meet a portion of the Visual and Performing Arts standards to enrich the students' exposure to the arts and the needs of teachers?
• How does AMSP enrich writing skills of students using grade-appropriate writing prompts?
• What are the successes of AMSP, and where do opportunities for growth exist?

WestEd will address these questions through teacher surveys, teacher and student focus groups, program observations, and data analysis.