Education at Vermont Stage
Through our three education programs, Vermont Young Playwrights, Public Square Plays, and Suitcase Stage, we serve 4,000 students, grades K-12, across Vermont. Each season our residencies and tours visit schools in Chittenden County and regularly travel to rural communities in Addison, Franklin, Washington, and Rutland Counties, the Northeast Kingdom, and the Upper Valley, with occasional runs as far south as Brattleboro and north to Coventry. Our audiences include elementary students encountering live theatre for the first time, middle and high school students exploring complex historical and civic themes, and teen writers developing original work alongside professional artists. We prioritize schools facing transportation barriers and rural schools with limited access to arts programs and experiences. By traveling to these schools rather than asking schools to travel to us, we make our standards-aligned arts education programs accessible to children and teens who might not otherwise be able to participate.
Our Programs
Vermont Young Playwrights (VYP)
VYP gives students the tools—and the encouragement—to write their own short plays. Guided by teaching artists, middle and high school students learn to write a play, the best of which are performed at the Vermont Young Playwrights Festival — a culminating celebration of theatre and student voice. Along the way, these young writers sharpen language skills, learn collaboration, and discover the confidence that comes from seeing their ideas take shape onstage. Learn more about our long-running program (31 years and counting!).
Public Square Plays
Created exclusively for Vermont middle and high school students, Public Square Plays tours a story of historic importance with contemporary, socially relevant themes—featuring young characters—and follows each performance with a student Q&A led by a guest speaker. We travel statewide and also host field trips to our theatre in Burlington, opening the floor for dialogue, civic engagement, and reflection. Learn more about this year’s play called Gracie vs. The People, a new teen adaptation of Ibsen’s classic An Enemy of the People.
Suitcase Stage
Our newest education program brings the joy of theatre and imagination directly to Vermont elementary students. Each performance sets up quickly in a school cafetorium, library, or gym, is designed to engage K–5 learners, and ends with a fun meet-and-greet with our actors. In our inaugural year, we will have performances open to the general public in the fall and then launch a tour in the Spring to Elementary Schools around the State. Learn more about this year’s play called The Imaginators by Dwayne Hartford.
VYP gives students the tools—and the encouragement—to write their own short plays. Guided by teaching artists, middle and high school students learn to write a play, the best of which are performed at the Vermont Young Playwrights Festival — a culminating celebration of theatre and student voice. Along the way, these young writers sharpen language skills, learn collaboration, and discover the confidence that comes from seeing their ideas take shape onstage. Learn more about our long-running program (31 years and counting!).
Public Square Plays
Created exclusively for Vermont middle and high school students, Public Square Plays tours a story of historic importance with contemporary, socially relevant themes—featuring young characters—and follows each performance with a student Q&A led by a guest speaker. We travel statewide and also host field trips to our theatre in Burlington, opening the floor for dialogue, civic engagement, and reflection. Learn more about this year’s play called Gracie vs. The People, a new teen adaptation of Ibsen’s classic An Enemy of the People.
Suitcase Stage
Our newest education program brings the joy of theatre and imagination directly to Vermont elementary students. Each performance sets up quickly in a school cafetorium, library, or gym, is designed to engage K–5 learners, and ends with a fun meet-and-greet with our actors. In our inaugural year, we will have performances open to the general public in the fall and then launch a tour in the Spring to Elementary Schools around the State. Learn more about this year’s play called The Imaginators by Dwayne Hartford.
Why We Do this Work
We believe our mission to “make our community a better place” begins in classrooms and cafeterias, where theatre can tell stories that help us understand one another and the world we share. No art form teaches empathy better, and we want every student to have access to it. Our programs are dynamic and fun, and they create space for listening, reflection, and connection so Vermont’s young people can grow into thoughtful neighbors and future leaders.
Get Involved
If you are an educator and want one of our programs to travel to your school or would like more information, please email our Education Coordinator at [email protected].
Here is the 2025-2026 Education Brochure with more details about each program.
Here is the 2025-2026 Education Brochure with more details about each program.
Donate to our Education Programs
A gift to our Arts Education programs underwrites costs like actor fees, travel expenses, and school scholarships. Donations enable Suitcase Stage to ignite the imaginations of elementary school students, Public Square Plays to create a forum for teen discourse, and Vermont Young Playwrights to support the expression of burgeoning young writers. These programs cost over $85,000 each year and school fees only cover half of these costs. If you can, please donate to these programs so we can say yes to every school that wants to participate.
