For Schools

All Signature Theatre workshops are taught by the staff of the Tony Award-winning Signature Theatre and professional theater artists. One-off workshops can be a great aid to teachers and students. Whether you’re needing a theatre professional to come in and reiterate and build upon the work you’ve already done or you’re wanting someone with a set of theatrical skills that aren’t your own to come in, there’s great advantage to bringing someone else in. And when that someone else is regularly creating theater in the professional world, the benefits to your students are innumerable.

If you have an idea for what you’d like to work on, we encourage you to reach out via email to us at education@sigtheatre.org. We’ll set up a phone call to chat with you about how to best help your students. You can click here to see a list of some of the workshops we’ve done at other schools in the past (along with suggested pricing). Don’t see what you’re looking for? That’s alright! Share with us what you’re looking for and we’ll do our best to make it happen.

There is no limit to how many workshops you can book. All workshops though are available pending instructor availability.

Many schools decide a year-round residency is a better help for their students. A year-round residency allows the students to build a relationship with Signature Theatre and allows a constant evolution in approach to ensure that the students are growing with Signature’s artists. No two residencies are the same; each is custom made to fit the needs of the school. Some schools bring Signature in to work with each of their classes every month, some opt to only bring in Signature to work with specific classes, some do an every other month schedule, etc. It’s flexible but the goal of all residencies is the same: to provide the opportunity for students to grow over time with Signature’s professional artists.

Residencies in the past have been established with theater classes, English classes, social studies classes, ELL classes and are available for a wide variety of subjects. Regardless of the subject, Signature guarantees a hands-on and theatrical approach to assisting the classroom teacher in teaching their students. Costs for residencies and workshops are minimal and determined between Signature Education and the school’s teacher, based on the school’s budget and economics and the expenses of the programming.

To begin designing your residency, e-mail education@sigtheatre.org.

Signature in the Schools produces a world premiere play each winter featuring a cast and crew of high school students from throughout the DMV area, a professional actor and professional design team. All tickets for student matinees are free and include a brief post-show discussion with the cast and crew. Transportation is free for groups from Arlington Public Schools. These productions are designed for 9th grade through 12th grade.

Check back later for more information about the 2026-2027 production in the summer of 2026.

All participating school groups receive free teacher and student websites and can receive a free preshow workshop in the classroom prior to their fieldtrip.

Click here to learn more about the program. To book tickets, email sigschools@sigtheatre.org.

Signature Theatre is proud to announce that the 2026-2027 season will feature special student matinee performances for area schools for the performances and dates listed below.

Email education@sigtheatre.org to be added to our “Field Trip Update” notification list and you’ll be the first to know all that we have to share about this year’s field trip performances.

Merrily We Roll Along

• September 29 at 11AM

Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by George Furth
Based on the original play by George S. Kaufman & Moss Hart
Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick
Originally Directed on Broadway by Harold Prince
Originally Produced on Broadway by Lord Grade, Martin Starger, Robert Fryer & Harold Prince in association with Ruth Mitchell & Howard Haines
Music Directed by Jon Kalbfleisch
Directed & Choreographed by Matthew Gardiner

Directed by Matthew Gardiner, Sondheim's masterwork about friendship, ambition and the compromises that shape a life takes the Signature stage after a 20-year absence.

Told in reverse chronological order, the musical follows three longtime friends as they navigate idealism, loyalty and disappointment over the course of twenty years. The successes and failures of their adulthoods unwind as the cynicism of age erases back to the glowing optimism of youth.

Crackling with wit and a rich musical score, Sondheim’s gem features the gorgeous songs “Our Time,” “Good Thing Going,” and “Not a Day Goes By.”

Content Warning
This show will contain adult themes including alcohol usage and discussions of marital infidelity. Recommended for grades 9-12. To discuss any content concerns, reach out at education@sigtheatre.org.

Running time is approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission.

Transportation: Signature Theatre is unable to provide buses for student matinee performances.

Ticket Lottery

Due to the overwhelming demand for tickets, tickets to mainstage student matinees are only available to schools via a virtual lottery system.

• Lottery submission information will be released later in the 26-27 season.
• Questions about the ticket lottery should be directed to groups@sigtheatre.org.

All the World's a Stage

• November 4 at 11AM

A Musical by Adam Gwon
Music Directed by Marika Countouris
Directed by Matthew Gardiner

A moving new musical about embracing who you are and the life-saving power of art by one of contemporary musical theater’s most exciting voices Adam Gwon (Ordinary Days, Cake Off).

In 1996, a closeted high school math teacher agrees to mentor a student for a theater competition. Both outsiders in their small-town community, their exploration of Angels in America unsettles the town’s delicate balance, and the vise of intolerance begins to tighten, twisting their lives in unexpected ways.  

This deeply human tale, with an expressive score, is a rallying cry for authenticity and a touching tribute to all the teachers whose selfless courage uplifts and changes us all.

Content Warning
This show contains portrayals of and discussions of intolerance and intentional property damage against the LGTBQ+ community and LGTBQ+ owned businesses. Recommend for grades 10-12. To discuss any content concerns, reach out at education@sigtheatre.org.

Running Time is approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes, with no intermission.

Transportation Signature Theatre is unable to provide buses for student matinee performances.

Ticket Lottery

Due to the overwhelming demand for tickets, tickets to mainstage student matinees are only available to schools via a virtual lottery system.

• Lottery submission information will be released later in the 26-27 season.
• Questions about the ticket lottery should be directed to groups@sigtheatre.org.

The Secret Garden

• January 6, 2027 at 11AM
• January 7, 2027 at 11AM

Book and Lyrics by Marsha Norman
Music by Lucy Simon
Based on the Novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Music Directed by William Yanesh
Choreographed by Kelly Crandall d’Amboise
Directed by Ethan Heard

Lucy Simon and Pulitzer Prize winner Marsha Norman’s Tony Award-winning musical adaptation of the classic Victorian novel receives a gorgeous new production shaped for Signature's intimate stage.

After losing her parents, 11-year-old Mary is sent to live with a wealthy, reclusive uncle she’s never met. As she explores the manor on the wild hills of England’s moors, Mary unearths many secrets, from the haunted inhabitants to the magic of a dormant garden. Sadness fades with the blossoms of spring as Mary’s determination to revive the garden’s beauty transforms the entire household.

Enchanting and heartfelt, with a radiant score, including songs “Lily’s Eyes,” “Come to My Garden” and “How Could I Ever Know,” The Secret Garden is a life-affirming testament that seasons of loss will one day bloom into joy.

Content Warning
This show, based on the classic children's book, portrays characters who use racist, ableist, and sexist language, and who come from cultures that have benefited from colonialism. The musical is also centered on grief, particularly the grief one young girl experiences after her parents die from disease. All of these issues are discussed in age-appropriate, responsible ways. Recommended for grades 4-12. To discuss any content concerns, reach out at education@sigtheatre.org.

Running Time is approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission.

Transportation Signature Theatre is unable to provide buses for student matinee performances.

Ticket Lottery

Due to the overwhelming demand for tickets, tickets to mainstage student matinees are only available to schools via a virtual lottery system.

• Lottery submission information will be released later in the 26-27 season.
• Questions about the ticket lottery should be directed to groups@sigtheatre.org.

Open your students’ eyes to what makes the magic happen onstage at a Tony Award-winning theater with a backstage tour. Tours last approximately an hour and show students professional facilities and discuss job possibilities as well. Tours can be customized to focus on specific needs of the group. Backstage tours happen on a limited schedule based on our production calendar and price is determined by the size of the group. For more information, email education@sigtheatre.org.

Interested in bringing students to see one of our mainstage productions here at Signature Theatre? Student tickets are priced at a low rate and are determined on a sliding scale, based on the school's economics. For more information, email education@sigtheatre.org.

Additionally, Signature Teaching artists have brought arts integration into high school classrooms for years. Below is a sample list of subjects Signature’s team have helped classroom teachers teach. Don’t see the subject you’re looking for? No worries. Reach out to us at education@sigtheatre.org to begin a conversation about how we can best help your students.

• McCarthyism
• The Arab Spring
• The French Revolution
• America at War and PTSD
• Global Imperialism
• Civil Rights and Race in America
• The Suffrage Movement and Feminism
• Homer’s Odyssey
• Contemporary immigration issues
• Freedoms of Expression and the First Amendment
• Principles of citizenship
• The New Deal
• Contemporary relevance of The Great Gatsby
• History of institutional abuse of women in America
• Playwrighting
• Page to Stage: Visualizing the Play You’re Reading