Take a field trip to Lyric Stage for Backstage, an education program that provides an introduction to the jobs and potential back stage career paths in the performing arts such as lighting, sound, props, and costuming.

Sessions will be held on-site at Lyric Stage and last approximately 90 minutes:

• The first half of the session will provide an introduction to the space and the technical elements used to create a performance.  Students will meet professional designers who will introduce the key processes and skills used in their work.
• In the second half, students will watch a performance of a play that incorporates the demonstrated design elements, giving students a behind-the-scenes look at how the design choices were made and how they contribute to the storytelling onstage.

Dates

All performances will begin at 10am.

High School

• October 15 and 16, 2025 
• October 21, 22, and 23, 2025

Middle School

• January 22, 2026
• January 27, 28, and 29, 2026

To sign up or learn more, please email alex_smith@lyricstage.com

All participating schools will receive a pre-show education guide that includes an excerpt from the play the group will see performed and suggested activities that support students in beginning the process of thinking like designers.

Boston Public Schools will have the option to add on a post-show visit from the show’s director and one member of the professional design team.  Content for the visit will be customized to the group and could include additional Q&A on careers and/or design process, a brief hands-on activity, and/or providing feedback on student work such as the activities from the pre-show materials.  Post-show visits will be scheduled on an as-requested basis as designer availability permits.

To sign up or learn more, contact alex_smith@lyricstage.com

In Lyric Backstage, students will:

• Learn basic fundamentals of how various aspects of design are used in the theatre.
• Gain familiarity with the purpose of various areas of theatrical design and how technical theatre communicates, compliments, and frames a theatrical production.
• Understand the designer’s role and the elements and principles which designers use to establish meaning in the mind of the audience.

High School: Senior Year Project  by Fabiola Decius

Middle School: Envy & Hope by Kristen Palmer

In a world in which most human interactions and needs have gone virtual, we meet a pair of digital workers who believe all there is to life is earning “credits.” That is, until a mysterious person delivers a mysterious box, which grants the workers the opportunity to see the potential beyond what they think they know. Dystopian sci-fi combines with mythology and physical comedy in this quirky play about the nature of curiosity and imagination.

Lyric Stage is Boston’s longest-serving resident theatre company. Lyric’s season of productions features the talents of local directors, actors, designers, and production staff, and through its commitment to these artists’ growth, the theatre plays a vital role in the Boston theatre community. Similarly, Lyric’s Community Programs celebrate the many intersecting communities that call Greater Boston home via the essential communal practice of theatrical storytelling.

“I have been attending Lyric Backstage with my theater students the last two years or so and I really enjoy it and they do as well … The level of depth and understanding from students in regards to design elements after attending a Lyric Back Stage production versus other productions is a true testament as to how valuable this program is.” – Fabiola Decius, Theatre Teacher at Josiah Quincy Upper School, Boston Public Schools

“This is a fantastic program that opened our students’ eyes to some of the not super obvious jobs in theater! They LOVED it and can’t stop talking about it. We cannot wait for next year!” – Sara Goddu, Theatre Teacher at Randolph High School

“For some of our students this was their first time in a professional theater, for others they are growing their tech/design skills and contemplating a potential career in theater, so this was great for so many of our kids in different ways … We had a lot of fruitful conversations about the different tech elements on the way home – what they noticed, how they were similar or sometimes different to what they had imagined from reading the script, and how elements like lights and sound helped to tell the story.” – Leah Hamilton French, Theatre Teacher at Salem High School

“’That was awesome!’ my students shouted at the end of the show. With limited resources, they don’t often get to experience all the different aspects of theater. This opportunity gave them something truly special — an experience they wouldn’t have had otherwise.”  – Magalie Neff, Theatre Teacher at Henry Grew School, Boston Public Schools

“My 6th graders were thrilled! They really benefited from seeing the technical elements in action and enjoyed every minute of the play that followed.  We had a great debrief and reflection after and they were able to cite many examples from the show.”  – Laurie Demarco, Theatre Teacher at Joseph Lee K-8 School, Boston Public Schools

“This is a terrific program . . . It is so great for students to see a small theatre in operation and gain understanding of what goes into the process. I highly recommend this program to other theatre and arts teachers looking for an impactful experience for their students.”  – Travis Knupp, Arts Teacher at Patrick J. Lyndon Pilot School, Boston Public Schools

Backstage is featured on WBZ/CBS Boston!

See Backstage in Action

Sponsors

Lyric Backstage is made possible by the generous support of our sponsor, First Republic Bank