Student Matinees
2025-2026 Student Matinee Performances
Theater J is dedicated to providing access to world-class performing arts to students of all ages.
About Student Matinees
Tickets: $25. Ticket cost a barrier? Theater J is dedicated to providing access to world-class performing arts to students of all ages. Please contact Hester Kamin about reduced-cost and free tickets.
Study Guides and Workshops. All participating schools coming to Theater J productions receive a digital study guide and a pre-show workshop at their school for every attending class. Pre-show workshops in the classroom are required for students attending matinee performances. Post-show workshops are also available. These hands-on workshops deepen the students’ experience and prepare them for their trip to Theater J by introducing them to the content, themes, and style of the plays – and giving them the opportunity to act themselves!
Lunch on Site. Schools may coordinate with Theater J to bring their packed lunches and eat them in the building before or after the performance. Please note that no food is permitted in the theater.
School Residency Program. Deepen your Theater J experience with a residency program led by a professional artist in your classroom. Click here to learn more.
To reserve tickets or get more information, please contact Hester.
An Enemy of The People
High School Audiences
Thursday, November 6, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Written by Henrik Ibsen
In a new adaptation by Amy Herzog
Directed by János Szász
Drama Desk Award winner for Outstanding Adaptation and recent Broadway sensation, Amy Herzog’s work unearths the relevance of Ibsen’s tale for our time, weighing the cost of standing up to power when pressured into silence. Ibsen’s tale highlights the reverberating power of citizens who go against the status quo to do what’s right by their community. The story raises powerful questions around the importance of keeping society healthy over economic gain, integrity within influence, and the personal cost of speaking up.
The story follows a small-town doctor who considers himself a proud, upstanding member of his close-knit community. When he discovers a catastrophe that risks the lives of everyone in town, he raises the alarm. But he is shaken to his core when those in power, including his own brother, try not only to silence him, but to destroy him.
- Run time: 2 hours 30min
- Content Standards: English, History, Environmental Science.
Chanukah in the Dark
Elementary School Audiences
Tuesday, December 9 at 12:00 PM
Wednesday, December 10 at 12:00PM
Thursday, December 11 at 12:00PM
Tuesday, December 16 at 12:00PM
Wednesday, December 17 at 12:00PM
Thursday, December 18 at 12:00PM
Written by Hayley Finn
with music by Adam Wernick
Directed by Tyler Herman
When the lights go out during Chanukah, Max and family begin sharing songs, stories, and traditions – only to discover the lights they needed and the miracles they searched for were in their midst all along. If your students loved Tiny Lights, they’ll love Chanukah in the Dark!
- Run time: 1 hour
- Content Standards: English, History, Social Studies
Student Matinees Policies
Thank you in advance for explaining to your students that we have high expectations of their behavior at Theater J, and thank you for understanding that we want to make sure that this is a great experience for everyone. Before coming to Theater J, please ensure that your leadership team, teachers, chaperones, and students are fully prepared to follow these policies. Thank you.
- No food or drink are permitted in the theatre.
- Phones are not permitted during performances.
- No photography or video is permitted.
- No talking, catcalling, whispering, or other disruptive behavior is permitted. Students behaving in a disruptive way will be asked to immediately leave the theatre and wait in the lobby with a chaperone for the duration of the show. Thank you for your understanding that this is for the protection of our artists and the rest of the audience.
- All students will have the opportunity to use the restroom before the show. If they need to use the restroom during the performance, we of course allow it, but multiple students getting up/ moving in and out of the theatre/ spending time talking in the hallways and restroom will result in those students being asked to remain in the lobby with a chaperone.
Thank you for preparing your students for this experience!
For more information, please contact Hester Kamin, Education Programs Manager.
Theater J school programs are made possible by the Robert M Fisher Memorial Foundation Theater for Youth Fund, the Shapiro Family Foundation, and Share Fund.