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It is Theatre Development Fund's belief that future audiences are built by engaging students, first-hand, in the vital and exciting activity of the creative process, as well as providing opportunities to see live performances of great theatre. To that end, 1,000 New York City public high school and middle school students from 16 schools, who are participating in TDF's Stage Doors Program, will be attending a special matinee performance of the new Tony Award® Nominated Broadway play, Peter and the Starcatcher on Thursday, May 10 at 2pm at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street, NYC). Following the performance the students will have a chance to ask questions during a ‘talk back’ with playwright Rick Elice and members of the cast.

"We're excited to have the entire theatre for a special matinee of this remarkable show for our students," said TDF Education Director, Daniel Renner. "This production, so rich in theatricality and story-telling, will be the perfect introduction to live theatre for these 1,000 high school and middle school students. And the added bonus for these NYC students is that this play was written by a graduate of Francis Lewis High School in Queens, Rick Elice.”

The 1,000 students from 16 New York City public high schools who will see Peter and the Starcatcher through TDF's Stage Doors Program are from: THE BRONX: Bronx Leadership Academy, Lyons Community School, Monroe Campus, and  Soundview Academy for Culture and Scholarship BROOKLYN: Acorn Community High School, George Westinghouse High School, International Arts Business School, MS 381, and William McKinley High School, MANHATTAN: Beacon High School, Bread and Roses High School, High School of Graphic Communication Arts and Landmark High School QUEENS: Flushing International High School, Queens High School of Teaching and RFK Community High School

TDF's Stage Doors is a project-based arts education program that provides middle and high school students with a meaningful introduction to live theatre.  Each participating class attends a Broadway or Off Broadway performance and participates in eight in-class workshops: four workshops conducted by a TDF teaching artist and the other four conducted by the classroom teacher.  The workshops engage students in discussion, writing, reading and improvisation to prepare them for their experience at the theatre. This program is offered at no cost to the school or students. Over 50,000 students have been served through TDF's Stage Doors since the program was founded in 1995.

Peter and the Starcatcher, a new play written Rick Elice and directed by Roger Rees and Alex Timbers, just opened on Broadway after a successful run at New York Theatre Workshop. In this innovative and imaginative new play, based on The New York Times best-selling Disney-Hyperion novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, a company of twelve actors plays more than a hundred unforgettable characters, all on a journey to answer the century-old question: How did Peter Pan become The Boy Who Never Grew Up? This epic origin story of one of popular culture’s most enduring and beloved characters proves that an audience’s imagination can be the most captivating place in the world.  
Peter and the Starcatcher has been nominated for nine 2012 Tony Awards, including Best Play, Best Direction of a Play and Best Original Score.

Theatre Development Fund (TDF), which received a 2011 Mayor’s Award for Arts and Culture and has just been named to receive a 2012 Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre for their Open Doors Program, is the largest nonprofit performing arts service organization in the United States, returning over $130 million to hundreds of productions annually through a variety of programs. It is dedicated to developing diverse audiences for live theatre and dance and strengthening the performing arts community in New York City. Created in 1968, TDF’s programs have provided over 80 million people with access to performances at affordable prices.  Best known for its TKTS Discount Booths, TDF’s membership, outreach, access and education programs – as well as its Costume Collection – help to make the unique experience of theatre available to everyone.

For more about TDF's Arts Education programs to go:  www.tdf.org or about Peter and the Starcatcher at their official Web site: www.peterandthestarcatcher.com
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