StageWrite serves approximately 1000 students annually in San Francisco public elementary schools. StageWrite’s Building Literacy through Theatre sequential drama program begins with kindergarten and 1st grade students participating in story dramas based on social issues; 2nd and 3rd graders explore narrative story elements creating performances that reimagine grade-level texts; and 4th and 5th grade students write original work, including monologues and one-act plays, which are performed by the students and by professional actors. Our ADAPTS (Autism & Drama with Artists, Parents, Teachers & Students) program serves students with autism in inclusive residencies to engage students in creative play, improve communication, and encourage personal growth. All StageWrite programs are designed and implemented using student-centered methodology. It is our belief that students learn the most from examining their own thoughts and feelings, and thinking critically about the world. We believe in theatre as a tool for social change, and a means of empowering students and communities. This principle of StageWrite’s work has been a guiding force for 20+ years and has been essential in informing our response to the challenges of today.

As a response to the pandemic, StageWrite developed, piloted, and refined two new curricula: “Zoom-a-Rama: Community Through Drama,” designed for distance learning at the start of the pandemic, and “Room-a-Rama” which re-imagined our curriculum to use improvisational drama games and collaborative storytelling activities to build classroom communities and support social emotional learning as students returned in-person, serving 45 classrooms at 6 San Francisco public elementary schools.