Project Discovery High School

(Clockwise from left) Peter DeLaurier, Alda Cortese, Stephen Novelli, Melanye Finister, Kevin Bergen, Rob Barnes, Mary Elizabeth Scallen, Jason Ma, and Ceal Phelan in Ellen McLaughlin’s The Persians, from the drama by Aeschylus, 2008 Photo by Mark Garvin.

Melanye Finister as Atossa in Ellen McLaughlin’s The Persians. Photo by Mark Garvin.

Project Discovery High School began in 1987 with a production of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Since then People's Light has provided 450,000 free tickets to students from 21 area high schools. Funding from corporations, foundations, and individuals cover the cost of the tickets. For many students, coming to People's Light is the first time they have seen a professionally-produced play.

The same high schools take part each year. This continuity allows for long-term relationships to develop between the teachers and People's Light. Currently, there are no openings for new schools to join the Project Discovery High School Program.

Downingtown School District has participated in Project Discovery since the beginning. Downingtown High School's English Department Chair, Nancy Robinson, says, "The shows at People's Light engage our students on many levels. Students leave the theatre talking, debating, and laughing. Teachers often conduct mini-classes on the buses returning to school because we don't want to miss these wonderful 'teachable moments.'"

Peter DeLaurier as Defarge and Julianna Zinkel as Lucie Manette in Dwayne Hartford’s A Tale of Two Cities, based on the novel by Charles Dickens.  Photo by Mark Garvin.

Project Discovery productions are open to students of all abilities and interests (you don’t need to be in the drama club or have high grades to come). During the 2008-09 school year, Project Discovery High School students saw The Persians, based on the classic Greek drama by Aeschylus (this production toured to the schools); and A Tale of Two Cities based on the novel by Charles Dickens at Peoples Light.

Other Project Discovery High School productions include: Theophilus North, based on a novel by Thornton Wilder; The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams; Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Moliere’s The Imaginary Invalid, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, and Carson McCullers’ Member of the Wedding.

Here are some responses to our most recent Project Discovery production of A Tale of Two Cities: “Talk backs are great—informative, but not overly long,” “Wonderful!” and “Students loved the production.”

This year’s Project Discovery production will be an inside look at Shakespeare’s King Lear. The performance will crack open scenes from the play to give the students a deeper understanding of the story and will explore the themes in Shakespeare’s King Lear through an interactive exchange between the actors and the students. Each performance includes a post-show conversation with the cast. And students who attend the Interactive Lear will be offered the chance to receive complimentary tickets to the full production. The Theatre also frequently provides teacher workshops and in-school residencies to participating schools as well as posting a study guide on the website.

 


Tom Teti, Julianna Zinkel, Stephen Novelli, Michael Stewart Allen, Mary Elizabeth Scallen, and Peter DeLaurier in Dwayne Hartford’s A TALE OF TWO CITIES, based on the novel by Charles Dickens. Photo by Mark Garvin.

Schools Participating in Project Discovery

Chester County
Avon Grove High School, West Grove
Bayard Rustin High School, West Chester
Bishop Shanahan High School, Downingtown
B. Reed Henderson High School, West Chester
Center for Arts & Technology, Pickering Campus, Phoenixville
Coatesville Area Senior High School, Coatesville
Coatesville Area 9th & 10th Grade Center, Coatesville
Conestoga High School, Berwyn
Downingtown East High School, Downingtown
Downingtown West High School, Downingtown
East High School, West Chester
Great Valley High School, Malvern
Kennett High School, Kennett Square
Octorara Area High School, Atglen
Owen J.Roberts High School, Pottstown
Oxford Area High School, Oxford
Phoenixville Area High School, Phoenixville
Unionville High School, Kennett Square

Delaware County
Interboro High School, Prospect Park

Montgomery County
Hatboro-Horsham Senior High School, Horsham
Norristown Area High School, Norristown