2025-26 Student Matinees
We support Arts in Education!
In 2025-26 we have already served almost 1,900 Student and Educators at Student Matinees for A Christmas Carol and Misery. Last season, over 3,500 Students and Educators attended Student Matinees and we presented FREE Workshops at schools from Cape Elizabeth to Farmington for students in Grades 1-12.
Make sure you sign up for Education Emails so you can plan affordable Arts activities for your students.
SIGN UP HERE to get information about our FREE workshops and programs, student matinee performances, and to receive invitations to our Pay-What-You-Want No Teacher Left Behind Preview performances.
All tickets to Student Matinees are $7 each.
We offer special morning student matinee performances held at The Public Theatre featuring post-show talkbacks with the actors and director. Student rates are also available for our public performances. To help you make the most of your experience, free study guides are available prior to attending and pre or post-show workshops about the production are available upon request. Teach your students the habit of participating in the cultural life of their community and give them an experience that will expand their world in new and exciting ways.
Call 782-2211 to reserve space for your class.
Read more about how to reserve, payment policy and more >>
All Student Matinee tickets are $7 each. A $4 facility fee will be added to your order to help with the upkeep of our building.
2025-26 Shows
Still
by Lia Romeo
Student Matinees: Feb 3 & 4 @ 9:30 am
$7 for Students / Chaperones
Jan 30, 31, Feb 1, 5, 6, 7*, 8 – 2026
Thurs & Fri @ 7pm / Sat @ 3pm / Sun @ 2pm, *Sat, 2/7 @ 3pm & 7:30 pm
Youth Tickets (18 and under): $15
Playwright Lia Romeo was married to someone she loved but disagreed with on some important issues and found herself wondering “what do you do when you love someone, but hate some of the things they believe?” Although she wrote Still to figure it out, she admits, “I didn’t figure it out—but I did realize it’s a question that resonates with a lot of people. Instead of responding with contempt when we disagree, why can’t we engage? Conversation is the only way to change minds.”
Lost love is rekindled in this funny, heartbreaking, sexy and smart story, when a couple who broke up in their 30s reunite in their 60s. But can a “new you” meet an old expectation? What happens when you love someone but now hate what they believe. Second chances are given, secrets exposed, and an avocado goes flying in the Maine premiere of this recent Off-Broadway hit and Outer Critics Circle nominee for Best New American Play. Timely and compelling, you’ll be talking about this play all the way home.
PG-13 – Recommended for Grades 10 and up
Content Advisory:
This play is about a romantic encounter between a former couple and contains a balanced discussion of political and social topics including a woman’s right to choose.
There are 2 “F-words”.
Recommended for Grades 10 +
Whit’s End
by Norm Foster
Student Matinees: March 24 & 25 @ 9:30 am
$7 for Students / Chaperones
Mar 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28*, 29 – 2026
Thurs & Fri @ 7pm / Sat @ 3pm / Sun @ 2pm, *Sat, 3/28 @ 3pm & 7:30 pm
Youth Tickets (18 and under): $15
From the author of Lunenburg and last season’s hit, Halfway There, comes the US premiere of a hilarious and heartwarming new comedy about love, family and getting married.
When a widowed father summons his grown children home to share some “big news”, they arrive in tears convinced he must be dying — why else would he pay for their plane tickets? But Dad has good news – he’s fallen in love and wants everyone to meet her! Whether you’re a parent or a child, this laugh-out-loud comedy about the people we love and the people they love, is for you!
Recommended for Grades 9 and up
Grandma Gatewood Took a Walk
by Catherine Bush
Student Matinees: May 12 & 13 @ 9:30 am
$7 for Students / Chaperones
May 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16*, 17 – 2026
Thurs & Fri @ 7pm / Sat @ 3pm / Sun @ 2pm, *Sat, 5/16 @ 3pm & 7:30 pm
Youth Tickets (18 and under): $15
In 1955 at the age of 67, Emma “Grandma” Gatewood told her children she was “going for a walk” and set out with her duffel bag, shower curtain (to keep dry) and a pair of Keds sneakers to walk the Appalachian Trail. Two thousand miles later, she became the first woman to solo hike 14 states from Georgia to the top of Mt. Katahdin in Maine. Don’t miss the New England premiere of this true and inspiring adventure celebrating the resiliency of the human spirit and the courage required to walk into the unknown.
Recommended for Grades 9 and up
Hansel and Gretel
by Tanglewood Marionettes
Student Matinee Dates
Call 207-782-2211 to reserve for your class.
Tuesday, May 26, 2026 at 9:30 AM
Wednesday, May 27, 2026 at 9:30 AM
Thursday, May 28, 2026 at 9:30 AM
Thursday, May 28, 2026 at 11:30 AM
Friday, May 29, 2026 at 9:30 AM
Friday, May 29, 2026 at 11:30 AM
Run Time: 45 minutes, allow additional 10 minutes for optional post-show discussion.
Hansel and Gretel is based on the classic fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, and features melodies from the Humperdinck opera. The colorful set is in the shape of a giant story book; as the pages turn, each new and exciting scene is revealed. All the staging, scenery, and marionettes are handcrafted by Tanglewood Marionettes and together represent over a year of construction time.
The story itself is set in the mid-nineteenth century. As the tale unfolds, Hansel and Gretel must call upon their inner reserves and learn new methods to overcome the challenges they encounter while lost in the wood.
Rating: G
Recommended grade levels: Appropriate for Grades K – 6; best for Grades 1 – 6
Hansel and Gretel by Tanglewood Marionettes
Get a sneak peek at the show:
Earlier this Season
Misery
by William Goldman adapted from the novel by Stephen King
Student Matinee Dates
Call 207-782-2211 to reserve for your class.
Tues, October 28 – 9:30 am
Wed, October 29 – 9:30 am
Wed, November 5 – 9:30 am
Thu, November 6 – 9:30 am
$7 for Students / Chaperones
Oct 24, 25, 26, 30, 31, Nov 1, 2, 6, 7, 8 ,9 – 2025
Thurs & Fri @ 7pm / Sat @ 3pm / Sun @ 2pm, *Sat, 11/1 @ 3pm & 7:30 pm
Youth Tickets (18 and under): $15
Stephen King’s best-selling psychological thriller and Oscar-winning film is now a spine-chilling Broadway play! Truth is stranger than fiction when a famous romance novelist veers off the road in a winter storm and wakes up incapacitated in the home of his “number-one fan”. A life or death heart-pounding game of cat and mouse quickly ensues as his number-one fan unexpectedly becomes his number-one enemy. Public Theatre policy requires you to pay for your entire seat – even though you’ll only be using the edge.
Rating: PG-13
Recommended for Grades 9-12
A Christmas Carol
adapted by Christopher Schario
Student Matinee Dates
Call 207-782-2211 to reserve for your class.
Tues, December 9 @ 10:00 am - 10 seats available
Tues, Dec 9 @ 12:00 pm - 17 seats available
Wed, December 10 @ 9:30 am - 13 seats available
Thur, December 11 @ 10:00 am - 14 seats available
Fri, December 12 @ 9:30 am - 27 seats available
Run Time: 60 minutes, allow additional 15 minutes for optional post-show discussion.
Dec 12, 13, 14, 2025
Fri & Sat @ 7pm / Sat & Sun @ 2pm
Youth Tickets (18 and under) $15
Six actors and a fiddler perform the Dickens out of this beloved holiday story told in a way you’ve never imagined and will never forget! Don’t miss this unique and acclaimed adaptation originally created at The Public Theatre, now published and performed all over the world!
Recommended for students in Grades 3 and up.
Run Time: 60 minutes, allow additional 15 minutes for optional post-show discussion.
Educational Sponsors
The Public Theatre takes pride in recognizing our educational sponsors. We seek to develop a partnership with local businesses working together for the enrichment of the Lewiston-Auburn area. The following businesses have joined us in this partnership. If you would like to see your company listed here, please contact us regarding sponsorship opportunities.
Educational Underwriters
Helen and George Ladd
Charitable Corporation
