2023 - 24 Student Matinees

All tickets to Student Matinees are $5 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.

Cinderella

by Tanglewood Marionettes

Call 782-2211 to reserve your class trip!

Monday, May 20, 2024 at 9:30 AM – 11 seats
Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at 9:30 AM – 22 seats
Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at 11:30 AM – 13 seats
Wednesday, May 22, 2024 at 9:30 AM – 15 seats
Thursday, May 23, 2024 at 9:30 AM – 28 seats
Thursday, May 23, 2024 at 11:30 AM – 39 seats
Friday, May 24, 2024 at 9:30 AM – SOLD OUT
Friday, May 24, 2024 at 11:30 AM – 35 seats

Tanglewood Marionettes award winning production of Cinderella is a classic fairy tale told with wit and style, sure to please audiences of all ages.

Set in the eighteenth century and featuring a dozen lavishly costumed 30” marionettes, the story unfolds as the pages of a giant book open to reveal a beautifully painted village square, rustic kitchen, magnificent ballroom, plus many more settings.

All your favorite characters are here, from gentle Cinderella to the silly stepsisters and the charming Prince, and yet we offer a few surprises. Cinderella’s conveyance to the ball is NOT the traditional horse-drawn coach, and, when all hope seems lost, a clever little bluebird saves the day!

Don’t miss this magical classic told in a way you’ve never seen before.

Running time: 45 minutes

Recommended age: Pre-K – 6th Grade

Rating: G

Cinderella by Tanglewood Marionettes

Get a sneak peek at the show:

Earlier this season . . .

A Christmas Carol

adapted by Christopher Schario

December 5-7, 2023

These numbers do not auto-update. Please call for current availability.
(as of 11/20 12:30pm)
Tues, December 5 @ 9:30 am | SOLD OUT
Tues, December 5 @ 11:30 am | space for large groups

Wed, December 6 @ 9:30 am | 40 seats left

Thur, December 7 @ 9:30 am | SOLD OUT
Thur, December 7 @ 11:30 am | 20 seats left

A modern and traditional tale in one! Six actors and a fiddler perform the Dickens out of this beloved holiday classic—in a way you’ve never imagined and will never forget. This inventive version of A Christmas Carol will entertain and engross your students, while introducing them to the beautiful language of Charles Dickens.

Recommended for students in Grades 3 and up.

Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help

by Katie Forgette

Tuesday, Jan 30, 2024 at 9:30 AM
Wednesday, Jan 31, 2024 at 9:30 AM

Take your students back in time to a world before cellphones and social media, when you lived your life in person and public ridicule in a hermetically sealed Catholic parish was the ultimate nightmare.

It’s 1973 and the O’Shea family faces a comic crisis of biblical proportions when their 19-year-old daughter tells her younger sister about “the birds and the bees” and their conversation is overheard by the parish priest. Holy hell and hilarity break loose as the O’Shea’s band together to preserve their good name and prove that nothing is more sacred than family. Get ready for heartwarming laughter and all the polyester you can handle!

Among the laughter and history lesson of 1973, this show also demonstrates the role of women in a time when women’s roles in the world were just beginning to change. This play is structured as a “memory play”, and we are given the same hindsight as the narrator of the story to see how the world has changed and evolved, and how far we have come and not come.

Recommended Age: Grade 9 and Up
Rating: PG-13

Secret Hour

by Jenny Stafford

~~Tuesday, March 19, 2024 at 9:30 AM~~
Wednesday, March 20, 2024 at 9:30 AM

Is it possible to be your authentic self in a relationship if sharing your life with another person means having to compromise what you want? Like most married couples, Kate and Ben hold back being completely honest with each other to avoid conflict and feel loved. For fun, they invent a game called “Terrible Secret Hour” where they each confess an unflattering truth and promise to love one another regardless. But is being truthful the same thing as being true to oneself? Thankfully their wise and hilarious handyman has a life coach certificate and is happy to help them navigate life’s tough spots. Entertaining, humorous, poignant, and thoughtful, you’ll be talking about this provocative new play all the way home.

Recommended Age: Grades 10 and Up

Rating PG-13

Get the Audience Guide

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.