Adult Programs
Partner with McCarter Theatre Center to bring creative, collaborative, and engaging performing arts workshops to your community!
Our professional teaching artists work with adult groups to design impactful, participant-centered programs that bring the joy of theatre directly into your space. Each workshop is flexible, customizable, and designed to spark connection, creativity, and discovery in every participant—no prior theatre experience required.
Our offerings serve as a starting point and can be tailored to meet the needs and interests of your community. Looking for something different? Let us know—we’re happy to create a workshop designed just for your participants.
We look forward to partnering with you to bring the arts to life in your center.
Contact: education@mccarter.org
Pricing: Program rates start at $150 per instructional hour, with subsidized rates available for qualifying groups. Contact us for a full quote.
Improv Workshops
Discover the fun and creativity of theatre through McCarter’s interactive Improv workshops! These lively sessions invite participants to play, connect, and explore new ways of expressing themselves in a welcoming and supportive environment.
Through simple games and exercises, participants practice the core principles of Improv, including listening, responding, and building on one another’s ideas, all while sharing laughter and discovering new forms of connection. Our professional teaching artists make sure that everyone, regardless of experience, can join in and have fun.
These workshops are designed for everyone, regardless of theatre background.
Script Circle: A Play Reading Experience
Step into the world of theatre with Script Circle, a guided play reading experience led by a McCarter Teaching Artist. In this round-robin style workshop, each participant is cast in a role and joins the group in reading a play aloud together. No memorization or acting experience is required..
After the reading, the group gathers for a lively discussion, exploring the themes of the play, reflecting on personal connections, and building community through shared stories. This program offers an engaging way to experience theatre, spark conversation, and connect with others.
Theatre Creation & Performance Workshops
Explore the many ways theatre can spark creativity, connection, and discovery with McCarter’s Theatre Creation & Performance workshops. Guided by professional teaching artists, participants can either devise original pieces through collaborative playbuilding, sharing stories, brainstorming ideas, and creating new scenes together, or dive into acting and scene study, working with existing scripts to explore character, storytelling, and performance.
Both approaches offer engaging, supportive experiences that encourage self-expression and collaboration. Open to beginners and seasoned enthusiasts alike, these workshops are designed to be flexible, fun, and inspiring for everyone.
Playwriting
Stretch your creative writing muscles and discover the art of playwriting with McCarter’s teaching artists. This engaging workshop explores key dramatic elements, including character development, plot structure, thematic depth, pacing, and rhythm. Participants respond to thoughtfully designed prompts that spark creativity and refine their writing craft, encouraging imagination and creative risk-taking in a supportive, collaborative environment.
Introductory playwriting workshops are available for those just getting started, as well as sessions designed to support and challenge current writers looking to take their work to the next level.
McCarter Teaching Artists
McCarter’s teaching artists are accomplished professional actors, directors, choreographers, musicians, and visual artists. In addition to their artistic expertise, they are highly skilled in delivering exceptional arts education to students of all ages. Every McCarter teaching artist completes our curricular training process and undergoes a full criminal background check, ensuring both quality instruction and a safe, supportive learning environment.