Student Matinees

A class trip to McCarter is an excellent and effective tool for enhancing many areas of study, including Language Arts, Social Studies, and World Languages.

McCarter student matinee performances are typically followed by a facilitated, 30-minute post-show discussion with members of the acting company. McCarter post-show discussions allow students to pose questions to actors and share collectively with their peers in making meaning of the performance and highlighting elements of personal resonance.

Reserving Tickets for Your School

To reserve tickets, please complete and submit the McCarter Student Matinee Reservation Form.
A Patron Services representative will contact you to discuss your reservation including:

  • The details of the contract

  • McCarter Theatre’s student matinee policies

  • The non-refundable deposit payment required to hold your reservation

  • Logistics on the day of your scheduled student matinee

For questions please email groups@mccarter.org

In-School Enrichment

Enrich your students’ experience of a Student Matinee performance and deepen the overall impact of your trip to the theater through a McCarter In-School Enhancement Program available at an additional cost. For more information, please email education@mccarter.org.

Primary Trust

Student Matinee:
Thursday, May 22 at 10:30AM

An absorbing and open-hearted comedy about new beginnings, NY Times Critic’s Pick, Primary Trust explores the inner and outer lives of Kenneth, a dedicated loner with a passion for drinking Mai Tais on weeknights. When he begins to face a world he’s long avoided, will he have the courage to embrace a new start in life?

Recommended for grades 7-12
CONTENT ADVISORY: This production contains alcohol, strong language and adult themes.

I and You: The Musical

Student Matinee:
October 9, 2025

A McCarter World Premiere, thrillingly adapted from Lauren Gunderson’s acclaimed and award-winning worldwide hit, with an electrifying new score by Ari Afsar. See it here first.  

17-year-olds Caroline—stuck at home with an illness—and Anthony—an earnest overachiever toting Walt Whitman and waffle fries—are classmates pulling an unexpected all-nighter. What starts as a reluctant assignment soon sets both their worlds spinning into a soul-searching exploration of fate, friendship, and the fragile wonder of being alive.

Recommended for grades 7 and up.
CONTENT ADVISORY: The girl in the story is very ill, and the play concerns how she and the boy she is working on a school project with face questions about life, living, and death. There is some cursing and discussion of sex and sexuality, but nothing graphic.

On Sale April 29 at Noon

A Christmas Carol

Student Matinee:
December 11 and 17, 2025

Our beloved holiday tradition returns with music, magic, and merriment for all ages.

On Sale April 29 at Noon

Kim’s Convenience

Student Matinee:
February 5 and 12, 2026

Before it became an award-winning, hit comedy series on Netflix, the laugh-out-loud, heartwarming Kim’s Convenience was a smash on stage. At Mr. Kim’s corner variety store, the only thing that isn’t for sale is his family legacy—but with big-dollar projects moving in, does everyone have their price? 

Recommended for grades 7 and up.
CONTENT ADVISORY: This production uses comedy to explore themes and spark dialogue around racial stereotyping, prejudice and biased opinion, and cultural rivalry. There is some mild language.

On Sale April 29 at Noon

Circus Quixote

Student Matinee:
March 10, 2026

Cervantes’ classic is reimagined in a dazzling new production from the creators of McCarter audience favorites, Lookingglass Alice and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. 

Somewhere in La Mancha there lived a man who read so many books that his brains dried up…so he becomes a knight! As Don Quixote embarks on his impossible quest for justice, Lookingglass Theatre’s signature acrobatics, breathtaking visuals, and boundless imagination transport audiences into his wild, windmill-tilting world.  

Recommended for grades 3 and up.
CONTENT ADVISORY: Contains amazing circus skills and theatrical battles featuring flashing lights, haze, and loud noises. Mild language and innuendo.

On Sale April 29 at Noon

Mrs. Christie

Student Matinee:
May 13 and 21, 2026


1926. In the library of an English manor, a panicked Agatha Christie bursts in, breathless. Champagne glasses litter the floor and secrets hang thick in the air. Days later, nationwide headlines trumpet: the Queen of Crime is missing!  

2026. Lucy, a spirited and impulsively reckless American, crashes a Christie festival in search of meaning (and maybe a decent cocktail). When she finds a clue to the great writer’s disappearance 100 years earlier, she becomes obsessed.  

Blending hilarity and suspense, Mrs. Christie asks: who has the power to rewrite their own destiny? 

Recommended for grades 9 and up.
CONTENT ADVISORY: There are references to self-harm, some violence (drowning/strangling), and adultery is a topic of conversation. 

On Sale April 29 at Noon

FAQs

  • Buses should pull into the circle in front of the Matthews Theatre at McCarter. A representative will greet them, guide the students into the theatre, and direct the bus driver to the nearest parking lot.

  • No. We ask that bus drivers stay with the bus in the parking area for the entirety of the show. In case of an emergency, we want to be able to know where the bus is and call it back immediately if necessary. The bus parking lot is not within walking distance of the theater.

  • Unfortunately, no. Space is at a premium and we simply do not have the capacity to house all of our student matinee patrons for lunch. In the past, schools have been able to find space independently on the Princeton campus (see attached campus map). Additionally, some schools opt to eat lunch on the bus. A third option is walking into town post-performance and taking advantage of the various restaurants Princeton has to offer. If you choose to do this we ask that your bus pick you up from Nassau Street rather than coming back to the theater

  • Concessions will be available for Student Matinee performances.


  • Please reach out with any special requests for seating and student needs. We create a seating map ahead of the performance to meet the needs of you and your students.

  • Immediately following the performance there is a 30 minute discussion which gives students the opportunity to pose any questions or reactions they had to some of the actors. It’s always an exciting and enlightening talk and we highly recommend sticking around for it! We completely understand that many schools can’t stay due to time constraints and we will ensure you are dismissed at the appropriate time.