theatre in our schools
Vault Theatre partners with schools to bring meaningful, imaginative theatre experiences into classrooms and communities. Whether you're looking to spark empathy, deepen curriculum, or build performance skills, our team of professional teaching artists can help bring your goals to life. Explore our range of opportunities for schools and educators all customizable to meet the needs of your students, your schedule, and your school community.
vault theatre on tour
Live theatre comes to you—right in your school’s gym or auditorium.
A high-energy performance that brings American Tall Tales to life. Perfect for ELA curriculum connections in grades K–5.
When classmates Emma and Zoe are assigned a tall tale project, their competing styles—logic vs. imagination—launch them into a whirlwind of legendary storytelling. As they retell the adventures of Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, and Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind, the line between fact and fiction blurs in surprising ways. Through physical comedy, fast-paced storytelling, and playful debate, #TallTales invites students to think critically about narrative structure, point of view, and the role of exaggeration in American folklore.
Curriculum Connections:
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American Tall Tale genre (ELA)
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Narrative writing and storytelling
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Media literacy and distinguishing fact from fiction
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Character traits and themes
Includes a study guide and optional post-show discussion to extend learning into the classroom.
Performance Requirements
Max Audience: 400 students
Run Time: 60 minutes
Space Needs: Minimum performance space of 20 ft x 20 ft. Auditoriums or gyms are ideal.
Technical Needs: Vault Theatre provides all necessary technical equipment. Access to a standard electrical outlet is required.
Pricing
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Single Performance: $625
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Two Performances (Same Day): $1,000
Are you a DPS School? Vault Theatre is proud to be part of the Durham Arts Council CAPS Artist in Schools roster. All Durham Public Schools are eligible to use CAPS funding to bring in programming.
We’re also a member of Wake County’s United Arts Council Artist in Schools roster.
Contact us to book a performance or for any questions!
Additional Workshops
Vault Theatre also offers a pre and post workshop that enhances the artistic experience students receive in connection with seeing #TallTales.
Prior to seeing the show, teaching artists will use active games and exercises to create a connection between the learning in the classroom to the themes in the performance. A teaching artist will return to the classroom after students have seen the show, to activate students’ own ideas in conjunction with the performance! Connecting to ELA curriculum, this pre and post workshop will encourage students to explore bringing #TallTales from page to stage directly in their classrooms!
While Vault Theatre can deliver one workshop either before or after, this program is best experienced with both a pre and post workshop bookending the experience at the theatre.
In-School
Vault Theatre's residency programs are designed to use theatre to integrate arts with core curriculum, engage in dialogue on challenging social topics, or create and build theatre skills. Vault Theatre offers holistic in-school or afterschool programs that pair with core curriculum or arts classes to engage in conversation, create empathy, and build pathways for individual student action. Workshops and Residencies are designed to work directly within the existing curriculum creating a strong partnership with classroom teachers on reaching unit goals and objectives.
Vault Theatre offers workshops and residencies in three distinct focuses:
integrate
INTEGRATE is designed to use theatre to integrate arts with core curriculum offered. Workshops and Residencies can pair with any core subject offering true arts integrated approaches to curriculum introducing theatre goals that connect with and enhance core curriculum.
Do you have a novel you'd like to lift from page to stage?
A science concept you'd like to activate?
A character in history you'd like to bring to life?
Integrate can meet the needs of your curriculum while seamlessly infusing the arts!
ENGAGE
ENGAGE is designed to use theatre as a tool to explore and engage in socially conscious topics and spark student action. Workshops and Residencies can pair with any core subject, or can be offered in any classroom as an entire school special day!
Is there a school topic that is important to explore? Interested in a special day honoring history months?
Do you have a leadership class who is interested in tackling an issue important to them?
Our Peer to Peer Leadership model gives students the platforms to become leaders in their school community on important subjects!
CREATE
CREATE is designed to create, explore, and build theatre skills and can work in any theatre arts classroom exploring specific theatre units or workshops that support work in the arts classroom taught by professional teaching artists.
Interesting in exploring topics like Devising, Clowing, Theatre for Social Justice, Business for the Actor, and more? Interesting in connecting a new skill to your current show?
Vault Theatre classes are designed to support young artists in cultivating their own artistic voices.
Reach out today to discuss your curriculum, and with no additional planning Vault Theatre will integrate arts directly in to your class unit objectives!
TIME COMMITMENT & SCHEDULING
All In-School projects can be delivered as introductory one-off workshops all the way to full residency programs of ten sessions up to semester or school year long extended projects. Vault Theatre can customize any workshop or residency program to fit individual school and classroom needs. Please contact us to arrange a schedule that works with your classroom. Example of schedules include:
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Enrichment Workshops: 1 to 4 sessions
This tier is designed for introduction workshops to specific subject matter using theatre as a tool to engage in dialogue. -
Exploration Residency: 5-9 sessions
Designed for in-depth exploration of subject in-class without ending in a performance. -
Performance Residency: 10 or more sessions
This tier puts students at the heart of the process to learn from each other through a collaborative project ending in a performance.
BOOKING
Full price is $125 per teaching hour. Vault Theatre will make every effort to ensure that money is not a barrier to participation.
To book, for price inquiries, or to discuss your individual school's needs, contact Lauren Sale.
Vault Theatre is proud to be on Durham Arts Council's CAPS Artist in Schools directory. All DPS schools have funds to book arts programs at their schools. All of Vault Theatre's programs are a part of the CAPS roster and eligible funding is available to use for all DPS schools to bring in Vault Theatre.
after school
Vault Theatre partners with schools to offer on-site after-school classes in theatre, storytelling, and performance all rooted in student voice and creative exploration.
Vault Theatre currently runs weekly theatre classes at public and independent schools throughout the Triangle. Recent partners include Montessori Community School and Triangle Day School.
Interested in bringing creative drama or musical theatre to your community? Get in touch today!
