In-School Residencies
Seattle Public Schools In school Residency Program
What we do
Since 2004, Macha Theatre Works Education Program has provided two-month playwriting and performance residencies in third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade Seattle classrooms. Teaching artists customize lessons after intake with classroom teachers, helping students collaboratively write a play about a content area they are studying. Students then rehearse and perform their original work for their student body and community. ** Macha continued the In-School Residency program virtually during Covid**
How We Do it
Cooperative learning – Students collaborate to write their play as a whole classroom, with support from our teachers.
Student agency – Through writing exercises, students explore character and identity. Each student's writing contributes to the final script.
Media literacy, reading fluency, and writing standards – These key skills are improved through research into history and current events, social studies curriculum integration, and writing exercises with a playwriting focus. Our teaching artists work closely with classroom teachers to integrate age-appropriate skill development into our residencies, helping students meet important OSPI writing benchmarks.
Respect for student experiences – Cross-cultural competency and reflective practice are cornerstones of our teaching artist training. Macha includes native tongues in scripts when English is new to a student – a proven method for language learning.
Dialogue – Students learn to put themselves in another’s shoes, practicing empathy and conflict resolution through dramatic narrative.
Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence – Learning with your whole body helps students excel in many areas, bringing out talents that aren’t fully utilized in a traditional classroom setting where aural and written intelligence are emphasized.
Our partnerships
Macha can be found in residence at Hawthorne, Thornton Creek and Viewlands Elementary Schools. If you would like to discuss bringing our program to your school, please contact: education@machatheatreworks.com
This program is supported, in part, by a grant from the Washington State Arts Commission (also known as “ArtsWA”) and the National Endowment for the Arts.
MACHA YOUTH VOICES
is thrilled to share
that we are partnering with Seattle Rep’s
awesome YouthFest Program!
From solo performances to full length plays and beyond, this two-day festival showcases the work of some of the most talented youth in the Pacific Northwest.
Two of our youth artists from the 2023 Cohort performed at the Seattle Rep on Saturday June 3rd, 2023
SOLO STORIES WRITTEN BY TEENS
Macha Youth Voices is a playwriting for solo performance workshop for teens and was inspired by MTW’s successful series “17 Minute Stories.” Participants go through the process of making a personal story into a theatrical piece and develop an original work. This series includes one-on-one weekly meetings with a professional Macha mentor, several group meetings, guidance throughout the process, feedback from members of the Macha team and a public workshop reading of the final piece. This program is funded by Macha Theatre Works and is free of cost to participants. Our 2023 Festival of Teen Stories was on March 20, 2023
Macha Youth Voices is led by Jenn Ruzumna.
Pictured above: our 2023 Cohort - Cordelia Carranza, Ana Magnano, Alexandra Poisel, Rachel Seres
Our first cohort in 2022 featured Hope Onstad, Izzy Rampersad and Cove Brammer.
