School Residencies

Quest Theatre’s School Residencies use developmental drama to explore the creative process. Passionate, mature artists use student ideas inspired from found material or chosen themes to facilitate student creations that are woven into a whole school production by the end of the week.

Program Highlights:

 
A Quest instructor in an orange Quest t-shirt stands in a classroom and shows 3 children a script
 

  • Week-long drama residency for schools

  • Instructors facilitate a collective creation process of theatre-making with students

  • Each class receives 7 x 45-minute sessions, plus tech and showtime, for an approximate total of 6 hours with instructors

  • Three program types where instructors work with students to take their ideas and direction to create 3-8 minute scenes performed by each class at the end of the week

  • Multiple options for performance times

  • Minimal prep for teachers

  • In-person or online format

  • Suitable for grades K-12

  • Quest has 30 years of experience providing drama residencies in schools

  • Instructors are professional theatre artists passionate about working with youth

  • Funding assistance available. Learn more

How to book a School Residency

  • Starting at $9000

    Each program is unique and the cost is based on the number of classes/ instructors required to run the program. You can book months or years in advance with a 50% deposit (balance due at time of the program)

    Book now and a we will contact you with a quote. If you are looking for funding opportunities, click here.

  • Before you apply

    1. Take a look at the full Description of our Artist in School Program. Don't hesitate to contact us if you have questions.

    2. Find an available week that works for your school from our calendar and fill out the application form that gives us more information about your school. 

  • After you apply

    1. We will contact you to answer any questions and confirm the requested date.

    2. Secure your week with a deposit and contract.

    3. A few weeks before we arrive, a Program Leader will connect with your school to finalize all details.

BOOK NOW

Have Questions? Book an Online Info Meeting!

Why should you choose Quest Theatre?  

  • Quest centers efforts on student learning. 

  • Quest teaches the creative process through developmental drama techniques.  

  • Quest gives weight to individual student contributions and supports authentic collaboration. 

  • Quest illustrates and celebrates the power of teamwork. 

  • Quest does not showcase Quest Instructors or the most talented students in performance. 

  • Quest does not encourage competition with other classes for the best scene.  

  • Quest’s schedule is manageable.  We appreciate and consider the ongoing work of teachers.  

  • Quest does not require extra hours from teachers or volunteers. 

person with light skin and chin-length brown hair smiles and wears a brown shirt

“Sometimes it is challenging to allow a child or a class to lead creation when the mature artist within us knows how to make a scene “better” or “more effective” for an audience.  We have to keep in mind that giving up control and getting behind a child’s idea goes further in developing their love of creativity and their sense of self, than pleasing a parent with a sensational performance.  Holding true to this value challenges our sense of achievement, but creativity is like a muscle that needs development, encouragement, and celebration to find itself.”

— Artistic Director Nikki Loach

 

The Benefits of Developmental Drama 

Using developmental drama as a teaching/learning medium has important long-term impact on the depth of student understanding and retention. Further, drama can develop social skills,  foster collaboration, build confidence, cultivate emotional intelligence, inspire an appreciation of culture, encourage community and team work, improve communication skills, promote empathy, stimulate imagination, enhance creativity, strengthen language and physical skill development, improve self-control, synthesize knowledge and understanding, spark inquiry, illuminate different perspectives, broaden social discourse, and teach respect, to name a few! 

Here’s what people have been saying about our School Residency Program:

“This experience has been fabulous! Thank you for all you did behind the scenes to organize this and to make sure that all the students had a blast while learning and engaging! I appreciate your energy, flexibility, and enthusiasm with the students. What a wonderful way to end the year.”

- Edmonton Public Schools Teacher

“We enjoyed our time with you very much and learned a lot about using our voice and body in different ways to communicate in addition to having fun!”

 - St. Cecilia School Teacher

“So much laughter and fun! … Thank you for your time, effort, and commitment to bring the life and love of theatre and the arts to schools and children.”

— Parent from West Dalhousie

FAQs

  • Your Program Leader will work with your school contact to prepare for the week. Quest arrives at the school with all the materials. A Monday morning meeting (20 minutes) is conducted to relay some important information before the first day starts. So there is minimal preparation time required on the part of the students or teachers. Quest will even create the schedule for the week once we know your bell and class times!

    • Each class is assigned an Artist that will help facilitate the creation of one 3-to-8-minute scene (determined by number of classes and desired length of performance). Scenes are created over the course of roughly 7 class sessions of 35 – 50 minutes each.

    • All classes present their scenes in an all-school performance at the end of the week.

    • Every Artist will generally move through the following elements over the course of the week:

    - Getting to know the students.

    - Introducing a story, scene, or theme to inspire creation.

    - Conduct Drama games and activities that support playmaking. This may include, but is not limited to, physical or vocal warm-ups, creative play, improvisation, imagination games, and character exploration.

    - Encouraging students to generate unique content for their play.

    - Plot, characters, dialogue, physical, or vocal interpretations.

    - Understanding and relating to the text (Shakespeare).

    - Collaborative story building.

    - Exploring, staging, rehearsing, dialog memorization (Div II).

    - Gathering of props or costumes – bringing, making, and/or borrowing

    - Technical rehearsal (adding lights and sound for performance).

    - Performing.

    - Celebrating collective achievement.

    • The performance is at the end of the week, but the school decides when it should be.

    • Quest gives schools the option of two performances

    - An afternoon and/or an evening show Thursday (if it is a short week) or Friday.

    - Performances are for students to see each other’s work.

    - An additional performance can be added for parents and the larger community.

  • No. Students are encouraged to make, borrow, or bring from home small props or costume pieces. Some teachers are enthusiastic and invest in making class sets of crowns, or dog ears, but none of this is necessary. Quest comes with a small collection of often used props and costumes, but the creative process works without any costumes or fancy props. Schools or students will not be required to purchase any additional materials for the program.

  • Yes! There are various funding opportunities for schools to help fund an Artists in Schools program and you can find them here. Quest also has priority funding available. Please fill out the funding application form to apply. Schools can also explore possibilities such casinos and parent council fundraising initiatives

  • One full week Monday to Friday. We can also deliver the program over a 4-day week.

    • Quest utilizes individual classrooms, typically for the introductory sessions, and the full gymnasium for the final performance.

    • Your school identifies three more working spaces such as multi-purpose rooms, art rooms, libraries, stages, or portable classrooms that we can utilize for working sessions.

    • Teachers or other staff members must be present in the room for liability purposes. A teacher’s positive attitude cannot be underestimated!

    • Our artists connect with their teachers and ask what their comfort level is regarding participation. Teachers are wonderful collaborators, often taking notes, helping to make connections to content in other areas, making suggestions, and even appearing as cameo performers in their classroom’s scenes!

  • No. But if you are conducting an evening show we need 4 volunteers to be runners, getting groups from their classrooms to the gym to perform, and back again.

  • There are no barriers to participating in our programs, so full school participation is encouraged. But we are flexible to work with just one portion of the students or to customize it based on your school requirements. For example, just the Grade 9s, or only the elementary students in a school with combined elementary and junior high students.

  • Maybe. The best thing to do if you have special requests is to call and talk to us. Please note that special requests may include additional costs.