Signature in the Schools 20th Anniversary Festival Kicks Off Today

Signature Theatre presents Signature in the Schools 20th Anniversary Festival. Over the past 20 years, Signature Theatre has helped cultivate a deeper understanding of history, current events and civility through the Signature in the Schools program with the students of Arlington County. The program has explored complex issues including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, PTSD, the Arab Spring, immigration, Hurricane Katrina, the Holocaust, cyberbullying and more.

The Signature in the Schools 20th Anniversary Festival expands on Signature in the School's mission of providing professional level theater experiences to high school students in Arlington County by including students from all around the Washington DC metro area. The festival will celebrate 20 years of world premiere curriculum centered works. The 2-weekend festival will highlight four of the stunning pieces that have premiered through Signature in the Schools during the last 20 years. Three productions will be produced and staged by high schools in the DC Metro area including The Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Bishop Ireton High School, and Oakton High School. The festival will conclude with a fourth production, a revival of 2009's Aftershock, featuring students from across the DC metro area and co-directed by award-winning Signature in the Schools playwright, Joe Calarco (Signature's Gypsy, Shakespeare's R&J) and Signature in the Schools alum and recent Yale graduate Irene Casey.

The Signature in the Schools 20th Anniversary Festival will take place today, January 17 and January 18, 24, and 25 at 11:00am in the MAX Theatre. Tickets are $5 for students (with student ID) and $10 for adults. Festival passes can also be purchased for all four productions. Passes are $15 for students (with Student ID) and $30 for adults. For tickets visit http://www.signature-theatre.org/sis-festival or contact the Signature Theatre Box Office at 703-820-9771.

"With the Signature in the Schools 20th Anniversary Festival, I am delighted to see the program's influence expand beyond Northern Virginia and to work with new schools and faces." said David Zobell, Signature Theatre's Director of Education. "These are powerful and relevant pieces and I'm excited to see them reach a broader community."

"Signature in the Schools is one of the most unique and exciting education programs in this country," says Joe Calarco, Signature Theatre's Resident Director of New Works and Signature in the Schools playwright. "The fact that these students get to do a world premiere play every year is extraordinary. I feel so fortunate that I've been the resident playwright of the program for the past 10 years and that this Festival will allow an even broader audience to see these plays and even more importantly to see how amazing and important the Signature in the Schools program is."

Signature in the Schools uses theater to open the minds and broaden the viewpoints of local teens while engaging them in a positive creative experience. A recipient of The Washington Post's prestigious Community Service Award, Signature in the Schools reaches over 1,400 students annually through theater workshops, in-class discussions, an after-school program and the production of an original play.

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