Performances for Youth

Student Matinees

The Playhouse offers special student matinees of selected mainstage productions throughout the school year. Virtual Study guides, post-performance workshops and post-show talkbacks are available to prepare students for these productions. Staff development workshops are also offered to teachers prior to their school’s participation in the student matinee.

2023-24 Student Matinee Dates

Thursday, March 21, 2024 @ 10:30am (arrival by 10:00 am) 

REDWOOD
Book by Tina Landau
Music by Kate Diaz
Lyrics by Kate Diaz and Tina Landau
With additional contributions by Idina Menzel
Directed by Tina Landau

Show Description:

I hear my great escape calling.

Broadway icon Idina Menzel makes her La Jolla Playhouse debut in the world premiere of Redwood, a one-of-a-kind theatrical event about one woman’s journey into the precious and precarious world of the redwoods.

Idina plays Jesse, a successful businesswoman, mother and wife. She seems to have it all, but inside, her heart is broken. Finding herself at a turning point, Jesse leaves everyone and everything behind, gets in her car and drives… and drives. Thousands of miles later, she hits the ancient forests of Northern California, where a chance meeting and a leap of faith change her life forever. In the presence of the magnificent, towering redwoods, Jesse finds strange and powerful connections, an unexpected sense of community, and a chance at healing.

Acclaimed writer and director Tina Landau (Beauty) brings this immersive and cinematic new work to life with lush visuals and a soaring score from Kate Diaz. You will travel with Jesse into an intoxicating environment of dense greenery, fractured light and dizzying heights – a place where nature can help us heal, if only we don’t destroy her first.

An exhilarating new musical featuring one of Broadway’s greatest stars, Redwood will awaken your sense of adventure and lift you higher than the treetops.

“Now underneath a canopy of stars, I call out to the night. Please keep me safe and show me this is right. I’m scared of letting go of everyone I know.” Jesse, Redwood


Applications are now closed. Schools will be notified by December 7.

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Applications will be available in April/May 2024 for our 2024/25 Student Matinee Season.

PRIMARY TRUST: October 17th, 2024 at 10:30 am
YOUR LOCAL THEATER PRESENTS: A CHRISTMAS CAROL BY CHARLES DICKENS, AGAIN: December 5th, 2024 at 10:30 am
THREE SUMMERS OF LINCOLN: March 20th, 2025 at 10:30 am

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To be added to our educator list to be notified of our matinee program, please email: [email protected] with your Name, School Name, Grades/Subjects, and email address.

Student Matinee Frequently Asked Questions

POP Tour

One of La Jolla Playhouse’s signature Education programs, the Performance Outreach Program (POP) Tour is an annual world-premiere, Playhouse-commissioned production that brings the magic of theatre to San Diego classrooms. Launched in 1987, the POP Tour can be accessed by schools, libraries and community centers. Prior to each performance, a Playhouse teaching artist visits each school, either in person or virtually, to engage students in an interactive workshop that explores issues and themes at the core of the play. The Playhouse also provides schools with an interactive standards-based engagement guide that enables educators to integrate the play into their curriculum, including exciting interviews with the cast and the creative team. Ideal for students in grades 3 – 6.

POP TOUR 2024

ABEBA IN THE TALL GRASS
By Jonathan Norton
Directed by Nikki Mirza

The 2024 POP Tour, Abeba in the Tall Grass by Jonathan Norton, is a captivating new play that centers around Abeba, a fifth-grade aspiring horticulturist, and the urban garden that has become her sacred space. When her sanctuary becomes invaded by a couple of goof-offs from school who have been tasked to work in the garden over spring break as discipline, Abeba hatches a plan to teach these boys a lesson, and a little respect for produce. However, in return, Abeba herself learns an important life lesson. Like plants need water and light to flourish, people need friendship and community to thrive.

Learn More and Book Now!

Virtual Performance Experiences for High School Students

The following recorded performances from our Digital WOW series are a great way for high school-age students to enjoy theatre. Plus, they’re all FREE!


The Society of Wonder
The Totally Fake Latino News with Culture Clash
Walks of Life

Banner photo credit: (L-R) Shaun Tuazon, Jyl Kaneshiro and Rachael VanWormer in La Jolla Playhouse’s 2017 Performance Outreach Program (POP) Tour production of #SuperShinySara; photo by Jamie Lytle.

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