Behind The Scenes: The National’s History

Examine The National’s Past

Due to the cancellation of shows for the 2020 season The National Theatre Foundation worked in partnership with then-Dramaturg Jared Strange to create five different websites that give students a behind the scenes look into The National Theatre Archive. Navigate the websites below to learn about stories from The National’s 185 years. Then, click the links under the “Activity Guides” drop down menu to download resources related to each website.

A black and white historic image of the exterior of The National Theatre

A Brief History of The National

Visit Site
National Theatre Commercial
Crossword Puzzle
Living Statues
A stack of National Theatre Playbills

Big Before Broadway

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Calling New Musicals
Ten Minute Play
The One Minute Story
A black and white Image of Maria Leading Toni by the hand

West Side Stories

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Create a New Character
Still Pictures of West Side Stories
Unheard Dialogues
Pearl Bailey in costume as Dolly in "Hello Dolly"

Leading Ladies

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Social Media Blast
My Life’s Tapestry
Guess The Leading Lady
John and Jackie Kennedy leaving The National Theatre

National Politics

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I Am Poem
Current Events Storyboard
Celebrate Your DC Story

About the Activity Guides

The activity guides listed above were created in partnership with Dr. Carmen White of Dramatic Solutions, Inc. Watch the video below to hear about her experiences working on the project.