Debra Pasquerette, Education Doyenne of the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles
by Pola Rosen, Ed.D.

Home of Hollywood and the silver screen, Los Angeles would seem a natural place to cultivate children’s interest in theater. Yet, the education department at the Geffen Theater (named after its patron David Geffen, principal in DreamWorks SKG) was only started four years ago by Debra Pasquerette, bringing her expertise as a director of a theater education program in Phoenix.

Beginning modestly with just a few matinee programs for students, the program has expanded to include workshops for teachers, study guides and activities that become part of the curriculum. “We try to have artists join us,” said Pasquerette, a warm, effusive woman whose passion for the theater and students is clear. “For example, several years ago we did a show called, “It Ain’t Nothin but the Blues and we had several blues musicians come and talk about the history of blues music, the effect of blues on race relations and how whites came to see black music. It was one of the first times that black and white cultures started mixing and that’s a really important message for kids to hear,” continued Pasquerette.

In the performance of Uncle Vanya, Chekhov’s play dating to about 1897, Pasquerette underscores the part that alcohol plays in the characters’ decision-making. She states, “When we did the teacher workshops, we talked about the effect of drinking and alcohol in making choices today. We brought the play into the modern world.” Unique at the Geffen is that schools (primarily middle and high schools) don’t have to pay for any of the programs or the transportation. That translates into the Geffen becoming one of the only programs that is affordable to students at this time of shrinking arts budgets. The school programs reach predominantly Latino and African-American populations, a more diverse group than the traditional Geffen theater audience.

Saturday matinee family programs target younger children and have swelled to 20 in number with sellout and waiting lists becoming the norm. An integral part of the matinees is an in-depth question and answer session with the actors, who are required to talk to the kids after the show. This has become so popular, in fact, that the theater is expanding, adding an additional 120 seats to the tune of a $25 million renovation, thanks partially to the largesse of Geffen. According to Pasquerette, the new arena will be used for smaller programs such as readings, smaller plays and theater of a more experimental nature. Pasquerette would love to expand the education program so that actor-teachers can go out into schools providing two or three free sessions before students attend the play. She would also like to provide services to elementary schools. “We’re not touching them at all and that really bothers me,” avers Pasquerette. “I think it’s really important for children to start going to the theater as early as possible.”

A relatively new part of the Geffen is bringing the Parsons Nose Productions, a touring company whose specialty is adapting classics to a one-hour format, to about 8,000 children throughout California. The tour shows this year are Shakespeare’s Cymbeline and Moliere’s School for Wives, adapted for elementary and intermediate schools. Teachers get study packets written primarily by Pasquerette who also is the liaison between teachers, company and producer. All the performances are free.

Pasquerette shares a wonderful theater anecdote with us: “Isaac is eight years old and volunteers in the theater. He helps the stage manager, my assistant and me. He truly loves the theater. He came to my attention when he began coming to the same Shakespeare show every week. We offered him a job that he takes very seriously.

Are you planning a trip to Los Angeles? The Geffen Theater is remarkable for its outstanding productions for adults and children.#

For programs visit www.geffenplayhouse.com

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