ARTS Showcase
At the Providence Performing Arts Center, we are dedicated to enriching the lives of Rhode Island students through exceptional performances, immersive learning experiences, and meaningful community outreach. Our mission is to connect audiences with inspiring artistic and educational opportunities that spark imagination, encourage critical thinking, and foster lasting memories. Each ARTS Showcase season, we present captivating performances that not only engage young minds but also deepen our connection with our community through the power of the arts.
For the 2025-26 academic year, the Providence Performing Arts Center will be presenting both live and virtual ARTS Showcase performances. Rhode Island schools can sign up for one live performance and as many virtual performances as they would like. WE REQUEST THAT ONE CONTACT TEACHER REGISTER FOR EACH SCHOOL, SO THAT WE DON’T HAVE MULTIPLE ORDERS PER SCHOOLS FOR IN-PERSON PERFORMANCES. The virtual offering of specified performances will be offered one month following the live performance and will be available for viewing for a three-week period. Schools within a 20-mile radius of PPAC in Massachusetts can sign-up for our virtual performances. Our performance season this year runs from November 2025 through May 2026.
ARTS Showcase performances at PPAC feature both New England and nationally acclaimed touring artists. The artists are selected by a PPAC committee based on artistic quality, cultural diversity, educational value, and the positive message of the performances. Schools must register online to be part of our live and virtual viewing audiences (limited live seating capacity of approximately 2200). Once schools register, they will receive a confirmation email letting them know if their group has been confirmed for seats. PPAC will provide busing reimbursement to schools that are not able to attend without busing support (must be 20 students/chaperones or more). To be reimbursed, you must submit the bus invoice to gmadeya@ppacri.org within 60 days of the performance that your school attended, and we will send a check to cover the transportation cost. Please note: PPAC is NOT responsible for any busing costs incurred due to last-minute changes within 48 hours of the performance.
Viewing and attending PPAC ARTS Showcase performances is FREE; these performances are not available to the public. This initiative is an outreach program offered to Rhode Island students in grades K-8. YOU MUST BE REGISTERED TO PARTICIPATE BOTH IN PERSON AND VIRTUALLY. Teachers/schools who are interested in attending in person or virtually viewing PPAC ARTS Showcase performances with their students can complete a registration form on our website or request registration materials from Grace Madeya at gmadeya@ppacri.org. (Please specify the PPAC ARTS Showcase performance you are interested in registering for when reaching out.)
For in-person performances, all participating schools must review the ARTS Showcase Handbook. Please feel free to reach out gmadeya@ppacri.org with any questions.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2025 – 9:45 AM
CHILDSPLAY
MADDI’S FRIDGE – NEW!
*AVAILABLE IN-PERSON ONLY*
Best friends Sofia and Maddi live in the same neighborhood, go to the same school, and play in the same park. But when Sofia learns a secret about Maddi’s fridge, she’s faced with a difficult decision: to keep her promise or tell her parents about Maddi’s empty fridge. Based on the book by Lois Brandt, this heartwarming and hilarious play is a story about honesty, sensitivity and instilling important lessons in friendship, empathy and helping others!
This performance is limited to grades 1 - 6.
Curriculum Connections: Fine Arts, Language Arts, Social Studies, Emotional/Social Development.
Runtime: Approximately 55 minutes
IN-PERSON REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Friday, October 17, 2024, or until registration is at capacity.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2025 – 9:45 AM
THE MAKANDA PROJECT
THREE OR FOUR HUES OF HUGHES – NEW!
*AVAILABLE IN-PERSON ONLY*
Step into a powerful celebration of poetry, rhythm, and sound as THE MAKANDA PROJECT Big Band joins forces with renowned Poet Laureate Regie Gibson to bring the timeless words of Langston Hughes to life. This unforgettable performance features selections from Ricky Ford’s dynamic jazz composition project — a unique fusion of spoken word and jazz that will engage, inspire, and educate. Through Hughes’s vivid language and the bold energy of a 16-piece orchestra band, students will experience firsthand how music and literature connect across generations. Perfect for elementary and middle school learners, this performance introduces students to one of the great American poets, and to the art form of the jazz big band!
This performance is limited to grades 3 - 8.
Curriculum Connections: Music, History, Literature, Language Arts.
Runtime: Approximately 50 minutes
IN-PERSON REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Friday, November 14, 2025, or until registration is at capacity.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2026 – 9:45 AM
RHODE ISLAND BLACK STORY TELLERS
STORIES THAT BRING US TOGETHER – A CELEBRATION OF BLACK STORYTELLING –
*AVAILABLE VIRTUALLY MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9 – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2026*
Invite your students to experience the vibrant oral traditions of the African diaspora in this dynamic performance featuring master storytellers from the National Association of Black Storytellers. Through captivating folktales, historical narratives, and original stories, students will explore themes of resilience, identity, and cultural heritage. With call-and-response, music, and audience participation, this interactive program brings storytelling to life while supporting school curriculum. Don’t miss this powerful celebration of culture, education, and the spoken word!
This performance is limited to grades K - 8.
Curriculum Connections: Language Arts, Music, Storytelling, History, Social Studies, World Geography, and Multi-Cultural Studies.
Runtime: Approximately 55 minutes
IN-PERSON REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Friday, December 12, 2026, or until registration is at capacity.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2026 – 9:45 AM
NAMBI E. KELLEY
HERO – THE BOY FROM TROY – NEW!
*AVAILABLE VIRTUALLY MONDAY, MARCH 9 – FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2026*
Jayden is stuck in detention with a book about Congressman John Lewis, but he thinks that history has nothing to teach him. Together we go on a musical journey through the decades that shows how the heroes in the Civil Rights movement inspired young John Lewis. As a boy, John dreams of being a preacher who can help others. While he doesn’t have a congregation yet, he does have a loyal group of singing chickens that listen to him as he finds his voice. On a harrowing road trip through the South, John’s eyes and mind are opened to the injustices of segregation and racism, inspiring him to take action. As John meets Rosa Parks and Dr. King and ultimately becomes a leader and American hero himself, Jayden learns how he too can take a stand.
This performance is limited to grades 3 - 6.
Curriculum Connections: Fine Arts, History & Social Studies, Social Development
Runtime: Approximately 45 minutes
IN-PERSON REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Friday, January 9, 2026, or until registration is at capacity.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2026 – 9:45 AM
PROVIDENCE BALLET
HANSEL AND GRETEL
*AVAILABLE VIRTUALLY WEDNESDAY, MAY 6 – WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2026*
Providence Ballet Theatre proudly presents Hansel and Gretel, a magical journey into one of the most beloved stories of all time. With original choreography, enchanting music, and dazzling costumes, this performance offers a fresh, imaginative take on the classic fairy tale. Audiences will experience contemporary dance that celebrates artistic expression, sparks curiosity, and invites reflection on new ways of seeing. The program highlights the powerful role of music and encourages viewers to join in creative exploration of movement and sound. Don’t miss this captivating performance that invites you to see the familiar through a new artistic lens, a must-see!
This performance is limited to grades K - 8.
Curriculum Connections:Dance, English Language Arts, Critical Thinking, and Physical Expression.
Runtime: Approximately 50 minutes
IN-PERSON REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Wednesday, March 4, 2026, or until registration is at capacity.
FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2026 – 9:45 AM
BILL BLAGG
MAGIC IN MOTION – NEW!
*AVAILABLE IN-PERSON ONLY*
Bill Blagg’s MAGIC IN MOTION melds the fascination of magic with the wonders of physical science to create an unbelievable educational experience!
Students will learn first-hand how to create illusions using core scientific principles such as force, energy, friction, motion and more. Together with Bill they will apply these principles in a variety of magical experiments that will bend the laws of science and create the impossible! Science and magic will collide as students instantly become stronger than their teachers, stop moving objects with their minds and even make a teacher’s cell phone invisibly travel through time! You have to see it to believe it!
MAGIC IN MOTION is a magic filled, educational experience that is designed to inspire students to investigate how physical science can create magic while also playing an important role in their daily lives!
This performance is limited to grades 3 - 6.
Curriculum Connections:Scientific Reasoning, Simple Machines, Problem Solving, Theatre and Drama.
Runtime: Approximately 55 minutes
IN-PERSON REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Wednesday, April 15, 2026, or until registration is at capacity.