Touring the Theatres: The 5th’s Educational Touring

The 5th Avenue Theatre is a renowned theatre company in Seattle, and its wonderful reputation precedes it. The company has produced numerous performances in Seattle, including “Mary Poppins” and their current production, “Waitress”–another brilliant performance. While The 5th Avenue has numerous productions in its theatre, it also branches out and works with other companies. For example, it collaborated with ACT Contemporary Theatre for the production of “The Last Five Years.” 

What many audiences may not know about is the Education and Engagement programs. Amberlee Joers, director of Education and Engagement at The 5th Avenue Theatre, helps shed light on the program

The 5th Avenue Theatre’s goal is to provide education & engagement programming that advances the art form, nurtures deep community connections with The 5th, and creates pathways for those interested in becoming arts sector employees, advocates, and/or ambassadors. At the core of these efforts is a deep commitment to anti-racism and anti-oppression.

According to 5th Avenue Theatre’s Education and Engagement report, the programs follow five guiding principles when considering new initiatives or changes to existing ones. They work to ensure that each program:

• Is founded in the roots and evolution of musical theater as an art form.
• Helps us deepen the awareness and understanding of the work we do both on and off stage.
• Ensures that we are in collaboration with the community and highlights shared expertise.
• Is founded in culturally responsive principles and is accessible both programmatically and fiscally.
• Allows us to create pathways for future engagement, supporting The 5th’s goal to welcome all artists, communities, and audience members.

Previously called Adventure Musical Theatre, the Educational Touring Company is one of The 5th’s longest-standing education programs. It has existed since 1994 and is geared toward ages 14 to 21 for career development. “We’ve found that our Educational Touring Company production is often hundreds or even thousands of students’ first time ever experiencing a live musical theater show! It’s really exciting to introduce them to this art form and create awareness for them to seek out further opportunities to either attend or engage in musical theater arts performances or programming,” stated Joers.

They offer free community performances to increase arts accessibility. These performances partner with local organizations and venues, allowing The 5th Avenue to reach broader audiences. They also provide an opportunity for mainstage patrons, donors, and the general public to experience the Educational Touring Company’s work—especially since the tour primarily focuses on elementary schools.

Each location selection aligns with The 5th’s community engagement goals. “We seek to partner with organizations that share a vision or goal connected to our organization’s work and ensure accessibility for diverse communities,” said Joers. 

The International District/Chinatown Community Center was chosen for the premiere to celebrate the show’s cultural content and because it is a fantastic venue for the production’s needs. Partnerships with the REACH Museum and MOPOP are timed to coincide with related exhibits or existing relationships, and MOHAI is a long-standing partner for their First Thursday events, which offer free museum admission. 

For this year’s series of free community performances, the highly anticipated world premiere educational touring show “Songs of the Moon: Fantastical Folktales” from Asia was chosen.

“Songs of the Moon” follows three Asian American students who gather on a crisp autumn evening to decorate their neighborhood park in preparation for the Mid-Autumn Harvest Festival. Given the opportunity to perform a story for their community, they must decide which tale to tell: “Sun and Moon” (a Korean folktale), “The Jade Rabbit” (a Vietnamese folktale), or “The Moon Lady” (a Chinese folktale).

Songs of the Moon is a newly commissioned work by local artists Maggie Lee and Anastasia L. Workman. The two-year development process included multiple workshops and community readings, allowing for extensive refinement. This engagement ensured the show resonated with the community before embarking on its eight-week tour across Washington and Oregon, reaching schools, community centers, and other venues.

“Songs of the Moon” features interactive elements and live singing. The moon character engages directly with the audience, including a clap-along segment. Each performance concludes with a Q&A session, allowing audiences to ask questions about the production process and behind-the-scenes details. “I don’t want to spoil too much, but the show truly contains a lot of fantastical and magical moments to surprise and delight the audience,” said Joers.

The March 8 performance at the International District/Chinatown Community Center was the world premiere of “Songs of the Moon.” Approximately 100 attendees were there to enjoy the show, followed by a Q&A with the touring company. “The event was filled with positive energy and celebration, and we even received feedback from some audience members that Songs of the Moon is one of their favorite musical theatre shows they’ve ever experienced!” stated Joers.

Ada Walther, a writer from The Seattle Collegian, attended The 5th’s Educational Tours in 2024. She witnessed “Spring Awakening” and even had the opportunity to have a vocal lesson prior to the performance, during which The 5th Avenue team taught attendees a quick medley of songs from the musical. The attendees got to meet with the intimacy coordinator from “Spring Awakening,” who explained the fight scenes and choreography.

The interactions with The 5th Avenue team added to the excitement. Not only did attendees go back after witnessing a great performance, but they also had the chance to learn how to sing songs from the musical. “My favorite part was talking to the intimacy coordinator, the vocal lesson, and eating pizza together was also really fun,” Walther said.

The 5th Avenue has consistently offered free community performances with its Educational Touring Company. These performances have positively impacted the community by introducing diverse audiences–especially those new to the art form– to live musical theater. “It’s incredible to see how our Educational Touring Company sparks passion. We even have colleagues, now working at The 5th as actors or staff, who were first inspired by our school performances as children and hold memories of The 5th visiting with their elementary school decades ago,” stated Joers.

The 5th’s long-term vision is to continue commissioning new musicals by local artists, focusing on culturally relevant and educational themes. “Songs of the Moon” will be integrated into future Educational Touring Company seasons, expanding the repertoire of impactful stories.

The show is touring over 55 schools in Washington and Oregon, primarily elementary schools, with some middle and high school participation for career exploration. It is also being presented at the Washington Thespian State Festival for thousands of high school theatre students and educators who are part of their school’s theatre troupe. The 5th is open to future collaborations with local colleges and invites them to attend community performances. Outside of the Educational Touring Company program, The 5th offers a series of workshops and professional development for emerging professionals and students.