The Music Hall’s 30th Annual Season
School Days Series
The Music Hall’s School Days Series Scholarship Program is supported in part by D.F. Richard Energy, The French Foundation, and the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts.
Through this scholarship program, The Music Hall introduces students of all ages to the joys and benefits of professional theater by inviting them to participate in the perennially popular School Days Series free of charge. The Music Hall will provide scholarship schools with complimentary seating and cover the cost of transportation and lunches to ensure this opportunity is accessible to all, regardless of financial means.
What We’re Offering
- Complimentary Tickets: Free seating for up to 300 attendees (including students and chaperones) for the 11:30am* performance of any School Days Series show.
- *If your group requires a different performance time due to scheduling or transportation needs, please share your reasoning with The Music Hall team, we’ll do our best to accommodate.
- Transportation Reimbursement: Reimbursement for the cost of transportation between your school and The Music Hall.
- Lunch Reimbursement: Reimbursement for the cost of lunch on the day of your visit.
What We Need From You
- Reservation Form: The Group Coordinator should complete our online reservation form to request tickets for your desired performances.
- Photo Permission: The Music Hall may take photos or digital images of students for use in marketing materials, including printed publications, websites, or other electronic communications. Students will never be identified by name without your explicit permission. If any student should not be photographed, please notify us in advance.
- Reimbursement Materials: Submit copies of your transportation and lunch receipts within 30 days of the performance to be eligible for reimbursement by The Music Hall.
- Student Testimonial: Within 30 days of the performance, please share a testimonial of your students’ experience. This can be a letter from the Group Leader(s), student worksheets, or an arts and crafts project inspired by the visit. These materials are shared with program funders to help sustain and grow the Scholarship program.
School Days Series Scholarship Information
REGISTRATION & CONFIRMATION: Advanced registration is required. A confirmation notice will be emailed once your reservation is received.
Please note: Performances do sell out, register early to ensure availability.
FINAL NUMBERS: Final attendance numbers are due one month before your scheduled performance. You’ll receive a reminder email to help keep things on track.
SEATING: Tickets are not issued for School Days performances. Instead, each group is assigned a block of seats based on group size and accessibility needs. Our ushers will escort your group to your seats upon arrival.
SPECIAL NEEDS: Please notify us in advance if any of your students require accommodations.All 11:30am performances will include ASL interpretation. If a show is not offered at 11:30am, ASL interpretation will be provided at the 9:30am performance instead.
LUNCHES: The Music Hall offers reimbursement to help cover lunch costs. If your group needs special accommodations for meals, let us know.
For local lunch options, explore our: Portsmouth Restaurant Recommendations FOR KIDS
TIMING: All performances last approximately one hour.
EDUCATION: Study guides are not guaranteed for every performance, but may be available upon request. If you’re looking to connect the show to your curriculum, don’t hesitate to reach out.
CONTACT: Cat Burns: cburns@themusichall.org
About School Days Series Scholarship Program
The School Days Series Scholarship Program helps ensure that all students, regardless of financial circumstances, have access to live, high-quality arts experiences. Through this program, students from local Title I schools (where 50% or more of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch) receive complimentary tickets to School Days Series performances, along with reimbursement for transportation and lunch expenses.
The program launched in the 2016–17 season, made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and support from our long-time corporate partner, D.F. Richard Energy. In that first year, we fully subsidized the experience for over 600 students from two local Title I schools. Thanks to the success of that pilot year, we’ve since expanded our commitment, growing the program to support even more students across the region.