A Broken Umbrella Theatre
Education
We invite young people and community partners into our ensemble playmaking process: research, design, improvisation, storybuilding, and the local history that shapes New Haven.
How we teach
A Broken Umbrella Theatre makes original work from the city around us. Our education programs open that process up: participants investigate a place, build characters and scenes together, test ideas on their feet, and discover how theater can turn local history into shared civic imagination.
Education goals
- Enhance the creative life of participants.
- Make theatrical processes feel concrete and possible.
- Invite participants to work as thoughtful and imaginative collaborators.
- Connect local history and place to everyday life.
- Inspire participants to take ownership of where they live and contribute to their communities.
Summer 2026
At Eli Whitney Museum & Workshop
We are continuing our partnership with the Eli Whitney Museum & Workshop through two summer camp sessions for young theater makers.
The museum is a natural partner for this work: hands-on making, curiosity, invention, and New Haven history all belong in the same room.
Ages 12+
Comedy Improv
A fast, playful week of theater games, spontaneous characters, scene-building, and ensemble comedy.
- Dates
- June 29-July 3, 2026
- Time
- 9am-3pm
- Instructor
- Ruben Ortiz
- Tuition
- $365
Ages 12+
A Broken Umbrella Theatre
A devised theater camp built around our process for Revolutionary New Haven: play, research, collaboration, and original storytelling.
- Dates
- July 13-17, 2026
- Time
- 9am-3pm
- Instructor
- Ruben Ortiz and Rachel Alderman
- Tuition
- $365
Past partnerships
Programs across New Haven
We have built workshops, school programs, museum sessions, and community programs with partners throughout the city.
- Edgewood Magnet School
- Eli Whitney Museum
- Cold Spring School
- City Seedlings Collaborative
- International Festival of Arts and Ideas
- New Haven Free Public Library
- Westville Community Nursery School
- Yale Center for British Art
Bring us in
Interested in an education program?
Tell us about your school, camp, museum, library, or community space. A company member will follow up about what kind of workshop or residency fits.