Arts Outreach


Arts Education for Actors is a paid training program for up to 10 Circle graduates per year, which prepares our alumni to be teaching artists in NYC and beyond. It includes three parts:

  • Teaching arts workshops throughout the season led by specialists in the field of arts education.

      • Some examples of past workshops include: Classroom Management; Positive Practices for Inclusive Teaching; Effective Lesson Planning Strategies; Collaboration and Team Teaching; Starting Your Career as a Teaching Artist; Pre- & Post-Show Engagement; Supportive Practices for All Needs; Applied and Community Engaged Theatre; Play in Your Practice; Classroom Assessment; Marketing Yourself as a Teaching Artist; Starting and Sustaining your Teaching Artist Career; and The Teaching Artist in the World – fostering community relationships, meaningful work, and a sustainable artistic career through teaching artistry

  • A playwriting residency for all the 3rd-grade classes at Manhattan’s PS 11.

      • Rooted in playwright, author, and award-winning teaching artist Daniel Judah Sklar’s form of playwriting called Playmaking, our alumni receive hands-on experience in public school classrooms guided by master teaching artist Kim Greene while mentoring groups of 3rd-graders as they write their own scripts.

      • Students discover their own original characters from a creative scribble exercise on the first day, then formulate rich, detailed character profiles. They learn about script format and play structure using conflict, climax, action, and resolution as they explore and express their individual artistic voices, thoughts, and feelings within character dialogue.

      • Throughout the writing process, alumni help students assimilate lessons and access their creativity through entertaining acting improvisations, theatre games, and imaginative warm-ups. Alumni direct and act in each young playwright’s final play on the Broadway stage at Circle in the Square. It’s a rewarding experience for everyone, and the kids are delighted to have their scripts come to life on Broadway.

      • Alumni have opportunities to witness model residency development by attending optional pre- and post-residency planning and assessment meetings with Kim and PS 11 faculty.

  • NYC Arts in Education Roundtable’s Face to Face Conference for teaching artists.

      • Days are filled with a wide range of training, networking, and employment opportunities. 

Each Arts Ed trainee receives an educational stipend of $1,200 for completing the season.

Meetings are held throughout the program, and guidance is available after graduation to provide ongoing support and assistance to any alum who may want it. 


Arts Education for Actors was first developed in 1997 by Jonathan Mann, Colin O’Leary, Theodore Mann, and Paul Libin for Circle in the Square Theatre School, with an advisory group of arts education experts: Greg McCaslin (Roundabout Theatre Company, retired); Marianna Houston (Theater Development Fund, retired); David Shookhoff (Manhattan Theatre Club/NYC Arts in Education Roundtable Director, retired); and Tom Bellino (Arts Education Consultant).

Playmaking originator, playwright, author, and award-winning teaching artist Daniel Judah Sklar created the PS 11 residency after teaching it at Yale School of Drama, PS 133 in Harlem, The Native American Preparatory School in Minnesota, the 52nd Street Project in Manhattan, and numerous other agencies around the world. His book Playmaking: Children Writing & Performing Their Own Plays won The Distinguished Book Award from The American Association of Theatre and Education.

Daniel invited Kim to teach with him at PS 11 in 2015, and after working in collaboration for six years, he gave her his blessing to continue teaching Playmaking after he retired in 2022. 

Circle has trained hundreds of graduates through the years, many of whom are now working as teaching artists in addition to their professional acting careers.


If you are a Circle alum interested in our Arts Education for Actors alumni program, please contact Arts Ed director Kim Greene at kgreene@circlesquare.org


Meet Kim Greene / Arts Education Director

Kim (she/her/hers) has trained and worked in acting, singing, music, dance, voiceovers, playwriting, directing, arts education, and mindfulness curricula within the arts. She was a founding member of NYC theatre companies Summoners Ensemble, created with fellow ’93 Circle alums, and River Heights Productions, as Producing Director. At Circle, she’s a master teaching artist at the annual Playmaking residency at PS 11; director of the annual Arts Education for Actors alumni program; director and teaching artist at the annual outreach Shakespeare acting program at Talent Unlimited High School; and has been a resident teaching artist at other NYC schools for pre- and post-show engagement during Circle’s K-6 Children’s Shows. In addition to her artistic work, Kim manages Circle’s city and state grants, Google Ads, Google My Business, and other digital marketing sites.