School-Day Matinees
The Center for the Arts is dedicated to providing transformative arts experiences to young people. Thoughtfully aligned with the Virginia Department of Education Standards of Learning, student matinees provide valuable cross-curricular learning through engaging, live performance experiences tailored to young audiences. These free performances are open to public, private, and homeschool groups. Registration is required.
Interested in learning more about our matinees and activities with visiting artists? Join our email list and select "K12 and school-day events."
All school-day performances are held in the Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, unless otherwise noted.
Step Afrika!
Friday, September 26, 2025
10-11 AM
Recommended for grades 3-8
Registration for this event is full, but you can sign up to be added to the waitlist.
Step Afrika! delivers an experience like no other with traditional African stepping, drumming, and vibrant storytelling.
La Santa Cecilia
Thursday, October 30, 2025
10-11 AM
Recommended for students in grades 6-12
The L.A.-based, Grammy-winning La Santa Cecilia is a modern-day creative hybrid of Latin culture, rock, and world music.
360 ALLSTARS
Monday, November 10, 2025
10-11 AM
Recommended for grades PK-5
Registration for this event is full, but you can sign up to be added to the waitlist.
360 ALLSTARS brings an energy-packed party with dancing, rapping, beatboxing, acrobatics, BMX biking, basketball, and more.
Hero: The Boy from Troy
Monday, February 2, 2026
10-11 AM
Recommended for grades K-5
Registration for this event is full, but you can sign up to be added to the waitlist.
In this new, nationally touring musical, students can embark on a time-traveling journey through the decades and explore how the heroes in the Civil Rights movement inspired young John Lewis to protest injustice and get into "good trouble."
Cirque Mechanics
Tilt! A Circus Thrill Ride
Wednesday, February 11, 2026
10-11 AM
Recommended for grades 6-12
Registration for this event is full, but you can sign up to be added to the waitlist.
Prepare to journey to the backlot of an inventive theme park as Cirque Mechanics returns to Blacksburg with its newest adventure.
If transportation is a barrier to your student matinee field trip, please contact Bethany Costello at least 30 days prior to your visit for assistance. Title I schools are eligible for transportation reimbursements for student matinees, thanks to the generosity of our patrons and donors. Don’t delay — limited funding is available.
In-School Matinees
Baba Bomani
Monday, September 8-Tuesday, September 9, 2025
Southwest Virginia middle schools
Learn all about Frederick Douglass, the writing process, and the history of rap with Baba Bomani, a versatile hip-hop artist, educator, and poet. This interactive show will open our student season and may be touring to a school near you!
Questions? Email Bethany Costello, engagement manager
Miss Julieann
Thursday, March 19-Friday, March 20, 2026
Southwest Virginia elementary schools
Are you ready to sing and dance? Join the award-winning Miss Julieann for a lively and sweet concert all about resilience, kindness, and beauty in the world around us. This in-school touring show will close out our student season.
Questions? Email Bethany Costello, engagement manager
FAQs
If you cannot attend or your party turns out to be smaller than the number of tickets you have reserved, please inform the Center for the Arts as soon as possible by contacting Bethany Costello at bethanycostello@vt.edu so that center staff can release your tickets to those on the waiting list.
The center is committed to being accessible to all of our patrons. Those with disabilities and their companions are accommodated through wheelchair seating, parking, and other special requests throughout the center at all levels. Assisted listening devices are available. Service animals are permitted. Sign interpretations and large-print programs are available with advance notice. If you or your students have questions regarding accessibility or would like assistance, please contact Jamie Wiggert at wiggertj@vt.edu.
To supplement your students' learning, a study guide tailored to each performance will be provided via email in advance. Explore recent study guides here.
The bus drop-off location is on the Alumni Mall side of the Center for the Arts, located at 190 Alumni Mall on the campus of Virginia Tech. Drivers may pull their buses into the driveway loop directly in front of the center. Staff will be on-site to assist. Recommended arrival time is 15-30 minutes before the start-time of the performance.
Those driving cars and vans may park in the North End Center Garage (300 Turner Street NW), which is one block from the center's Turner Street entrance. A valid university parking permit, a validation from one of the retail tenants, or payment of the daily fee is required to park in the North End Center Garage.
Bus staging is located in the upper section of the Chicken Hill lot (Football Lot 5) on the campus of Virginia Tech. The lot entrance is on Southgate Drive, opposite Sterrett Drive. Parking passes will not be required for buses. For more information about parking at Virginia Tech, please visit parking.vt.edu. Please note that buses are not permitted to park adjacent to the Center for the Arts' Turner Street entrance, except in special circumstances when permission can be granted.
When you arrive at the center, please check-in with center staff to confirm that your party has arrived. Staff will be on-site to assist seating your group, directing you to restrooms, and answering any questions you may have.
Unless otherwise noted, all school-day performances take place in the Street and Davis Performance Hall's Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre in the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech.
It is recommended that buses arrive back at the center 15 minutes before the end of the performance. Following the performance, please remain in your seats; school groups will be dismissed by center staff to ensure a smooth and speedy departure for all. Staff and volunteers will assist school groups in meeting their buses in the center’s Alumni Mall driveway.
Following the performance, you may receive an email requesting feedback on your group's experience. Please make time to respond, as doing so could significantly improve the center's pre-K to grade 12 programs for you and future visitors.