The Young Critics Program focuses on high school seniors who receive tickets to performances at Paper Mill and write a review of the production for publication in their school newspaper. Students also attend workshops prior to performances to discuss the role of the critic. The goal of the program is to develop advanced critical thinking and writing skills in high school seniors through the variety of experiences available in live theatre. The program also expands Paper Mill's mission of building an informed theatre audience for the future.

Here, for example, is a critique written by a student from the Rosa Parks High School in 1999, upon seeing a production of Wuthering Heights:

I was completely enthralled in the performance, from the moment the lights went down. I loved the set design, the lighting, and the feelings they created. The gloom in parts of the show and the overflowment of joy in others was evident. But it was the story itself that was the most extraordinary. This was a tale that left you feeling for each character -- understanding their thoughts and feelings and their wanting to reach out in some way. I was left crying over the loss and dissappointment of the families, but smiling over young Cathy's great joy in the end. -- Tiffany Herroeth

For more information on the Young Critics Program please contact Susan Speidel at 973.379.3636 ext. 2773

Young Critics is sponsored by Bank of America.

Education programs are supported in part through the generosity of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and Shirley Aidekman-Kaye.