BRING LEARNING TO LIFE WITH A FIELD TRIP STUDENTS WON’T FORGET.

Looking for a field trip that’s more than just a day out? Live theatre builds comprehension, empathy, and critical thinking while keeping students completely engaged.

What Makes This Trip Worth It:
• Captivating, fully staged shows that hold student attention
 • Relatable performers—featuring youth from our community
 • Budget-friendly pricing for schools and groups
 • Ready-to-use study guides aligned with MN Academic Standards
 • Age-appropriate titles that support what you’re teaching
 • The opportunity for students to experience live theatre

AN EASY WIN FOR ENGAGEMENT, LITERACY, AND YOUR LESSON PLANS.
GREAT’s Student Matinees are designed with teachers in mind: meaningful content, simple planning, and an engaging experience for your students.

Simple to Plan. Easy to Manage.
Reserve your seats now.

Next school year, we’ll reconnect to confirm numbers, accessibility needs, and payment.

REGISTRATION OPENS Wednesday, May 6 at 3 PM | GREATTheatre.org
Secure your field trip early, and check one more thing off your list.

Pick-Your-Price Tickets: If the cost of tickets is preventing you from registering your class, please request pick-your-price tickets when completing the form. We have supporters who want to ensure everyone has access to the transformative power of the arts.

Want to make sure you get our communications for student matinees? CLICK HERE to join our Teachers & Administrators Mailing List.


This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Pre-K – Grade 3
How I Became A Pirate

PERFORMANCES:

  • Thurs, Sep 17 at 9am, 10:30am, 12pm
  • Thurs, Sep 24 at 9am, 10:30am, 12pm

VENUE: Helgeson Learning Lab Theatre Waite Park, MN
SHOW LENGTH: 45 min + dismissal & bus loading time
TICKETS: Students $10 | Adults $12 | 1 free adult ticket for every 15 paid student tickets

Student-Led. Imagination-Fueled. Powered by Possibility.

A simple day at the beach turns into a treasure hunt when an ordinary kid is recruited by a band of pirates searching for buried treasure and their everyday world transforms into a swashbuckling adventure. Filled with humor, heart, and plenty of pirate swagger, How I Became a Pirate brings the beloved book to life with lively songs and imaginative storytelling.

This special production comes to life through our Youth Artist Project, with students leading the creative vision both onstage and behind the scenes. Imaginative, energetic, and entirely their own, it puts student leadership on full display as young artists shape the story from the ground up.

Grades 4+
A Christmas Carol

PERFORMANCES:

  • Tues, Nov 24 at 9:30am Tues
  • Dec 1 at 9:30am

VENUE: Paramount Center for the Arts St. Cloud, MN
SHOW LENGTH: 2 hrs 15 min (with a wiggle break) + dismissal & bus loading time
TICKETS: Students $12 | Adults $15 | 1 free adult ticket for every 15 paid student tickets

Holiday Tradition. Timeless Story. Spirited Adventure.

Step into a world of snow-dusted streets, glowing lanterns, and unexpected visitors as Ebenezer Scrooge is guided through a Christmas Eve he will never forget. When mysterious spirits arrive, they whisk him on a journey through Christmases past, present, and future, revealing the moments that shaped him and the joy he has long denied himself. Along the way, laughter, warmth, and wonder illuminate the true meaning of the season.

Filled with memorable characters, magical encounters, and timeless lessons about generosity and compassion, A Christmas Carol has delighted families for generations. It’s a festive tradition of transformation, hope, and the joy that comes from sharing the holiday spirit with those around us.

Grades 2+
Shrek The Musical

PERFORMANCES:

  • Tues, Apr 13 at 9:30am
  • Thurs, Apr 15 at 9:30am
  • Tues, Apr 20 at 9:30 am
  • Thurs, Apr 22 at 9:30am

VENUE: Paramount Center for the Arts St. Cloud, MN
SHOW LENGTH: 2 hrs 15 min (with a wiggle break) + dismissal & bus loading time
TICKETS: Students $12 | Adults $15 | 1 free adult ticket for every 15 paid student tickets

Fairy Tale Fun. Silly Sidekicks. Happily Ever After.

Based on the Oscar-winning animated film, Shrek the Musical brings everyone’s favorite ogre to the stage in a larger-than-life adventure filled with fairy tale mashups, silly sidekicks, and unexpected twists. When Shrek’s quiet swamp is overrun by storybook outcasts, he sets off on a quest to reclaim his home – a mission that quickly becomes bigger and far more surprising than he imagined. Along the way, he encounters dragons, danger, and a relentlessly loyal Donkey. 

Beneath the big laughs and bright Broadway energy,
Shrek the Musical turns “happily ever after” upside down in the most delightful way, celebrating friendship, self-acceptance, and discovering that what makes you different might be exactly what makes you extraordinary.

BUSSING, ARRIVAL & DISMISSAL PROCEDURES

Please carefully read the information below and pass this onto your bus drivers. Make sure you are looking at the correct venue. Bus policies have been put into place at each location to ensure the safety of you and your students. Please review the policies before your field trip.

PARAMOUNT THEATRE

913 West St. Germain Street, St. Cloud, MN 56301

ARRIVAL We ask that you arrive no earlier than 25 minutes prior to showtime. Tell your bus driver to unload students directly in front of the Paramount Theatre. If we have more than two busses parked in front, the bus driver will be asked to pull around the block to wait on 9th Ave N until our bus patrol volunteer motions for them to pull around front. Upon your arrival, a GREAT Theatre volunteer or staff member will board your bus and provide parking, unloading, and loading instructions to the driver. After students have unloaded, busses will be directed to continue down St. Germain Street and park at the St. Cloud Regional Library. 

SEATING We will begin seating approximately 20 minutes before the show starts. The performance will start on time! A GREAT volunteer will help usher your students into their seats. If you need to rearrange students, please do so after everyone has been seated or have them exit the bus in the order you would like them to be seated.

RESTROOMS Please find your seats prior to using the restrooms. The restrooms are limited and easily congested, so plan accordingly. The performance will start on time! If you need to use the restrooms prior to leaving, please notify a GREAT volunteer when you arrive so we can plan dismissal accordingly.

DISMISSAL About 20 minutes before the show is over, the GREAT bus patrol volunteer will let your driver know when to report back to the Paramount Theatre. In order to return students to their schools in a timely manner we will dismiss you by school during the cast Q&A. It is important to follow instructions on order of dismissal as well as which door to park in front of. The students are simultaneously being dismissed from the theatre with the same instructions. For the safety of all, we ask that you wait inside until a GREAT volunteer lets you know that your bus has pulled up. Please count your students as they wait in line to load. We cannot allow buses to remain parked in the loading area for head counts. Your cooperation will make everyone’s departure a smooth and quick process.

EMERGENCY If an emergency arises on the day of your show, please call GREAT at 320.258.2787

Helgeson LEARNING LAB THEATRE

710 Sundial Drive, Waite Park, MN 56387

Park to unload students directly in front of the South East doors (near the back of the building). Look for the blue GREAT Theatre flags. Drivers may park in the parking lot directly behind and adjacent to the building.

 

BEFORE YOU ARRIVE

  • Please include all students, teachers, and chaperones in your ticket order.
  • When ordering seats please include any accessibility needs (wheelchair seating, difficulty with stairs, low vision, hard of hearing, etc.) and any special requests (first dismissal, last dismissal, need to use bathrooms before boarding bus, etc.). GREAT will try to accommodate all requests within reason.
  • You will receive a bus arrival time in your email within the weeks before your performance.
  • Remember to turn off all cell phones and electronic devices before the performance begins.
  • Please make sure that everyone in your group knows that there is NO recording or photography permitted during any GREAT performance. (Photos of your students under the marquee, etc. are permitted.)
  • Inform students that there is no food, drink, or gum allowed in the theater.
  • On the performance day if you are delayed and you will be arriving after the performance begins please call 320-258-2787.

SEATING

  • Groups will be seated by ushers upon arrival.
  • Seating is determined by many factors. Accessibility needs, group size, and grade level are all taken into account when seating charts are created.
  • Please allow ushers to seat your entire group before rearranging student seating and taking groups to the bathroom, etc.
  • If you have an absent student please see an usher about a student voucher.

IN THE THEATRE

  • Notify the nearest usher if there is a medical emergency.
  • After the performance please remain in your seats. Schools will be dismissed through the PA system. When your school is dismissed an usher will guide you to the correct door.
  • While dismissal is happening, actors will be on stage to answer questions from the audience.
  • When leaving remind students to look for all hats, coats, mittens etc.
  • When at the Paramount please count students as they board the bus so that the bus can leave the front of the building as soon as possible.

AFTER LEAVING THE THEATRE

  • After the performance an email will be sent to the person who reserved the seats.
  • Let us know what you think of the show! Feedback from students and staff is always appreciated. Letters can be mailed to: GREAT Theatre, 710 Sundial Drive, Waite Park, MN 56387 or email Emily@GREATTheatre.org
  • If you have any additional questions, please call GREAT at 320-258-2787 or email our Education Manager – Emily@GREATTheatre.org