Welcome Educators

Digging Up Dessa In-Person Field Trips
Wednesdays through Fridays at 10 am
October 20-22, October 27-29, and November 3-5, 2021
Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square, St. Louis, MO 63103
Note: the October 29 at 10 am performance is sensory friendly.

Digging Up Dessa Virtual Field Trips
October 21 through November 7, 2021
On-Demand Virtual Viewing

By Laura Schellhardt
Produced by special arrangement with Dramatic Publishing
Director: Julia Flood

Ages 10 and up. 70 minutes with no intermission.

Dessa is a modern-day 12-year-old with no shortage of mysteries to solve and fossils to find. Her days are filled with buried treasures just waiting to be uncovered. But when her family of three unexpectedly becomes a family of two, this smart, funny young scientist struggles to overcome her grief and anger at all the changes in her world. Dessa's unlikely comfort comes from a remarkable new friend, one only she can see and hear—Mary Anning, the 19th-century paleontologist who discovered a breakthrough dinosaur fossil at the age of 12 and became a pioneer in her field. But why is her portrait not on the museum wall alongside those of her male counterparts? Dessa decides that she’s going to fight to earn Mary the respect she deserves. With help from her new classmate and once-rival, Nilo, Dessa unearths secrets of the past and present—for Mary’s legacy and her own way forward.

Themes of Digging Up Dessa: comedy-drama-adventure, empowerment for girls, resilience, history, STEAM, grief

For more information about in-person or virtual field trips, please contact School Bookings and Audience Services Manager, Eleanor Marsh.

Call 314.325.9505
Email eleanor@metroplays.org (As our staff continues to work remotely, email is preferred.)

Pricing

In-Person Performances
Ticket includes a live in-person performance of the production and a lesson plan connected to the themes of the play. $10 per student.

Virtual Performances
Ticket prices for streaming performances are $2.50 to $5 per student, depending on the size of the group. All tickets include a virtual lesson plan connected to Missouri curricular standards. For an additional per-ticket price, a live Q&A session with the actors on select dates can be added. For an additional per-classroom price of $200, a live workshop can be added as well. Live Q&As and workshops are available on a limited booking schedule first-come, first-served.

Virtual Viewing (without Q&A Session)
Number of Virtual Attendees: 1 to 200
$5 per person

Number of Virtual Attendees: 201 to 499
$4 per person

Number of Virtual Attendees: 500 to 999
$3.50 per person

Number of Virtual Attendees: 1,000 to 2,499
$3 per person

Number of Virtual Attendees: 2,500 and above
$2.50 per person

Virtual Viewing with Q&A Session
Number of Virtual Attendees: 1 to 200
$8 per person

Number of Virtual Attendees: 201 to 499
$7 per person

Number of Virtual Attendees: 500 to 999
$6 per person

Number of Virtual Attendees: 1,000 to 2,499
$5 per person

Number of Virtual Attendees: 2,500 and above
$4 per person

More to Explore

Book two or more MTC programs for your school this year and save 15%!

If you’re interested in Digging Up Dessa, you may like these Metro Theater Company programs for your school:

Last Stop on Market Street
Jacked!
Say Something, Do Something
Building Community Through Drama
Bold, Brave, Curious