School Programs at the Appell Center for the Performing Arts
Appell Center for the Performing Arts, 50 N George St, York, PA 17401
About
School Programs at the Appell Center for the Performing Arts include School Matinees, Stage the Page, Arts and Science Workshops, Stage the Page Workshops, and Creative Career Day. Students can take part in hands-on workshops such as Light and Sound Design, Costume Design, Voice Over Acting, Set Design, Film Production, Props, and Graphic Design workshops, as well as activities in comedy improvisation, music, and science-based magic. The program also offers shadow and internship opportunities for students and early career artists.
• Ages: 3–12 years old
• Price: Free tickets and bus subsidies are provided by generous donations through the EITC Program for School Matinees for grades 3–5; Free tickets and books are provided, as well as free and reduced transportation thanks to the generous support of individuals and businesses through the EITC Program for Stage the Page; Free tickets are provided, as well as free and reduced transportation thanks to the generous support of individuals and businesses through the EITC Program for Mister C Live Vol. 2 – The World in Motion; The Appell Center offers career training opportunities to students and early career artists throughout the year, all at nominal or no cost to the participants.
The Appell Center for the Performing Arts states that its mission is to inspire, educate and entertain through professional performing arts experiences that bring together York County’s diverse voices. School programming is supported by donors through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program, with free or reduced tickets, books, and transportation for specific offerings. The organization describes Arts and Science Workshops that connect the arts to science through comedy improvisation, music, and science-based magic, and it presents Mister C Live Vol. 2 – The World in Motion, which focuses on the Laws of Motion and explores STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math). Stage the Page serves grades K–2 and includes copies of the book on which the performance is based and a study guide that incorporates PA Curriculum Standards, while School Matinees are offered for grades 3–5. Billy Goats Gruff and Other Tales is described as designed for children ages 3 to 7 and presents reimagined versions of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, and The Three Billy Goats Gruff.
Creative Career Day is an annual event held in February and features hands-on workshops with creative professionals in the historic Strand and Capitol Theatre. The Appell Center works with local schools and higher learning institutions to offer shadow and internship opportunities in various areas within the organization, and most Artist Cohort participants go on to become Appell Center for the Performing Arts teaching artists who work with students throughout York County and beyond. The Appell Center states that it will be a performing arts hub that welcomes the cross-cultures, ideas, experiences and faces of York County, and that it commits to creating partnerships and programs that invite and engage community participation, inclusive of underrepresented communities. The organization also notes that it seeks to improve venue accessibility, including physical, language, and sensory accessibility, and that it presents a wide range of artists, art forms, and film with intentional inclusion of underserved and underrepresented members of the community.
For the last 45 years, the Appell Center for the Performing Arts, formerly known as the Strand Capitol Performing Arts Center, has served as a cultural hub of downtown York. The Capitol Theatre began its journey in 1906, and Appell Enterprises opened the Strand Theatre in August 1925; the Capitol Theatre opened as the Capitol Theatre on August 9, 1926. By 1977 the Strand and Capitol Theatres had closed their doors, and on April 12, 1980, the Strand Capitol Performing Arts Center opened its doors. In 2016, Louis Appell, Jr., passed away, and shortly after, the Board of Directors renamed the organization the Appell Center for the Performing Arts; the organization is approaching the Strand Theatre’s 100th anniversary in 2025.
The leadership team includes Todd Fogdall, President & CEO; Mindi Haines, Director of Development; AJ Myers, Director of Education & Community Engagement; Amanda Spalla, Director of Operations; Debra L. Volz, Director of Marketing; Katelyn Estep, Operations Manager; Dave Hoffheins, Marketing Content Manager; Kimberly Soderberg, Development Manager; Dan Crowell, Development & Education Assistant; Rachel Ritchey, Digital Marketing Assistant; Robert Delany, Programming Assistant; Jeremy Kilgore, Operations Assistant; Michelle Richard, Administrative Assistant; Julie Lavetan, Senior Box Office Agent; and Bea Campbell, Box Office Agent.
Last updated July 14, 2026.
• Ages: 3–12 years old
• Price: Free tickets and bus subsidies are provided by generous donations through the EITC Program for School Matinees for grades 3–5; Free tickets and books are provided, as well as free and reduced transportation thanks to the generous support of individuals and businesses through the EITC Program for Stage the Page; Free tickets are provided, as well as free and reduced transportation thanks to the generous support of individuals and businesses through the EITC Program for Mister C Live Vol. 2 – The World in Motion; The Appell Center offers career training opportunities to students and early career artists throughout the year, all at nominal or no cost to the participants.
The Appell Center for the Performing Arts states that its mission is to inspire, educate and entertain through professional performing arts experiences that bring together York County’s diverse voices. School programming is supported by donors through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program, with free or reduced tickets, books, and transportation for specific offerings. The organization describes Arts and Science Workshops that connect the arts to science through comedy improvisation, music, and science-based magic, and it presents Mister C Live Vol. 2 – The World in Motion, which focuses on the Laws of Motion and explores STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math). Stage the Page serves grades K–2 and includes copies of the book on which the performance is based and a study guide that incorporates PA Curriculum Standards, while School Matinees are offered for grades 3–5. Billy Goats Gruff and Other Tales is described as designed for children ages 3 to 7 and presents reimagined versions of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, and The Three Billy Goats Gruff.
Creative Career Day is an annual event held in February and features hands-on workshops with creative professionals in the historic Strand and Capitol Theatre. The Appell Center works with local schools and higher learning institutions to offer shadow and internship opportunities in various areas within the organization, and most Artist Cohort participants go on to become Appell Center for the Performing Arts teaching artists who work with students throughout York County and beyond. The Appell Center states that it will be a performing arts hub that welcomes the cross-cultures, ideas, experiences and faces of York County, and that it commits to creating partnerships and programs that invite and engage community participation, inclusive of underrepresented communities. The organization also notes that it seeks to improve venue accessibility, including physical, language, and sensory accessibility, and that it presents a wide range of artists, art forms, and film with intentional inclusion of underserved and underrepresented members of the community.
For the last 45 years, the Appell Center for the Performing Arts, formerly known as the Strand Capitol Performing Arts Center, has served as a cultural hub of downtown York. The Capitol Theatre began its journey in 1906, and Appell Enterprises opened the Strand Theatre in August 1925; the Capitol Theatre opened as the Capitol Theatre on August 9, 1926. By 1977 the Strand and Capitol Theatres had closed their doors, and on April 12, 1980, the Strand Capitol Performing Arts Center opened its doors. In 2016, Louis Appell, Jr., passed away, and shortly after, the Board of Directors renamed the organization the Appell Center for the Performing Arts; the organization is approaching the Strand Theatre’s 100th anniversary in 2025.
The leadership team includes Todd Fogdall, President & CEO; Mindi Haines, Director of Development; AJ Myers, Director of Education & Community Engagement; Amanda Spalla, Director of Operations; Debra L. Volz, Director of Marketing; Katelyn Estep, Operations Manager; Dave Hoffheins, Marketing Content Manager; Kimberly Soderberg, Development Manager; Dan Crowell, Development & Education Assistant; Rachel Ritchey, Digital Marketing Assistant; Robert Delany, Programming Assistant; Jeremy Kilgore, Operations Assistant; Michelle Richard, Administrative Assistant; Julie Lavetan, Senior Box Office Agent; and Bea Campbell, Box Office Agent.
Last updated July 14, 2026.
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