Everyman Theatre’s High School Matinee Program Named a 2026 Library of Congress Literacy Awards Honoree
Nearly 30 Years of Arts-Integrated Literacy Education Recognized Among 21 Honorees
(BALTIMORE, MD—9/9/26) Everyman Theatre is proud to announce that its long-standing High School Matinee Program has been named a Successful Practices Honoree in the 2026 Library of Congress Literacy Awards. The recognition honors the program’s nearly 30-year commitment to strengthening student literacy through the study and performance of dramatic texts. Announced in conjunction with International Literacy Day on September 8, the distinction places Everyman among 21 organizations selected from a national and international field for their innovative, measurable contributions to literacy education.
Sponsored by David M. Rubenstein since 2013 and the Kislak Family Foundation since 2023, the Literacy Awards program recognizes promising initiatives that advance literacy through exemplary, innovative, and replicable strategies.
Launched in 1997, the High School Matinee Program invites over 500 students into Everyman’s productions not as passive audiences but as active readers—analyzing dramatic texts with Everyman Teaching Artists before experiencing them as live performance and building the bridge between written and spoken language that sits at the heart of literacy itself. The program is grounded in state and national educational standards and shaped continually by teacher feedback, allowing it to integrate seamlessly with in-school learning rather than compete with it. The program is also designed such that the same students attend at least four productions during their school year, supporting deeper engagement rather than singular experiences.
The program also emphasizes context: through custom-designed learning materials and artist discussions, students examine how history, culture, and an author’s lived experience shape a text, learning to read a play not only for its story but also for what it reveals about its world. This approach builds the critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and literacy skills that dramatic literature uniquely develops—on the page and in performance.
Twelve organizations internationally, including Everyman, were named Successful Practices Honorees, each receiving $10,000 in recognition of their work; five additional organizations were recognized as Emerging Strategies Honorees. The High School Matinee Program is a cornerstone of Everyman’s education initiatives, extending the theatre’s mission of transformative, accessible storytelling into classrooms across the region.
More information on the 2026 Library of Congress Literacy Awards, including the full list of honorees and an interactive program map, is available at www.loc.gov/literacy.
ABOUT EVERYMAN THEATRE
Everyman Theatre is a professional equity theater company located in Baltimore’s Bromo Arts District. Founded in 1990 by Vincent M. Lancisi, Everyman centers its storytelling around a resident company of artists and is dedicated to offering transformative, accessible theatre experiences. Led by artistic director Brandon Weinbrenner and managing director Marissa LaRose, the theatre is entering its 36th season.
Everyman invests deeply in its community. Each season, the theatre employs more than 150 full- and part-time staff, actors, designers, and teaching artists to create exceptional programming for Baltimore and beyond. By building its shows from the ground up, Everyman creates meaningful opportunities for local artists, artisans, and theatre professionals to contribute to the work seen on its stages. Everyman prioritizes local talent whenever possible, ensuring its productions are rooted in the unique artistry of its home city.
