Pittsburgh School Assemblies
Award-winning, entertaining, and educational school assemblies presented to tens of thousands of students each year!
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View our current show schedule and fill out our inquiry form to book an assembly for your students.
“I believe this has to be the best assembly I have seen in all my 22 years as an educator. Saltworks dealt with a very real problem in a way that our students could relate. The program was very real, human, and down to earth. Bravo to Saltworks for an amazing performance on this issue.”
About Saltworks School Assemblies
Saltworks school shows are particularly relevant at a time when students face rising rates of anxiety, depression, substance use, and bullying. Because our plays are age-specific and written in direct response to issues schools identify, they meet students where they are—whether that is teaching elementary children respect and kindness, helping middle schoolers recognize and resist bullying, or equipping high school students to navigate peer pressure and mental health struggles. The overall message is one of hope.
About Our Shows
Shows are available for students K-12 and are performed by 5 professional actors. Shows are followed by informative Q&A sessions that reinforce content and spark student engagement.
Over 2.5 Million Students Served
Our shows aim to demonstrate the consequences of opioid & prescription drug misuse, heroin use, drug & alcohol abuse, vaping, cyber bullying, verbal and physical bullying, and more social issues.
How Our Assemblies Work
Our dynamic, interactive, and inspiring plays are performed for children and youth to address issues of alcohol and drug abuse, bullying (cyberbullying), anxiety, and self worth.
1. Preparation
Educator curriculum guides containing pre- and post-show classroom exercises are provided to prepare students for the school assembly and stimulate communication around the issues.
2. Performance
Plays are performed by professional actors and run 45-50 minutes in length. The play you choose will address a specific social issue relevant to your students.
3. Q&A Session
Each performance is followed by a 10-15 minute Q & A session led by our actors, which invites students to explore the issues further.
Current Elementary School Shows
Our shows for younger students demonstrate the importance of kindness, compassion, and healthy choices.
Alex Rewrites the Wrongs
by Tom Long
Age: Grades K-5
The issues: Character (Responsibility & Respect), Compromise, Teamwork
This Elementary School show will encourage kids to be a leader by doing the right thing, even when no one is looking. Inspired by Sean Covey’s book, 7 Habits of Happy Kids, this interactive play will inspire children to be proactive in order to see change in their lives and to be a leader in starting that change. This play will educate students that they should live according to principles such as responsibility, compromise, teamwork, and respect.
(Meets PA Standards: 5.2, 9.1, 9.3, 11.2, 16.1-3)
The Fearsome Foursome
by Tom Long
Age: Grades K-5
The issues: Kindness, Inclusiveness, Stereotypes
Fearsome Foursome follows the quest of four elementary students as they work their way to success during their schools’ Operation Brainpower competition. Each student embraces their unique strengths as they work as a team to complete the challenges. One student has a change of heart and learns to accept his teammates despite their differences.
(Meets PA Standards: 5.2, 9.1, 9.3, 11.2, 16.1-3)
The Wellness Warriors
by Tom Long
Age: Grades K-5
The issues: physical and mental health and wellness
With the help of the audience and a superhero who is devoted to helping kids make healthy choices, four elementary students learn how to handle “villains” like Feeling Frenzies, Distractinators, and Malicious Mirrors. The characters (and audience!) learn about mindfulness and how to take care of themselves both mentally and physically. At the end of the show they realize that they can be superheroes, too, by using what they’ve learned to help others!
(Meets PA Standards 5.2, 9.1, 9.3, 10.1-3, 11.2, & 16.1-3)
Current Middle & High School Shows
Our shows for older students demonstrate the complexities of navigating anxiety, social media, vaping, and drug use.
When Panic Attacks
by Tom Long
Age: Grades 6-12
The issues: Anxiety, negative body image, social media
Students are facing increased pressure for acceptance. Social media apps like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat can present an idealized version of the lives of influencers and friends alike. The pressure to fit in can lead students to develop anxiety, negative body image, and a preoccupation with social media. When Panic Attacks addresses these issues through the lives of students who have experienced them and reached out for help.
(Meets PA Standards: 9.1, 9.3, 10.1-3, 11.2, 16.1-3)
The Choice
by Tom Long
Age: Grades 7-12
The issues: Vaping, E-cigarettes
Teen game show contestants are tested on their knowledge of vaping. A variety of scenes cover the science behind vaping’s impact on mental and physical health, the way vaping is marketed to young people, and the long-term repercussions of vaping.
(Meets PA Standards: 9.1, 9.3, 10.1-3, 16.1-3)
Off 'Script
by Tom Long
Age: Grades 7-12
The issues: Opioid and Heroin Abuse, Prescription Drug Abuse, Peer Pressure
The misuse of prescription drugs is often overlooked and unnoticed for too long. The cause and effect of pain killers can be very different for individuals and lead to a lifetime of treatment and suffering. In Off ‘Script, three students share their stories of addiction to prescription drugs, the consequences of their actions, and their journey to hope and healing.
(Meets PA Standards: 9.1, 9.3, 10.1-3, 16.1-3)
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Together we will continue to make a great difference for thousands of children.