Welcome to Peak Backstage!
- Ms. A
- Jul 19, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 22
Table of Contents:
Where drama doesn’t only belong on stage. It belongs wherever young people gather to imagine, create, and tell their stories.
If you've ever thought: “I love drama, but I don’t have the time, training, space, or budget…”—you’re in the right place.
Our Vision
To make drama a standard part of out-of-school time programs nationwide.
We believe drama supports:
social-emotional learning
communication and collaboration
identity and belonging
student leadership
And it should be easy to implement, even in high-energy, mixed-age OST settings.
Who we serve
Peak Backstage™ is for out-of-school time professionals who create spaces to enrich youth learning, development and well-being outside the traditional school day.
That includes people working in:
after-school and expanded learning programs
community-based organizations
arts and enrichment programs
libraries, recreation centers, and camps
And Guess what?
How we serve
The Peak Backstage Crew™
When you subscribe to our mailing list Peak Backstage™, you become part of the Peak Backstage Crew™ — our growing online community of educators and facilitators doing the work.
Inside our community you'll get:
insight to fuel your work and help you keep going on hard days.
simple, no-prep drama tools you can use right away to boost engagement and creativity.
moments to reflect, share wins, and feel seen by people who understand what we do
early access to new resources, activities, and programs.
Digital Library: Instructional Resources & Teaching Tools - Coming June 2026
Grounded in the Peak Theatre Arts approach, our instructional resources are designed specifically for out-of-school time environments—adaptable, flexible, and responsive to mixed-age groups and diverse learners.
You'll find:
lesson plans designed for flexible, high-energy OST settings
drama activities that center leadership, storytelling, and student voice
curriculum and mini-units adaptable across age groups
classroom and group management systems built for after-school environments
behavior support strategies and tools that prioritize social-emotional learning
What makes our resources different:
they center students’ identities, cultures, and lived experiences
they invite young people to create and perform their own stories
they specialize in OST and expanded learning spaces
they do not require a stage, a fancy budget, or theatre background
Everything is clearly guided and easy to facilitate — so you can lead meaningful drama experiences with confidence.
Workshops & Professional Development
We offer conference workshops and professional development trainings rooted in our approach.
Our trainings focus on:
Drama as a tool for storytelling, belonging, and identity
Culturally sustaining facilitation practices
Student voice, collaboration, and process over performance
Classroom & Behavior strategies nurture social emotional learning
Interested in bringing a Peak Backstage workshop to your next staff development training? Contact us and someone from our team will reach out within 24 hours.
Why Peak Backstage™ Exists
I started teaching drama in an after-school program in January 2013.
At the time, I was a working actress with years (8 years of experience) of theatre experience, but had no theatre degree, no background in education, no guide for adapting theatre to OST settings, and no resources that reflected my students or their communities.
I thought I could find what I needed online.
Instead, I found:
rigid curricula that didn’t fit real OST environments
plays that assumed a stage, lighting, and a budget I didn’t have
lesson plans written for classrooms that looked nothing like mine
I needed flexible, culturally responsive, tools and resources to meet the needs of my ethnically and culturally diverse students.
So, I started building it myself. Not all at once. Just one day a time.
Over the years, I created:
lesson plans that worked in high-energy, mixed-age environments
stories and scenes rooted in students’ lived experiences
strategies for teaching drama without formal resources or training
a community who understood the unique challenges we face in OST
Peak Backstage™ the hub of everything I wished I’d had back then. It’s the thing I was looking for back then, but couldn’t find.
Meet Your Guide
Hi, I’m Jessica — “Ms. Apple” to my students.
I’m the founder and CEO of Peak Theatre Arts™ and the creator of Peak Backstage™ & Peak Backstage Crew™
For over 20 years, my work in out-of-school time has been shaped by many roles
Actress
Writer
Director
Teaching Artist
After-school leader
Summer Camp Director
Community arts educator
Site Coordinator
Program Director
— each adding insight and levels of expertise in how I serve young people and the educators who walk alongside them:
I know what it’s like to create magic with:
no budget
no stage
no blueprint
And I know what’s possible when we center kids’ voices, cultures, and stories.
That’s why I built Peak Theatre Arts™ and Peak Backstage™ — to center access, equity, quality, and consistency in out-of-school time spaces, using the Peak Theatre Arts™ framework and approach.
My work is rooted in the belief that drama should be accessible, culturally sustaining, and doable anywhere — and that out-of-school time professionals deserve tools and support that meet the realities of their classrooms and communities.
“If all the world’s a stage, then theatre sets you up for life.”— Jessica Alvarado, Founder & CEO
Get started with your first resource
Get started with your first resource, Superheroes Loading: a drama activity, for youth ages 8-12 that centers belonging, storytelling and culture.
You will get one main lesson + three extension activities you can easily turn into a four-week mini-unit. Perfect for after-school programs, homeschool co-ops, and community spaces.
This activity is:
✔ student-led
✔ culturally grounded
✔ easy to implement
✔ designed for high-energy OST groups
Peak Backstage Disclaimer
The content shared on Peak Backstage is provided for educational and informational purposes only. All resources, reflections, and strategies are drawn from my experience as a community arts educator and parent. They are not intended as legal, medical, psychological, or financial advice. Every child, classroom, and community is unique. Please use your professional judgment and consult appropriate professionals when needed before applying any ideas shared here. By using this site and its tools or resources, you acknowledge that you are responsible for your own decisions and any outcomes that result from them. I share what has worked in my own practice and in the communities I’ve served, with the understanding that — in teaching and parenting — there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Thank you for the care, creativity, and commitment you bring to the work you do.
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