Active participation in an arts program is a critical component in every child’s education. Arts programs enrich students’ lives and provide a vehicle for them to communicate and express human emotion and ideas. In addition, the study of the arts prepares students to be successful in a twenty-first century world that demands innovative thinking and creativity in an increasingly competitive global society. We believe that all students are capable of growth in the arts and that there are skills and concepts inherent in the arts that cannot be taught in other disciplines. Participation in an arts program allows students to make connections across content areas and cultural boundaries. The arts enable personal, intellectual, social, economic, and human growth by fostering creativity and providing opportunities for expression beyond the limits of language.

We support this mission through our instruction aligned to the New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS) and to the National Core Arts Standards. We are a nationally-recognized program, and Princeton High School has been designated a New Jersey Model School in the Arts. Our distinguished faculty members provide sequential instruction in each arts discipline, challenging each student to reach his or her potential.

The Princeton Public Schools Visual and Performing Arts Department has worked extensively to provide high quality instruction during all phases of the pandemic. Over the last 30 months, we developed a series of plans that implemented recommendations and guidance from the Princeton Department of Health, the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS), and national and state arts education organizations. Some of the mitigation strategies that we use are tied to the COVID-19 Community Level, as defined by the CDC and the NJDOH. If local conditions in Princeton indicate increased community transmission or an outbreak, we may introduce additional mitigation strategies, in consultation with district administration, our school physician, and the Princeton Department of Health.

Please see our full list of arts protocols for this school year, and please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Friday, October 21, 2022

7:30 PM

PHS Performing Arts Center

Come experience the heart and soul of Portuguese music: Fado. You will be transported to the city of Lisbon as you hear this music and its poignant stories filled with nostalgia, love, melancholy, passion, and spirit. In keeping with the tradition of Fado, the vocal performances will be accompanied by guitars and dancing as well! This performance can be enjoyed by the entire family and is a fundraiser for PHS Choir’s February tour to Portugal. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens and may be purchased through choir members or at the door.

Scary movies are full of different ways to give you nightmares—but once you figure out the formula, the frightful looks pretty funny. Take a whirlwind tour through the common categories of the creepy, from lines like, “Let’s split up!” to tropes like the car that never starts. If you dare to master everything from cobwebs to clowns, you’ll be ready when they all converge in a single hilarious finale scene. You won’t believe how fast the spine-chilling turns side-splitting when you know the secrets of The Hallmarks of Horror.

Friday, November 4, 2022 (Blue Cast)

Saturday, November 5, 2022 (Gold Cast)

7:30 PM

PMS Auditorium

“Welcome to opening night of the Cornley University Drama Society’s newest production, The Murder at Haversham Manor, where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous. This 1920s whodunit has everything you never wanted in a show—an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines). Nevertheless, the accident-prone thespians battle against all odds to make it through to their final curtain call, with hilarious consequences! Part Monty Python, part Sherlock Holmes, this Olivier Award-winning comedy is a global phenomenon that’s guaranteed to leave you aching with laughter!” (Dramatists Play Service)

Thursday, November 17, 2022, at 7:30 PM

Friday, November 18, 2022, at 7:30 PM

Saturday, November 19, 2022, at 7:30 PM

Sunday, November 20, 2022, at 3:00 PM

Princeton High School Performing Arts Center

Corner of Walnut Lane and Franklin Avenue, Princeton, NJ

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students/seniors. Tickets are available at our Ludus website. All tickets are general admission seating. Doors will open 30 minutes before curtain time. All roles are double-cast; each cast performs two shows.

Please join us for Jammin’ With Santa at PHS! We’ll have visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus, arts and crafts, games, and holiday music played by the PHS Studio Band. Admission is free, but donations will be gratefully accepted.

Saturday, December 3, 2022

10:30 AM-1:30 PM

Princeton High School Cafeteria

The art students of Princeton Middle School will exhibit their achievements in this culminating gala celebration. Works include two- and three-dimensional pieces by over 400 students.

Thursday, December 15, 2022

6:00-7:30 PM

PMS Main Commons

Saturday, December 17, 2022

3:00 and 6:00 PM

Richardson Auditorium

A Princeton tradition! The Princeton High School Choir joins the PSO to celebrate the holiday season. Tickets can be purchased through www.princetonsymphony.org.