Archive for the 'Education' Category

World’s Largest Acting Class

The final Common Class of the Fall Festival—the Performance Common Class—is the biggest acting class you’ll ever witness. Take a look (this year’s Festival comes to Founders’ Theatre November 19-22):

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Fall Festival Schedules Posted

The schedule for the 21st Annual Fall Festival of Shakespeare has been posted!

The Festival weekend in Founders’ Theatre will be as follows. Visit the Fall Festival of Shakespeare page for details on in-school performances the week before.

Click here to buy tickets now for the 21st Annual Fall Festival of Shakespeare!

Thursday, November 19
6:30 – Chatham High School – Pericles, Prince of Tyre
8:30 – Lenox Memorial High School – Julius Caesar

Friday, November 20
6:30 – Lee High School – King John
8:30 – Mt. Greylock Regional High School – As You Like It

Saturday, November 21
1:30 – Taconic High School – Macbeth
3:30 – Mount Everett Regional High School – Romeo and Juliet
6:30 – Monument Mountain Regional High School – Richard III
8:30 – Springfield Central High School – The Merry Wives of Windsor

Sunday, November 22
1:30 – Taconic Hills High School – King Lear
3:30 – North Andover High School – As You Like It
5:00 – The Reverence

Also check out the latest Common Class video — the Tech Common Class! (Available at the Fall Festival of Shakespeare’s Facebook Page)

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21st Annual Fall Festival underway (Video)

The 21st Annual Fall Festival of Shakespeare is just around the corner—November 19–22 in Founders’ Theatre—and we couldn’t be more excited! Check out the Fall Festival on Facebook by visiting http://www.facebook.com/fallfestival. Become a fan to get updates as we progress, including photos and video of the Festival in action!

To start, here’s a video of last week’s Common Class in Dance/Movement:

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Shakespeare in the Courts and Stephen Colbert

This spring, the Shakespeare in the Courts program was expanded to three branches covering all of Berkshire County—North Adams, Pittsfield and Great Barrington. The last of these to perform, the Pittsfield group, presents their work this Thursday at Founders’ Theatre.

In honor of them and Judge Paul Perachi, that “do-gooder judge from  Massachusetts” who is retiring this year, we present to you “The Word” from the April 20, 2006 episode of The Colbert Report, in which Colbert lovingly pokes fun at our nationally recognized program.

Join us this Thursday, June 4th at 7:30pm in Founders’ Theatre for the final Shakespeare in the Courts performance — Julius Caesar — and help thank Judge Perachi for his work. Admission is free.

A Season of Accolades

It’s a season of recognition for Shakespeare & Company, with four longtime Company artists set to receive special honors this month.

Founder & Artistic Director Tina Packer Company Founder and Artistic Director Tina Packer recently received the American Shakespeare Center’s “Burbage Award” for her lifetime of work in the international Shakespeare community, and is also receiving an honorary degree from Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass. “Tina is a force to be reckoned with as one of the country’s foremost experts on Shakespeare and theatre arts,” said ASC Managing Director David Dreyfoos, who presented the Burbage Award to Packer at a ceremony held at the Blackfriars Playhouse on April 25. “She is a consummate visionary, actor, manager, advocate for the arts, a true original, and one of a kind. Plus, she has the most wickedly wonderful laugh in the world.”

Elizabeth Aspenlieder in Bad Dates Elizabeth Aspenlieder is nominated for a 2009 Eliot Norton Award for “Outstanding Solo Performance” for her performance in Bad Dates at Shakespeare & Company and Merrimack Repertory Company.

Annette Miller as Martha MitchellAnnette Miller is nominated for a 2009 Eliot Norton Award for “Outstanding Actress” at a small or midsize theatre company for her performance in Martha Mitchell Calling at the Nora Theatre Company, in a role she originated in the play’s world premiere at S&Co. in 2006. Annette will reprise her role as Golda Meir in William Gibson’s Golda’s Balcony at Shakespeare & Company this season as part of the Diva Series.

(This year’s Elliot Norton Awards ceremony takes place at Harvard University’s Sanders Theatre on Monday, May 11, 7:00pm.  Tickets are $15 and available at the Harvard Box Office, Holyoke Center, in Harvard Square, 617-496-2222, www.boxoffice.harvard.edu.)

Kevin ColemanCompany Founder and Director of Education Kevin G. Coleman earned the prestigious “Distinguished Arts Educator Award” in the field of theatre, bestowed annually by the Massachusetts Arts Education Collaborative. In addition to his work as an actor, director, Training Program faculty member at S&Co. and workshop engagements around the country, Coleman built up the Education Program into a much-emulated roster of programs that touches the lives of some 50,000 students every year. Initiatives launched under Coleman’s leadership include Shakespeare in the Courts, recipient of a 2006 Coming Up Taller Award at the White House, and the Fall Festival of Shakespeare, which engages students at about ten high schools annually and celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2008.

Video Preview: Romeo & Juliet, the New England Tour

Romeo & Juliet, Shakespeare & Company’s 2009 educational tour, has begun its journey to schools and venues across New England (plus New York and New Jersey). The seven-member cast of education artists will perform the show over 70 times in over 60 communities, for over 200 schools. The cast includes Benjamin Brinton, Paul D’Agostino, Kaitlin Henderson, Alyssa Hughlett, Kelley Johnston, Sean Kazarian, and Daniel Kurtz. Check out the video preview, and mark your calendars for the Tour’s May 8 finale in Founders’ Theatre.

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How to Open and Close Ten Shows in Four Days

The Fall Festival of Shakespeare is now over, thanks to the courageous acts of over 450 young artists and their parents, administrators from each of the ten participating high schools, teachers, custodians, bus drivers, and the Shakespeare & Company staff of over forty directors, designers and technicians. All in all, this year’s Fall Festival of Shakespeare drew larger audiences and raised more money than any previous Festival.

We’ve got a special treat for those who couldn’t make it, or those who want to relive the excitement of those four days. Check out the video below to see the entire four days of the Fall Festival of Shakespeare—performances, technical rehearsals, and changeovers—in under four minutes.

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