Summer Young Company

Designed as an extension of the Fall Festival of Shakespeare, Spring Young Company, and our Riotous Company programs, Summer Young Company is a day program ideal for young actors with access to local housing, as well as personal daily transportation.

In an ensemble guided by Shakespeare & Company Education Directors and Teaching Artists, participants will be led through theater activities encouraging them to discover the themes, characters, and stories that resonate with them. Throughout this five-week program, participants will actively engage in the creation of a performance piece, using Shakespeare’s plays and poetry as the foundation.

Throughout the program, participants will develop connections and build ensemble; immerse themselves in Shakespeare’s world; uncover associations between their lived experiences and Shakespeare’s plays; expand their curiosity and awaken their imaginations; engage with the natural world; develop the art of story-telling through the actor-audience relationship, and attend performances, lectures, and/or talkbacks within the Shakespeare & Company Summer 2023 Season. This program culminates in a final performance to be shared with family, friends, and Company members.

Classes may include, but are not limited to:

• Exploring and Performing Shakespeare’s Text
• Monologue and Sonnet Work
• Foundations of Scene Work
• Movement and Dance for Shakespeare’s World
• Introductory Voice, inspired by the work of Kristin Linklater
• Fight for the Stage
• Play and Introduction to Clown

How to Apply

Participants must audition for this program, and prepare a 12-to-16 line Shakespearean monologue that resonates with them in a personally meaningful way. Shakespeare & Company auditions invite playfulness and spontaneity. Please wear clothing in which you feel comfortable moving. Applicants unable to travel to Shakespeare & Company, in Lenox, may audition via Zoom.

To Schedule an audition, applicants must email Education Programs Manager Meg Marchione at [email protected], with their name, application, and a letter of interest.

Auditions will be held in-person Saturday, May 20 at Shakespeare & Company, 70 Kemble Street Lenox, Mass., 01240. Zoom auditions are available upon request.

Application Form
Fiancial Aid Form

Schedule

Summer Young Company takes place both indoors and outdoors at multiple locations in and around Shakespeare & Company, 70 Kemble Street in Lenox, Mass.

Classes and Rehearsals: June 26 through July 28

Final Performances: Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29; time and location TBA

Monday through Friday, 9 am - 3:30 pm, with some later evenings possible during Tech Week.

• The program begins promptly at 9 am with check-in, business, and warm-up.
• Classes typically take place in the mornings and afternoons during the first week.
• Classes continue in the morning during the second week, with rehearsals beginning in earnest in the afternoons.
• Lunch break is typically 12 pm to12:30 pm
• From 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm, classes and rehearsals continue, ending in reinforcement
• 3:30 pm End of Day

Schedules are subject to change.

Tuition

$2,000; partial financial aid may be available. Applications for Financial Aid are due at the time of your audition.

The goal of Shakespeare & Company Education is to develop the skills of imagination, empathy, and effective communication, strengthening one’s specific thoughts and feelings in an ensemble environment. Alumni of our Educational Programs are valued not only for their talent and skills, but also for their collaborative spirit, creative risk-taking, authenticity, and social-emotional courage – qualities they may carry through life, and bring to any endeavor they choose to explore.