Shakespeare Festival St. Louis Addresses Bullying

What's the Bard say on bullying? Plenty, in fact. And, more than 400 years later, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis is trying to spread the word. In the past 10 years the organization has inspired more than 185,000 students with the Bard's advice through productions artfully adapted for young audiences. These 50-minute text-based adaptations are commissioned from local playwrights and performed by five professional actor/teaching artists at schools and community venues throughout the St. Louis metro area. This season's performances run from Feb. 22 - May 20.

In conjunction with this year's production of the "Taming of the Shrew," set for May 25-June 19 (excluding Tuesdays) in Shakespeare Glen in Forest Park, the two educational shows now making their rounds to 22,000 students throughout 125 schools and community venues include "Shrew in a Few," and "Cruel to be Kind." Both adaptations were written by Christopher Limber, the education director for Shakespeare Festival St. Louis. "Cruel to be Kind" illuminates Shakespeare's career as a playwright in London while also addressing the timely subject of bullying and the power of theatre to change lives.

"The range of characters and conduct has not changed since Shakespeare wrote 400 years ago," Limber said. "It is often more comfortable for students to process bad behavior that takes place in a play than to confront it in real life. The play begins the conversation."

"I've always been intrigued by pairing a social issue with one of Shakespeare's play," said Rick Dildine, executive director of Shakespeare Festival St. Louis. "In light of the bullying issues occurring in schools and social media sites nationwide, we felt this was an appropriate issue to introduce this year. We're using the power of the theatre to build awareness, teach empathy and support communication."

"Cruel to be Kind" is a play set in 1599 as Shakespeare is furiously writing "As You Like It," his new play for the new Globe in London. The characters in "As You Like It" actually include several clear examples of bullies. Shakespeare uses these characters during a rehearsal, to enlighten one of this teen apprentices, Ozwaldo, who is a terrible bully. Through Oz's journey and throughout the play, the young target audience will see what several types of bullying look and sound like and how they can be diffused. They also learn some of the many reasons why bullying occurs.

A companion workshop to "Cruel to be Kind" offers a natural springboard for activities, referencing the characters and situations within the play. Students view the play, and in a question and answer session after the performance, they are encouraged to discuss bullying in terms of its characters. Then, in small groups of 30, they participate in a workshop, "Bullies and Boundaries." Students are provided new ways to act more thoughtfully in their relationships. Limber worked closely with Eric Nuetzel, M.D., of the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute when creating the materials.

The Shakespeare Festival St. Louis' Education Tour has received Kevin Kline Award nominations for Outstanding Production for Young Audiences every year since 2005. In 2008 and 2009, the organization won the Kevin Kline for "Me and Richard" and "Quick-Brewed Macbeth."

In addition to the education tour, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis also offers the following programs to area students:

Metro Youth Shakespeare: An annual semester-long residency which works with students and teachers from 10-15 middle and high schools to explore the skills needed to analyze, rehearse and perform Shakespeare's texts. Students develop production concepts, direct scenes, design sets, costumes and lighting, audition and cast student actors. The program, in its ninth year, will culminate in three public performances at Harris Stowe State University April 15-16.

Residencies: Working intensively with teachers and students throughout the region, Festival Residencies for all ages use the in-depth study of Shakespeare to increase ensemble, analysis and literacy skills. Examples include:
-- City Academy Shakespeare: Students ages 6-11 examine Shakespeare with Festival Teaching Artists and develop a 40-minute adaptation of a Shakespeare play. This semester-long partnership is in its seventh year.
-- North Side Neighborhood Partnership brings the study of Shakespeare to the College Hill District through semester-long workshops at Bryan Hill Elementary School.
--The Shakespeare Performance Program, in its seventh year, works with third, fourth and fifth grade students as they produce a show. Everything culminates with a trip to Forest Park to watch the annual Shakespeare production.

Classes and Camps: Shakespeare Festival St. Louis builds community and enhances cultural engagement through classes and collaborative workshops. Shakespeare Squadron is an advanced year-long training and performance program for teenage actors.

The annual summer camps provide training for classical theatre as students explore the fun and excitement of performing the works of Shakespeare, developing physical, vocal and acting skills. Camps are held at Clayton High School and at Laumeier Sculpture Park.

SFSTL also partners with many community-based arts, cultural and service organizations, including the English Speaking Union and the Lifelong Learning partnership.