Shakespeare & Company's Northeast Regional Tour to Return With ROMEO & JULIET

After a two-year hiatus, Shakespeare & Company has announced the return of the Northeast Regional Tour of Shakespeare, sending touring productions of Shakespeare's plays, along with a variety of related workshops, into middle and high schools, colleges, and other venues across the Northeast and beyond.

From early February to early May 2023, Shakespeare & Company Actors/Education Artists will tour a seven-actor, 90-minute version of Romeo & Juliet (directed by founding company member Kevin G. Coleman) throughout the Northeast.

The production will be fully produced with sets, costumes, props, and sound. The Northeast Regional Tour of Shakespeare reaches approximately 20,000 students and audience members across 8 states each year. Kaitlin Henderson, education tour and professional development manager for Shakespeare & Company, said the Education team sees renewed opportunities in next year's tour, as it reenters a world that has changed - particularly for young students.

"We have been having ongoing conversations about how the world has changed, how we as artists have changed, and how students have changed during the pandemic," she said. "Because so many arts programs have been canceled, students have lost many opportunities to engage with the world in creative ways.

"In this ever-shifting landscape, we all are seeking creative outlets - new ways of expressing our experiences and engaging with the world around us as it continues to change. Theater does that. Shakespeare and his language do that. And we hope to offer that to students through our touring production of Romeo & Juliet in 2023."

Audiences in schools, colleges and universities, community centers, and other venues enjoy a full, one-day package of activities, including a 90-minute performance; a 15-minute, interactive, post-show forum, and the choice of one of two, 45-minute workshops with students centered on workshopping in performance or the actor-audience relationship.

Digital study guides prepared by Shakespeare & Company and tailored specifically to that year's production are available to schools and educators as part of a tour booking, designed as supplemental resources for teachers and students to help them better understand the play, but also to form points of connection between the experiences of modern-day students and the story of the play.

"We hope to bring a particularly powerful and exciting production out on tour this year," said Henderson. "One that reflects the emotions, struggles, and perhaps even the small joys of the past two years."

Tour visits are designed to accommodate school and classroom schedules, and Shakespeare & Company also offers custom packages, including access to virtual programming, multi-day residencies with additional workshops, and others. Limited financial assistance is also available through The National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest presents Shakespeare in American Communities, and Massachusetts Cultural Council Grants.

For more information, email northeastregionaltour@gmail.com, or call (413) 637-1199 ext. 108.

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