Shakespeare & Co.'s Fall Festival of Shakespeare's Final Performances Begin Today

Hundreds of teenagers from ten different schools will take to the Tina Packer Playhouse stage at Shakespeare & Company beginning November 19th for four days, for the Fall Festival of Shakespeare's final performances. An annual tradition, the Fall Festival is the culmination of the nationally recognized program that places Shakespeare & Company Education Artists in ten local and regional schools, where they lead students in a nine-week exploration of Shakespeare's plays.

"The final four days of the Festival shows are the culmination of weeks of work from hundreds of students in tech, costumes, lighting and sound design, sets and props, sword fights and dances, scene rehearsals, research and character development," said Director of Education Kevin G. Coleman. "Performances are riveting-the audiences wild in their enthusiasm and support. The Festival is unlike anything you've ever seen. We want you to join us and see for yourself."

Built on the transformative power of Shakespeare's language and stories, the Fall Festival engages students in a personally meaningful, educationally rigorous, and dramatically compelling experience of classical theatre. The ten schools participating in the 2015 Fall Festival of Shakespeare include Berkshire Waldorf High School, Chatham High School (New York), Lee High School, Lenox Memorial High School, Monument Mountain Regional High School, Mount Everett Regional High School, Mount Greylock Regional High School, Springfield Central High School, Taconic High School and Taconic Hills High School (New York).

Led by Director of Education Kevin G. Coleman and Associate Director of Education Jenna Ware, the Fall Festival is a celebration, rather than a competition. Students are encouraged to delve into Shakespeare's works, unpacking the language and savoring the humor, intensity and transcendent beauty of Shakespeare's plays. Daily rehearsals focus on students' personal responses to the text and connection to language. Students also have the opportunity to develop skills in stage combat, performance aesthetics, dance, technical theatre, stage management, marketing and publicity during their Fall Festival experience.

"I learned the importance of community, especially the community Fall Festival provides," said a student from Mt. Everett Regional High School. "Fall Festival is a non-discriminatory place that anyone can go and feel like a part of the family."

Students from all ten schools will gather in a spirit of celebration to perform their plays for the public in a four-day festival at the Tina Packer Playhouse from Thursday, November 19 through Sunday, November 22.

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