Feature: KING LEAR BY SHAKESPEAREAN YOUTH THEATRE at Gremlin Theatre

Shakespearean Youth Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota has a announced that they will be kicking off their 19th season with one of Shakespeare's greatest triumphs, King Lear. Directed by the theatre company's managing director, Maria Signorelli, the cast will be comprised of talented young artists from around the Twin Cities, aged 12-18. It will be performed at the Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul, MN April 21-30, 2023.

When speaking about the monumental production, Signorelli says, "Teens and Shakespeare are a magical combination, and I can think of no better group to breathe life into Shakespeare's fathomless dramatic creation than the brilliant and ambitious young artists who make up our Core Ensemble".

As if taking on King Lear wasn't enough of a challenge, SYT will also produce The Comedy of Errors and Love's Labour's Lost in rotating rep at the Crane Theatre in Minneapolis, July 21-August 6, 2023.

It is extremely exciting for such a young group of artists to take on some of the greatest and most complicated plays in history and is sure to be one of their greatest seasons yet.

Coupled with the announcement of their 19th season, Shakespearean Youth Theatre has added an additional (exciting) announcement:

In addition to the live, in-person productions of season 19, Shakespearean Youth Theatre has also created the Dream Project: a website devoted to annotated, interactive audio editions of the plays and to promote the voices of young artists.

Currently available on the Dream Project website are six professionally-produced audio-dramas of Shakespearean plays (A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, Troilus and Cressida, The Winter's Tale, Romeo and Juliet, and Much Ado About Nothing) performed by members of SYT's youth ensembles. Each audio-drama is accompanied by a scroll- along script, interactive notes and commentary, as well as supplementary interviews with the cast, in addition to ensemble-generated artwork, thus making immersive and educational artistry created by youth available to a global audience. The Dream Project is free and can be accessed at: https://dream.sytmn.org/

King Lear by William Shakespeare is directed by Maria Signorelli, stage management by Constance Brevet, scenic design by Logan Verdoorn, lighting design by Stem DeSellier, sound design by Dan Dukich, costume design by Kathy Kohl & Eleanor Schanilec and The Costume collective, fight direction by Annie Enneking, and dramaturgy by Lukas Brasherfons.