Shakespeare Theater Of NJ Brings SHAKESPEARE LIVE To Schools

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's acclaimed educational touring company, Shakespeare LIVE!, will launch its thirteenth season in February, traveling to schools and other venues throughout the tri-state state region with 60-minute versions of two of Shakespeare's most popular plays - A Midsummer Night's Dream for grades 3 and up and Macbeth for grades 6 and up -- as well as a third production entitled Nevermore: The Final Nightmares of Edgar Allan Poe, created by Shakespeare Theatre resident director and director of education Brian B. Crowe. Nevermore... is recommended for grades 6 and up. Bookings are now being accepted for all three productions. To inquire about bringing Shakespeare LIVE! to a school or venue, call 973-408-3980 or e-mail jbgrant@ShakespeareNJ.org.

Since 1997, Shakespeare LIVE! has presented more than 1,200 performances to more than a quarter of a million young people, at over 800 schools and other venues throughout New Jersey and the Mid-Atlantic region.

This energetic troupe of professional actors performs abridged productions of Shakespeare's plays and other works based on the classics, engages in post-show discussions with students and family audiences, and conducts interactive theatre workshops. Although the plays are abridged to be performed within a class period, Shakespeare LIVE! prides itself on keeping Shakespeare's text intact. The company is renowned for its dynamic and visually creative productions, and for its ability to make Shakespeare's plays appealing and accessible to all ages.

The program not only enables young people to experience Shakespeare's work as it was meant to be experienced - in performance - but also enables teachers to fulfill specific New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards in the areas of Visual and Performing Arts, Language Arts Literacy and Social Studies.

Major funding for the spring 2009 Shakespeare LIVE! tour is provided by a generous grant from Kraft Foods. Shakespeare LIVE! is part of Shakespeare for a New Generation, a national theater initiative sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts in cooperation with Arts Midwest. An award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in cooperation with Arts Midwest enables Shakespeare LIVE! to also perform at economically disadvantaged schools in underserved rural, suburban and urban areas in the tri-state region as part of the Shakespeare in American Communities initiative. Additional funding for Shakespeare LIVE! is provided by Verizon, The Turrell Fund, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, Pfizer, PSE&G, The Altschul Foundation, John & Margaret Post Foundation, Van Pelt Foundation, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The 2009 Shakespeare LIVE! tour features Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream - a fresh, imaginative take on this perennial favorite. When starry-eyed young lovers and zany would-be actors cross paths in a magical forest, the result is one of the world's most uproarious comedies. This raucous production is a thrilling "first Shakespeare" for children as young as grade 3, and a riotous roller-coaster ride of a performance for all ages. A Midsummer Night's Dream will tour from February 2 through June 5, 2009.

Shakespeare's timeless tragedy Macbeth will spur discussions of politics, power and ethics while keeping students riveted with fast-paced action and eerie visuals. In war-torn Scotland, cryptic prophesies, mysterious witches and vaulting ambition plunge a noble warrior into a maelstrom of deception, murder and eventual ruin. This hour-long adaption is perfect for students in grades 6 and up. William Shakespeare's Macbeth will tour from February 2 through June 5, 2009.

Created especially for Shakespeare LIVE!, Nevermore: The Final Nightmares of Edgar Allan Poe explores the poems and short stories of this American master in the engaging and accessible style for which Shakespeare LIVE! is known. Depicting Poe's final days in a Baltimore hospital, this piece unites biographical sketches from The Life of this brilliant, troubled author with dramatic stagings of some of his greatest literary creations including The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado and The Raven. Nevermore: The Final Nightmares of Edgar Allan Poe will tour from March 4 through June 5, 2009.

Reservations are currently being accepted for the spring 2009 Shakespeare LIVE! tour. To inquire about bringing Shakespeare LIVE! to your school or venue, call 973-408-3980 or e-mail jbgrant@ShakespeareNJ.org.

Prior to each performance, teachers receive a comprehensive study guide that contains invaluable tools for enhancing students' appreciation and understanding of Shakespeare or Poe, developed especially for this program by Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey educators. The study guide provides important historical information, an introduction to the language, a synopsis of the play and thematic perspectives, as well as classroom exercises, curriculum tie-ins, and topics for discussion.

The Shakespeare LIVE! experience also includes a post-performance discussion with the actors, during which students and teachers have the opportunity to ask questions and explore aspects of the play.

Since 2004, through the Shakespeare in American Communities initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, in cooperation with Arts Midwest, Shakespeare LIVE! has performed for more than 11,000 students at dozens of schools that could otherwise not afford such a program.

 

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