For the fourth time in the past five years, Lantern Theater Company has been selected to participate in Shakespeare for a New Generation, a nationwide initiative sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts in cooperation with Arts Midwest. The $25,000 grant will allow the Lantern to double the number of schools and students participating in its Shakespeare Mini-Residency Program, part of the company's Barrymore Award-winning Illumination education program, as well as expand the program's geographic scope to include middle and high schools throughout Philadelphia and South Jersey.
Part of the NEA's Shakespeare in American Communities initiative, Shakespeare for a New Generation introduces middle and high school students to the power of live theater and the masterpieces of
William Shakespeare. Managed by Arts Midwest, the program has benefitted more than 1.5 million students and their teachers with live performances and educational activities since 2003. To enhance the impact of the program, the NEA has also developed free educational resource kits, which include a teacher's guide with lesson plans, a recitation contest guide, a "Fun with Shakespeare" brochure with word games and trivia, a timeline poster, a CD, and two educational DVDs. These resources can be ordered free of charge at
www.shakespeareinamericancommunities.org/education.
Hailed by Philadelphia Weekly as "the city's most consistent producer of the Bard's work" and by TheaterMania.com as "the city's top presenter of Shakespeare's work," the Lantern is one of only thirty-six professional theater companies in the country to receive this prestigious grant.
Schools participating in the Lantern's Shakespeare Mini-Residency Program receive an eleven-lesson curriculum centered on the company's annual Shakespeare production, tickets to a student matinee performance and post-show talkback with the cast, and multiple in-class visits from a team of Lantern professional Teaching Artists - many of whom are members of the cast, giving the students an opportunity to connect with professional actors before seeing them perform live on stage. Additionally, travel stipends are provided as needed to defray the cost for transportation to and from the theater. Provided at no cost to schools, the program enriches the lives of middle and high school students who would not otherwise have exposure to the arts.
The 2011/12 program will focus on the Lantern's production of Romeo and Juliet, which is required reading material for 9th graders in Pennsylvania. Romeo and Juliet will be directed by Lantern Artistic Director and Shakespeare aficionado Charles McMahon, who has directed all but one of the Lantern's Shakespeare productions in the company's 17-year history, including this year's A Midsummer Night's Dream, 2009's Hamlet (the best-selling production in the Lantern's history), Richard III (2006 Barrymore Award winner, Outstanding Production of a Play; nominee, Outstanding Direction of a Play), and The Comedy of Errors (2004 Barrymore Award nominee, Outstanding Production & Direction of a Play).
Lantern Education Director Joshua Browns said, "We believe that the future of arts education begins with dynamic partnerships between classrooms and cultural organizations. Thanks to the NEA's support, we are thrilled to be able to expand this vital program for the 2011/12 season."
"Seeing a live performance of Shakespeare is a vastly different, more relevant and powerful experience than reading his words alone," NEA Chairman
Rocco Landesman said in a press release. "I'm pleased that the NEA is able to support these projects that connect young people in a vivid and meaningful way to the great plays of Shakespeare."
Middle and high schools interested in participating in the Lantern's education programming should contact Joshua Browns at jbrowns@lanterntheater.org or 215.829.9002 x104.
About the National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. For more information, visit www.arts.gov.
About Arts Midwest
Arts Midwest connects people throughout the Midwest and the world to meaningful arts opportunities, sharing creativity, knowledge, and understanding across boundaries. A non-profit regional arts organization headquartered in Minneapolis, Arts Midwest serves audiences, arts organizations, and artists throughout the nine states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and beyond. For more information, visit www.artsmidwest.org.
About Lantern Theater Company
Founded in 1994 by Charles McMahon and Michael Brophy, Lantern Theater Company has emerged as one of the most successful professional theaters in the Philadelphia region. The Lantern commits itself to being a vibrant, contributing member of its neighborhood and region, serving the community through three core programs: Mainstage Productions of classics, modern, and original works that are smart, fun, engaging, and connected to our modern world; Lantern Theater Company: In Conversation, its audience enrichment series that brings together audiences, creative artists, and scholars for lively and insightful conversations; and Illumination, its Barrymore Award-winning education program that engages local students and adults in the world of theater, nurturing their artistic expression through in-school residencies, discount student matinee performances, and teaching artist training for after-school programs.
Philadelphia Weekly named the Lantern "Best Theater Company" in 2008, describing the company's selection of plays as "impressively diverse in genre and style." Since the inception of the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre in 1995, the Lantern has received 71 nominations and 15 awards, including the 2009 Barrymore Award for Excellence in Theatre Education and Community Service. The Lantern has received eight nominations for Outstanding Overall Production of a Play over the past seven years, more than any other theater company in the Philadelphia region. The company has been in residence at St. Stephen's Theater at 10th & Ludlow Streets in Center City Philadelphia since 1996, managing the performance space and developing it into an affordable multi-purpose performing arts venue. For more information, visit www.lanterntheater.org.
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