Congressional District: 2

Each winter, Fishtrap brings our local community together to read a work of American literature, providing free books and resources to schools, libraries, and community centers in rural Wallowa and Union counties. In recent years the program has involved 25% of the county population through a mix of discussion groups, films, lectures, in-school curriculum, performances, and exhibits.

The Lewis & Clark Library and partners are exploring the theme of Where We Live alongside the book “Cold Millions” by Jess Walter with lectures, performances, writing workshops and conversations. We will learn about Montana’s labor history and women activists, the Indigenous experience of marginalization, as well as the power of storytelling in our own lives.

The Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association (PVMA) and Montague Public Libraries, with other libraries and organizations, will bring 61 Connecticut River Valley towns and cities together through creative programs to explore Ross Gay’s poetry collection “Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude” and the healing power of nature, community, and art in the face of loss and pain—November 2024 through June 2025.

Inspired by Yang's The Latehomecomer to think about place both literally and metaphorically, we will provide a robust program including book discussions, writing prompts, public events, a writing retreat, and an open anthology call. The framework for thinking about place and identity holistically builds on Yang’s memoir’s structure, and the ways our place’s geology and topography affects ethology.

The Rose Theater will provide a one-hour touring production of Romeo & Juliet for Freshmen in seven Nebraska urban and rural high schools and one community location. Following the play, we will lead an optional post-show workshop for English and Drama students. The Rose is committed to a standards-based approach, ensuring that our time spent in schools supports the work done by educators.

The Colorado Shakespeare Festival will perform a 45-minute Much Ado About Nothing at schools across Colorado as part of a series highlighting patterns of violence in Shakespeare. Post-show workshops are informed by violence prevention research and based in theatre exercises that build empathy, interpersonal skills, and collaboration--all key elements of healthy relationships and safe communities.

The Utah Shakespeare Festival’s annual Shakespeare in the Schools touring program reaches thousands of students throughout a 6-state region in the Intermountain West with a focus on schools for whom geography might otherwise limit arts access and participation. Our 2025 production will be Henry IV!

Since 2005, TAM's Shakespeare in Maine Communities (ShakesME) has taken the Bard on the road through 90-minute versions of a Shakespeare play with four to eight actor/educators. Plays are fully designed, rehearsed, and tour for three weeks to schools and community centers throughout Maine. For our 2024-25 ShakesME production we will present Romeo & Juliet.

Alabama Shakespeare Festival will produce Shakespeare’s HAMLET for students from 10 middle and high schools from across Alabama. After each performance, students can participate in a talkback session with cast and crew and an educational workshop led by ASF’s staff.

American Players Theatre is thrilled to present two Shakespearean plays for our 2024 Fall Student Matinee Series: "King Lear" and "Much Ado About Nothing." We anticipate having seven or eight performances, featuring diverse casts and artistic teams, and offering accompanying in-class workshops to more than 6,000 area students and educators.