Program/Grant: Shakespeare in American Communities: Schools

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey will produce touring versions of ROMEO AND JULIET and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM for our SHAKESPEARE LIVE! troupe to perform in schools, community venues, and our theatre. Study guides, talkbacks with the actors, and “on your feet” workshops all help students connect with Shakespeare’s themes and language, and no school is denied a tour based on ability to pay.

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.

"Family Feud: Capulets vs. Montagues" invites audiences in school assemblies, soccer fields, and public parks to explore Florida's historic mix of English/Spanish languages and perspectives. Theater with a Mission’s multiethnic cast pits Shakespeare's “Romeo & Juliet” against Lope de Vega's “Castelvines y Monteses” in a game show that sparks cross-cultural conversations.

During our 24/25 season, A Noise Within will produce MACBETH for student and general audiences. Through performances, workshops, and residencies, we will reach 45 schools and 4,500 students, introducing students to live theatre and Shakespeare and exploring the themes of MACBETH.

ASP will work with 500 students to explore A Midsummer Night's Dream, tackling language, character, and themes and connecting them to our current moment via both the text and casting. Schools will receive 1-2 workshops or an extended residency; complimentary tickets to a student matinee with a post-show discussion; a pre-show study guide; and an invitation for staff to ASP’s Teacher Institute.

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.

The Atlanta Shakespeare Company will produce 60-minute small-cast performance of Romeo & Juliet (R&J:60) and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Midsummer:60) to middle and high schools across the state of Georgia, focusing on schools that receive Title 1 funding and/or are in geographic locations that are considered "artistic deserts" with little-to-no direct access to the arts or live performance.

Barter Theatre's 2025 production of Hamlet will be performed at its 167-seat Smith Theatre for 9th-12th grade students in Central Appalachia. This production will highlight the similarities between the lives of the students of this region and Hamlet’s, and it will feature talkbacks and workshops designed to help Appalachian students claim Shakespeare as their own.

Black Arts MKE will celebrate the genius of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” to engage & empower youth by leveraging the characters who are challenging the status quo to inspire self-discovery, critical thinking & personal growth. Free student matinees & engaging activities (reflection journals, character monologues, etc)will empower youth to find their own voices via self-expression will be offered.