The Taming of the Shrew in Las Vegas

On Sunday, March 21st, 9 actors, 1 director and a truck full of props and costumes headed out across the desert to Las Vegas. This time, it is to present "The Taming of the Shrew" for one night at fabulous Lake Las Vegas.

For three days before our performance, three teams of three actors each visited schools across the Las Vegas area to give assemblies about Shakespeare to the kids. All the kids who saw the assemblies (approximately 2,000 Students) attended to the a special performance of "Taming of the Shrew." at the Henderson Pavilion

Then on Friday Night March 26th, Shakespeare at Play performed "Taming of the Shrew" at Lake Las Vegas.This will be just the beginning, as Shakespeare at Play has been asked to be the official Shakespeare Company for Lake Las Vegas!!

The Taming of the Shrew coming to Malibu - to the home of Dr Marwah

On Sept 18th, Shakespeare At Play will perform "The Taming of the Shrew" at the home of Dr. Marwah in Malibu -

29057 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265 (near Kanan Dume Road) . Below is a copy of the invitation. Click on either document for a larger version.

"The Big Read" in Burbank

Last August, Shakespeare At Play sponsored a "The Big Read" Event in Burbank. "The Big Read" is a program funded through the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to create renewed interest in reading. The NEA has compiled a list of suggested books for the Big Read Project; books that people can read and then discuss together in groups. One of these books is "Sun, Stone and Shadows", which is a collection of twenty of the greatest short stories from Mexico. Shakespeare at Play presented a live show in which we acted out some of the stories with help from the audience. This show was a part of our "Off the Page and On the Stage" program, where the set is a giant book and the actors walk right out of the book to perform. (Of course, when we perform the Big Read show, the book title will be "Sun, Stone and Shadows")

Created especially for The Big Read,
"Sun, Stone, and Shadows" features short fiction by Mexican writers such as Juan Rulfo, Octavio Paz, Carlos Fuentes, and Rosario Castellanos.

Shakespeare At Play has a free family festival every year in August.

We opened our Big Read Kick Off with the "Green Show" being a part of the Big Read. Dancing, Music

We showed our Big Read "Off the Page and On the Stage" show for the first time.

The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest.
www.neabigread.org

A Week in Las Vegas

Four Shakespeare At Play Actors, James Schendel, Steve Peterson, Archie Lee Simpson and Jeffrey Paul Whitman, returned for a week of performing and teaching in Las Vegas. During the week of May 10th - May 16th, James, Jeff, Steven and Archie performed in Las Vegas schools.

James performed his one-man show "Visiting Shakespeare" to ten different schools during the week, while Steve, Archie and Jeffrey visited 10 other schools to perform "Off the Page and onto the Stage", a presentation of Aesop's Fables where the actors literally come "Off the Page and Onto the Stage because they hop right out of a big book!

On Sat, May 16, all four actor/teachers presented a "Professional Development" program for Las Vegas Middle and High School teachers. The program is designed to assist teachers in teaching Shakespeare to their classes. The focus was on the play "Taming of the Shrew," which SAP will perform in Las Vegas in the fall. The teachers had a great time and learned a lot about how to present Shakespeare to teenagers. All in all it was a very productive week!!

Below are some pictures from our little Las Vegas touring show.

RICHARD III

Produced by Shakespeare at Play for their 6th Season of Burbank's Shakespeare in the Park. The Free 90 minute production of RICHARD III performed last August 15th and August 16th, 7:00 pm, at the Burbank Buena Vista Library Lawn (Verdugo & Buena Vista in Burbank).

This August 15th and 16th, Shakespeare At Play presented Richard III at the Burbank

Public Library in Lincoln Park (corner of Verdugo and Buena Vista)

Midsummer Night's Dream Pictures

On Sunday, August 3rd, We had a wonderful time presenting our wild and wooly version of
"Midsummer Night's Dream" and there was much rejoicing.
Everyone laughed and had a wonderful Sunday afternoon Shakespearean experience.
Here are some photos from the show!! (click on any one to see a larger version)

VISITING SHAKESPEARE!

This program introduces elementary age students to Shakespeare.
A classically trained actor at teacher creates an intimate historical setting of Shakespeare at his writing desk surrounded by the children and the tools of his trade. 

Shakespeare himself uses puppets of Elizabeth I, James II, the skull of Yorick, Crab the Dog and many other props, plus changes of costume to play the most famous of Shakespeare's characters.  All performances are done in a classroom setting and use many of the young students as a part of his creative process.  Following the visit, students write letters to Shakespeare, and "Shakespeare" writes them back!

ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE PROGRAM

For three years, we were involved in the "Artists in Residence" program, which allows middle school children the opportunity to perform a live Shakespearean play. Artists from Shakespeare At Play visit the school for 6 weeks, once or twice a week. The play is cast, rehearsed and designed by the students. This culminates in a live performance for family and friends. This program has been implemented at Jordan Middle School and Luther Burbank Middle School in Burbank, CA. and also Cabrillo Elementary School in San Pedro, CA. This picture is a cast photo after the wonderful performance at Cabrillo after 10 weeks of hard work and dedication. Good going kids!!

After six weeks of hard work, the kids get to see what goes into the production of the play, and it allows them to participate as they see fit. Some wish to act, others are musicians, and still others do technical theatre work. What is very special about this program is that it is for all students, not just those who are interested in drama. So that kids who never even considered acting before have a chance to perform. This is an experience they will never forget.

Donate Your Car to Shakespeare At Play!

 

Do you have an extra car that is not worth repairing
or that you need to get rid of?

Now you can donate your car to Shakespeare At Play! You get a tax write-off for the full Kelly Blue Book value of the car and Shakespeare At Play receives the proceeds when the car is sold at auction! Talk about a win-win situation!

Email us or call (818)566-1925 for details.

 

Support Shakespeare at Play With

Your Ralphs Club Card

ENROLL NOW!
IT TAKES 2 MINUTES OR LESS AND MAKES SUCH A DIFFERENCE
FOR US!

Great news!! Ralphs Grocery Store has accepted Shakespeare at Play as one of its Community Contribution Partners! This means that the Ralphs Company will contribute to our organization directly based on the amount you spend at Ralphs using your Club Card! It's super easy to get enrolled.

Here's how you do it:

1. Go to www.ralphs.com  

2. Click on the Community Contributions link (on the left)

3. Click on the Participant Enrollment button

4. Register Shakespeare at Play (84047) as your Community Contribution Partner

Then just use your Ralphs Club Card as you already do. That's it!
It costs you nothing, but a quick moment in time.
Thank you for contributing to the future of Shakespeare at Play.  
Thanks to Ralphs for making this program possible!