The mission of the Shakespeare Alive! educational outreach program is to promote active engagement with the works of William Shakespeare. By doing so, we hope to nurture respect for the power of language, encourage the examination of complex ideas, fire imaginations, and deepen understanding and tolerance for the richness of human experience.
The Festival's Theatre for Young Audiences Productions are 45 minutes of family-friendly entertainment performed Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:00 am on the courtyard stage. Admission is FREE but we require a reservation. Please call the ticket office at (309) 438-2535 to make a reservation today!
As You Like It is a raucous and romantic tale of boy meets girl, girl gets banished, boy meets same girl disguised as boy in the forest, girl tests boy's love by having boy woo girl as boy...well, it gets complicated. Adding to the fun is an oversized wrestler, a melancholy jokester, a lovelorn shepard, beautiful songs, and some of Shakespeare's wittiest dialogue, resulting in a love story for the whole family to enjoy! Click here to see the performance calendar.
Middle School “Shakespeare Experience” Camp (Ages 11-14)
Session 1: June 14th-25th M-F 9am – 3pm $350.00
Shakespeare Experience educational camp is appropriate for first timers as well as more experienced young actors. This two-week session presents a series of structured, performance-oriented workshops. Each camp finishes with a mini performance of Shakespeare scenes, staged and acted by campers for an audience of family and friends. The Illinois Shakespeare Festival Camps are led by experience teachers and actors with a passion for spreading the word of The Bard to a young audience while creating a fun, as well as enriching environment. The program aims high in its commitment to involve students in a true learning process. The students benefit from this professional atmosphere of fun, creativity, heightened literacy, and self-expression, all of which are integral parts of the program. Students will also benefit from workshops with guest artists from the Illinois Shakespeare Festival. Campers at each session are introduced to three key facets of drama and theater: Discovering Shakespeare, Voice and Movement, & Production and Design. Materials and supplies are included in the camp fee. A final performance for family and friends is presented on the last day of the session.
Middle School Accelerated “Shakespeare Experience” Camp (Ages 11-14)
Session 2: June 28th-July 2nd M-F 9 am – 3pm $200.00
Session 3: July 5th-9th M-F 9 am – 3pm $200.00
Session 4: July 12th-16th M-F 9 am - 3pm $200.00
This one week camp condenses information from the two week camp into a week of fun filled, fast paced Shakespearean knowledge. The students will work on Shakespearean text and will present a performance to parents and friends on the last day of camp. The curriculum will still include Discovering Shakespeare, Voice and Movement as well as Production and Design as well as visits from festival artists.
High School Shakespeare Intensive (Ages 15-19)
Session 5: July 30th 9am-10pm (attend The Merry Wives of Windsor, 8pm), July 31st 9am-3pm $140.00
This two day camp is for high school students interested in participating in an in depth study of Shakespeare, his life and his works and actor training using Shakespeare’s works. In this two day camp students will work with teachers to discover more about the Shakespeare’s cannon of works. Participants will also compare modern day productions of Shakespeare’s works to traditional approaches. Instructors will work on voice and diction, acting as well as movement on stage. Guest artists will demonstrate stage combat and discuss the ins and outs of the Illinois Shakespeare Festival. The price of the camp includes admission to The Merry Wives of Windsor as well as a backstage tour of the theatre with a question and answer session with one of the festival designers.
High School Madrigal Camp (Ages 15-19)
Session 6: July 12th -23rd M-F 9 am- 3 pm $350.00
Get ready for the magic of Madrigal Camp. High schools students are invited to participate in a two week experience full of musical and practical performance value. Students will receive instruction in language, diction coaching and acting. Each student will receive individual voice lessons from faculty and students from Illinois State University. Guest artists will also present workshops on costuming, use of props and audience interaction. During the day the ensemble will rehearse music to be performed at a final showcase for parents and friends. Participants will benefit from meeting and working with singers from the area who share a love for music.
Grandchild/Grandparent Camp (Ages 8-80)
Session 7: July 10th 9am-10pm (attend The Three Musketeers, 8pm), July 11th 9am-3pm $180.00
This two day camp is for grandparents and their grandchildren. In this two day camp participants will explore Shakespeare in order to foster a life-long love of theatre and the arts. Participants will do fun activities like creating puppets and producing a puppet theatre production. Tour of backstage and snacks are included as well as admission to The Three Musketeers.
For more information, please contact
Cristen Susong at (309) 438-3334 and/or cbsuson@ilstu.edu
Illinois Shakespeare Festival touring companies visit schools and community centers on Fridays during the school year to perform 45 minute productions and to conduct workshops. Currently there are two productions: Shakespeare on Love, which has scenes from some of Shakespeare’s greatest plays, including ROMEO AND JULIET, THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, and AS YOU LIKE IT, and The Family Table, which has scenes from the American classics, such as OUR TOWN, OF MICE AND MEN, and THE GLASS MENAGERIE. Workshops conducted include Stage Combat, Speaking Shakespeare OR Voice for the Actor, Creating a Character Through Movement, and Improvisation and the Secrets of Acting.
For more information, please contact
Cristen Susong at (309) 438-3334 and/or cbsuson@ilstu.edu
For more information on how you can support the Shakespeare Alive! educational outreach program, please contact Dick Folse at 309-438-8697 or rlfolse@ilstu.edu.
