Shakespeare Alive!
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.
Summer Camps
Shakespeare the Puppeteers
July 23 - 27, 9am - 4pm
Youth entering 1-2 grade and 3-5 grade
Children's Discovery Museum (contact CDM for registration at 309-433-3444)
Shakespeare Alive! Camps
July 9 - 13, noon - 6pm (session 1) $200
July 16 - 20, noon - 6pm (session 2) $200
july 23 - August 3, noon - 6pm (session 3) $350
Youth entering 6-10 grade
Westhoff Theatre, Illinois State University & Ewing Cultural Center
Bard on the Air
Look for broadcasts from the Illinois Shakespeare Festival's outreach program on WXRJ 94.9FM this Spring. Each show provides entertainment based on Shakespeare's work in a fun, accessible format. The program is partially funded through a Mirza Arts Grant from the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation.
(Listen here)
The Balcony Scene from Romeo and Juliet (in Spanish)
Benedick and Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing
The 'Jersey Girls' discover a version of West Side Story at the Festival
Play 'Fortune's Fool' with Festival hosts Mitch Conti and Eliza Morris
Schools and Community Centers Tour
Illinois Shakespeare Festival touring companies visit schools and community centers on Fridays during the school year to perform 45 minute productions.
For more information, please contact
Dick Folse at (309) 438-8697
Download the Shakespeare Alive! tour brochure
To Thine Own Self Be True is a production of the Cultural Expressions Project. The project presents socially and youth-relevant stories intermixed with Shakespearean scenes and monologues. The production was seen by more than a thousand youth in 2010 and is available again mornings in the Fall of 2011.
Watch the Cultural Expressions Tour video!
FORTUNE’S FOOL - Folly & More...Sit back and prepare to laugh through this zany introduction to Shakespeare’s work... participate in the award winning game show “Fortune’s Fool”... watch enthralled while the “Jersey Girls” explain the plot of Romeo and Juliet from the perspective of the Burgs...Find out what happens to Pyramus and Thisbe. This Illinois Shakespeare Festival Outreach production is perfect for elementary and junior high school students. Available afternoons in the Fall of 2011.
Macbeth by William Shakespeare - A tale of blind ambition, politics, and murder, William Shakespeare's Macbeth is a powerful and evocative tale. Mixing political ambition, intrigue, and mysterious twists of ‘fate’, Shakespeare weaves for us a chilling tale of a husband and wife plotting to murder Scotland's rightful King, and assume the throne themselves. This Illinois Shakespeare Festival Outreach production is adapted for an ensemble of 8 actors, who take us on a 45 minute ride through an evocative world of witches, sword fights, prophecies, and some of the greatest dramatic poetry in the English language. Recommended for junior highs and high schools.
Theatre for Young Audiences Production
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 Ewing Manor grounds. Admission is FREE but we require a reservation. Please call the ticket office at (309) 438-2535 to make a reservation today!
Click here to see the performance calendar.
Supporting Shakespeare Alive!
For more information on how you can support the Shakespeare Alive! educational outreach program, please contact Dick Folse at 309-438-8697.
