Perform It! Yearlong Shakespeare Program
The backbone of our organization is the Perform It! Yearlong Shakespeare Program. We give fifty students, ages 5 to 19, the opportunity to participate in our nine-month program. We begin each fall with classes in voice training, body movement, acting skills, improvisation, and theater production know-how. We aim to give young people a serious in-depth theater program while putting fun at the center of the experience.
We are dedicated to providing an environment where young people and their parents collaborate. When we are all together, we number around 75 to 85 people working on the student-centered project. The students learn to design, build, and paint the set, design the lighting, and work on costumes. Fathers help build set while mothers design and sew costumes. Our families often remark that the program changes their lives and helps them to feel not only closer to their own children but also helps to make lasting relationships with everyone involved. In short, we create a community where parents and students thrive. Our spring performance, our biggest production, attracts audiences of all ages, who not only attend to support the students’ work, but also come because they know the young thespians will make Shakespeare understandable to everyone.
The scripts we use for our plays are original stage adaptations created specifically for the Yearlong Program. (See Our Unique Scripts)
