Breakdancing Shakespeare's THE TEMPEST Runs This Weekend at Hartford Stage

Hartford Stage will welcome audiences back for a weekend of performances of the highly-anticipated, long-running summer program: Breakdancing Shakespeare. Public performances of The Tempest will be on Friday, July 28 at 7 pm; Saturday, July 29 at 7 pm; and Sunday, July 30 at 2 pm. All ages are welcome - tickets are only $10 for any seat in the theater. 

Created in 2006, Breakdancing Shakespeare is a unique summer program where students are paid for their time and talent. Over the course of six weeks, participants learned techniques of breakdancing, acting, stage combat, and interpretation of classical text. In past years, students have also worked with guest artists to develop skill related to the productions such as mime, magic, mask-making, and color guard.

Director Nina Pinchin states, “The Tempest is, at its core, a journey towards choosing virtue over vengeance; an opening of hearts so that we are capable of suffering with those we see suffer; and a celebration of how beauteous mankind is." This summer, the cast worked with composer Kevin Scott to record original music that incorporates Shakespeare's words to tell the story in a new way. Brandon Couloute's choreography embraces a myriad of styles to convey the magical world of the sorcerer Prospero. "These 15 talented young performers bring their energy, humor, and exuberance to Shakespeare's 400-year-old text," continues Pinchin. 

The cast of Breakdancing Shakespeare: The Tempest includes Isaiah Artis, 21, of East Hartford; Ariana Dallas, 18, of Hartford; Princess-Larrine Moore, 15, of West Hartford; Nic Fortenbach, 18, of Tolland; Kiara Polidura, 18, of Simsbury; Jamare Snype, 22, of Hartford; Ve'Shawn Henry-Melius, 21, of Hartford; Jade Beaulieu, 18, of Hartford; Glen Jones, 19, of Windsor; Theo Kendrick, 16, of Berlin; Shawn Baskerville, 19, of Hartford; Ezra Mendes, 15, of Burlington; Tianna Moore, 17, of Hartford; Ameer Cantrel, 16, of West Hartford; and Naylein Colon, 15, of Hartford.

Breakdancing Shakespeare: The Tempest is adapted and directed by Nina Pinchin (Hartford Stage's Associate Director of Education) and choreographed by former Breakdancing Shakespeare cast member Brandon Couloute, with original music by Kevin Scott. Austin Washington is the stage manager. 

Breakdancing Shakespeare is made possible by The BFA Endowed Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Talcott Resolution, and the City of Hartford Unity Grant. 

General admission $10 tickets for Breakdancing Shakespeare: The Tempest  can be purchased through the Hartford Stage Box Office at 860-527-5151 or online at hartfordstage.org/breakdancing-shakespeare.

 

About Hartford Stage

Hartford Stage has been led by Artistic Director Melia Bensussen and Managing Director Cynthia Rider since the summer of 2019. The theater's mission is to enlighten, entertain, and educate by creating theatrical programming of the highest caliber that has a transformative impact on audiences, the community, and its field. Under Bensussen's artistic vision, the theater has reimagined classics including Eugene O'Neill's Ah, Wilderness! which reopened the theater to great acclaim following the pandemic and brought more work celebrating the Latine heritages in the region, including Quixote Nuevo, the virtual American Voices New Play Festival, Kiss My Aztec!, and Espejos: Clean. Hartford Stage has presented various world premieres including the Broadway successes Anastasia and A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder (winner of four 2014 Tony Awards), and Quiara Alegría Hudes' Water by the Spoonful (winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama). Hartford Stage's vast education programs engage students of all ages from across the state through student matinee performances, in-school programs, theater classes, and youth productions. hartfordstage.org

Photo Credit: Molly Flanagan

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