VIDEO: The Viola Project Helps Empower Girls Through Shakespeare

Back in Elizabethan times, theatre was a boys club, with women forbidden from the stage and young men taking on even the most challenging of female roles.

But today, Chicago's Viola Project turns the tables on that arrangement, allowing girls age 10-16 to explore the works of William Shakespeare while using his classic texts to propel vibrant discussions of contemporary issues facing girls and women.

The idea sprung out of a conversation between founders Reina Hardy and Ellie Kaufman, who were acting in a production of LYSISTRATA and agreed that there were always more girls interested in theatre than there were roles for them to play in school productions.

The non-profit gets its name from the leading character of TWELFTH NIGHT, who finds herself shipwrecked on the shores of Illyria and disguises herself as a boy for her own protection, while using her wits to maneuver through tricky situations.

"Shakespeare's characters use language to get what they want," says Artistic Director Skyler Schrempp, "We want our girls to use language to get what they want and we want our girls to feel that what they want is important."

The company's website points out that studies have shown that during adolescence, young women tend to stop speaking out and articulating their needs. The Viola Project uses some of the greatest words in English literature to help girls learn to speak up and speak out.

For example, a situation in THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA, a lighthearted romantic comedy, casually comes close to rape. The men creating theatre is Shakespeare's time may not have thought it was a major issue, but The Viola Project uses this moment to allow their girls to voice their opinions about consent.

Visit violaproject.org and listen to the young participants in the video talk about how the program helps them feel more empowered.