Alabama Shakespeare Festival Announces 2009-10 Intern Acting Company

The Alabama Shakespeare Festival has announced its Intern Company for the 2009-10 season. This year's talented troupe includes Matthew Baldiga, Matthew Bretschneider, Michael Pesoli, Lauren Sowa, Ricardo Vazquez and Melanie Wilson.

The six interns are young, professional actors who were chosen to work and train at ASF from hundreds of auditioners in New York City.

The six interns will be featured in ASF's season opening production of Ferdinand the Bull, Nov. 4-Dec. 19. This delightful musical based on the beloved children's book tells the story of a young bull and a young bullfighter, neither of whom has an interest in confronting each other, or anyone else, in the ring.

In addition to performing in Ferdinand the Bull, the interns will be cast in other ASF productions during the season including Hamlet and All's Well That Ends Well. As part of their training the interns will be taking professional enhancement classes throughout the year with ASF theatre artists, including Rodney Clark, Greta Lambert and Diana Van Fossen.

The Intern Company will also work as teaching artists in the community, teaching theatre arts to Alabama school children. The first of these events will be Wednesday, October 7 at the Rufus Lewis Library. The students will read Munro Leaf's The Story of Ferdinand and rotate through craft stations that include coloring, Spanish language games, and creating paper flowers that will be thrown into the bullring during performances of Ferdinand the Bull. The children will also sing songs in Spanish. This outreach activity is a partnership with the Montgomery Junior League.

For more information on ASF's 2009-10 season call 800.841.4273 or visit www.asf.net.