LA's Shakespeare Youth Festival Unveils 2024 Season Featuring JULIUS CAESAR & More

Shakespeare Youth Festival - the country's youngest Shakespeare company will stage full productions of Shakespeare's classic plays, Julius Caesar, Richard II, and The Tempest in repertory at the Hudson Theatre located in LA's historic Theater Row. All three productions aim to celebrate the philosophical and political power of Shakespearean literature while spotlighting a local community of 35 young actors, ages 8 to 18. Shakespeare Youth Festival will run weekends from March 2nd to 24th. Newly appointed Executive Director, J. Bailey Burcham, and Artistic Director, Julia Wyson, co-direct the plays along with resident teaching artists, Kila Packett and Alessandra Mañon.

In Julius Caesar, power, greed, ambition, and the inconstancy of the populace combine to create chaos in ancient Rome as Julius Caesar's friend, Marcus Brutus, is manipulated into joining conspirators to plot Caesar's demise. One of Shakespeare's earliest and greatest tragedies - a perfect play for our age asking uncomfortable questions about today. Julius Caesar performances are Saturdays, March 2 at 2pm and March 9 at 1pm. Sundays March 3, at 2pm and March 10 at 1pm.

Filled with magnificent verse and Shakespeare's characteristic wisdom and insight, The Tragedy of King Richard II, is a deeply moving story of how the forces of history collide and combust to shape a nation's political landscape. See this first chapter in Shakespeare's epic cycle that shaped a dynastic civil war lasting 100 years. Richard II performances are Saturdays, March 9 at 5pm and March 16 at 1pm. Sundays, March 10 at 5pm and March 17 at 1pm.

The Tempest begins with its titular storm that catapults a ship of sailors and Royals to an abandoned island inhabited by the sorceress, Prospero, and her daughter Miranda as well as many mystical creatures. As Prospero grows closer to the justice she craves, she witnesses her daughter fall in love, listens to spirit ancestors, and discovers that forgiveness is the only way to break cycles and pave the course for the next generation. Hilarious fools, magical spells, and elemental spirits help us to celebrate what it means to be human and what our planet means to us. The Tempest performances are Saturdays, March 16 at 5pm and March 23 at 2pm and Sundays, March 17 at 5pm and March 24 at 2pm.

Tickets are $15 and information can be found on their website: www.ShakespeareYouthFestival.com.

The Hudson Theatre is located at 6539 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90038.

About Shakespeare Youth Festival

Founded in 2008 by Blaire Baron, Shakespeare Youth Festival - formerly known as Los Angeles Drama Club is the only youth arts company in which youth (ages 5-18) from across Los Angeles and different socioeconomic backgrounds join hands for the purpose of rehearsing and performing the plays of William Shakespeare. SYF has presented over forty full productions of Shakespeare plays, through the annual Shakespeare Youth Festival held in the spring. Through its educational outreach in schools, libraries, theatres, community centers, parks, and other countries, including Botswana, Kenya, and Mexico in 2018, SYF reached over 800 students. In 2019, SYF was guest artist-in-residence at Dr. Auma Obama's Sauti Kuu Foundation in Kogelo, Kenya to further their mission of enabling young voices to positively change their lives culminating in a cross-cultural performance for the local community.

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