Shakespeare LIVE! 2008 Tour Announced

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's acclaimed educational touring company, Shakespeare LIVE!, will launch its twelfth season, traveling to schools and other venues throughout the tri-state state and mid-Atlantic regions with 60-minute versions of two of Shakespeare's most popular plays – A Midsummer Night's Dream for grades 3 and up and Romeo and Juliet for grades 6 and up -- as well as a brand new third production entitled Nevermore: The Final Nightmares of Edgar Allan Poe, created by Shakespeare Theatre resident director and director of education Brian B. Crowe.  Nevermore… is recommended for grades 6 and up.   Bookings are now being accepted for all three productions.   To inquire about bringing Shakespeare LIVE! to your school or venue, call 973-408-3980.

Since 1997, Shakespeare LIVE! has presented more than 1,100 performances to more than a quarter of a million young people, at over 800 schools and other venues throughout New Jersey and the Mid-Atlantic region.

The energetic troupe of professional actors performs abridged productions of Shakespeare's plays and other works based on the classics, engages in post-show discussions with students and family audiences, and conducts interactive theatre workshops. Although the plays are abridged to be performed within a class period, Shakespeare LIVE! prides itself on keeping Shakespeare's text intact. The company is renowned for its dynamic and visually creative productions, and for its ability to make Shakespeare's plays appealing and accessible to all ages.

The program not only enables young people to experience Shakespeare's work as it was meant to be experienced — in performance — but also enables teachers to fulfill specific New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards in the areas of Visual and Performing Arts, Language Arts Literacy and Social Studies.

The 2008 Shakespeare LIVE! tour features Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, in a 60-minute version.  When starry-eyed young lovers and zany would-be actors cross paths in a magical forest, the result is one of the world's most uproarious comedies.   This raucous production is a thrilling "first Shakespeare" for children as young as grade 3, and a riotous roller-coaster ride of a performance for all ages.   A Midsummer Night's Dream will tour from February 11 through June 6, 2008. 

In the thrilling tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, two idealistic teens are pitted against their privileged families and a society consumed with senseless hatred and brutality.  The play is a lyrical depiction of young love and a thought-provoking study of the effects of violence and the redeeming power of devotion.  Dynamic and deeply relevant, this hour-long adaption is perfect for students in grades 6 and up.   William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet will tour from February 11 through June 6, 2008.

Created especially for the Shakespeare LIVE! education program, Nevermore: The Final Nightmares of Edgar Allan Poe explores the poems and short stories of this American master in an engaging and accessible style for which Shakespeare LIVE! is known.  Depicting Poe's final days in a Baltimore hospital, this piece unites biographical sketches from the life of this brilliant, troubled author with dramatic stagings of some of his greatest literary creations including The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado and The Raven.  Nevermore: The Final Nightmares of Edgar Allan Poe will tour from April 4 through June 6, 2008.

Reservations are currently being accepted for the spring 2008 Shakespeare Live! tour.  To inquire about bringing Shakespeare LIVE! to your school or venue, call 973-408-3980. 

The Shakespeare LIVE! experience also includes a post-performance discussion with the actors, during which students and teachers have the opportunity to ask questions and explore aspects of the play. Shakespeare LIVE! also offers the interactive workshops: Shakespeare in Performance, an introduction to speaking Shakespeare's language, and Stage Combat. These "up on your feet" introductory workshops are conducted by professional actors and guest artist-educators.  Tailored to the students' grade level, each workshop provides a focused arena in which to study concepts relating to Shakespeare and live theatre. Workshops may be booked singularly or in conjunction with a Shakespeare LIVE! performance.

Shakespeare LIVE! performance fees are $875 for a single performance; $1,650 for two performances on the same day; and $1,700 for two performances on different days. Workshop fees begin at $300 for a two-hour session. For Shakespeare LIVE! reservations and information call 973-408-3980.

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