The Sonnet Project to Cross the US, Go International; Gets Special Nod from Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

On Halloween weekend, The Sonnet Project, created by New York Shakespeare Exchange, was presented a Special Commendation from the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK.

The award was presented as part of the Trust's Shakespeare Short Film Competition. Ross Williams, Executive Director of The Sonnet Project and Artistic Director for NY Shakespeare Exchange was at the festival on October 31 to receive the award. Marion Morgan, Director of the Shakespeare Short Film Competition said of the Sonnet Project, "One way of introducing those who may never have experienced Shakespeare to the richness of this emotional vocabulary is through film, and the competition recognizes the outstanding contribution of the Sonnet Project to this genre, and the artistic values of NY Shakespeare Exchange."

In addition to the special award for a full body of work, The Sonnet Project films of #108 directed by Mark Karafin, starring Billy Magnussen and Mackenzie Mauzy, and #128 directed by Ryan Blackwell, starring Jemier Jenkins were shortlisted for the final competition and screened at the festival. Sonnet 108 was awarded the second runner-up prize.

At the Festival, Williams announced two major expansions of The Sonnet Project, which will be funded in part through the company's current Kickstarter campaign at YourShakespeare.org.

Sonnet Project 2.0 - The US and the World

The next phase of film creation for The Sonnet Project includes moving beyond the borders of NYC. NY Shakespeare Exchange will partner with filmmakers and theater companies in cities around the world to create two new series of films - US and International. Each film takes place at a historic location in the creator's city, and maintains the experience of a single actor speaking the text of the sonnet. In the case of international films, directors will be encouraged to present Shakespeare's poems in the native language of their location. In this way, The Sonnet Project continues to explore the belief that Shakespeare can and should belong to everyone in the world.

The premiere film for Sonnet Project US will be filmed in College Station/Bryan, TX and coincides with the tour of Shakespeare's First Folio. The first International film will be in partnership with Tokyo's Neptune Theatre, produced and directed by founder Ed Gilmartin and performed in Japanese by a Tokyo-based actor.

Sonnet Project Educational Expansion

The Sonnet Project is creating a ten-lesson progression that allows high school teachers to use The Sonnet Project in their classrooms as an introduction to the works of William Shakespeare.

Keeping in the spirit of connecting Shakespeare to contemporary media and digital technology, the curriculum guides students through the "whats and whys" of Shakespeare while integrating assignments related to blog posts, social media, web design, and ultimately film creation through mobile technology. Students who move through the Sonnet Project Education progression are encouraged to take on the roles of film director, editor, actor, location scout, and even Shakespearean text coach.

Explains Executive Producer Ross Williams, "At the core of our mission is making sure audiences truly connect to Shakespeare. This is especially important for young people. We want them to know that these works can be a part of their immediate existence. For way too many students, Shakespeare is presented as an untouchable icon that they are required to like. Our educational materials will engage students with Shakespearean language by treating the Bard as one more collaborator (the playwright and poet) in their classroom project."

The educational work is partially funded by generous gifts from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, American Express, and The Herman and Florence Siegel Foundation. The lessons will be available in Fall 2016. Teachers and educators interested in learning more can sign up for updates on the FOR EDUCATORS tab at www.SonnetProjectNYC.com.

The Sonnet Project is part of New York Shakespeare Exchange's mission to make Shakespeare accessible to everyone, everywhere. The Sonnet Project is their most ambitious undertaking, creating short films of all 154 of Shakespeare's love poems with 154 actors in 154 unique locations around the five boroughs, bringing together the classical poetry of the Bard with the urban poetry of New York City. Each short film is released on the website www.SonnetProjectNYC.com and via a free Sonnet Project mobile app, available in the iTunes and Android stores. The sonnets are also available on the Globe Player via a partnership between NYSX and Shakespeare's Globe.

New York Shakespeare Exchange offers innovative theatrical programming that explores what happens when contemporary culture is infused with Shakespearean poetry and themes in unexpected ways. Providing fresh points of entry to the work so that modern audiences will be exposed to the intrinsic power of Shakespeare, their goal is to encourage an enthusiastic appreciation of classical theater and to expand the reach of the art form within new and existing audiences.

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