The Acting Company

New York, New York

Founded in 1972 by John Houseman and Margot Harley with Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, and other members of the first graduating class of Juilliard's Drama Division, The Acting Company prides itself on delivering the highest-quality, text-driven productions to underserved audiences while concurrently engaging students in the words of Shakespeare with in-class workshops and residencies, fostering an appreciation for both Shakespeare and the arts and craft of theater for a lifetime. Margot Harley remains the guiding force behind the company, having produced 37 national tours and significant works on Broadway, off-Broadway, and in London at the Old Vic. Honored with a Tony Award for Excellence in Theater, The Acting Company promotes theater and literacy by bringing touring repertory of classical productions, talented young actors, and teaching artists into communities across America, particularly to those where live performance and arts education is limited or nonexistent. The company has been honored with awards such as the Obie, Audelco, and others over a span of more than 35 years for its sustained excellence in theater and arts education. The Acting Company has produced and presented 131 classical works, including 40 full-text productions of Shakespeare, to 48 states across America and in 10 foreign countries.

As part of Shakespeare for a New Generation, The Acting Company will bring its production of Romeo and Juliet to diverse and underserved communities across the county. Talented designers, choreographers, and composers will breathe life into the vision of director James Kerr, an exciting young director currently in residence at London's National Theatre. A full complement of educational programming will include Literacy Through Theater, week-long residencies that bring teaching artist alumni of the company directly into the classroom to study the play; Shakespeare for Teachers professional development workshops; post-performance question-and-answer sessions with company actors; and masterclasses, which include Page-to-Stage, masks, acting, clues in Shakespeare, stage combat, movement, improvisation, and comedy.

Visit them at: www.theactingcompany.org