California Shakespeare Theater

Berkeley, California

California Shakespeare Theater (Cal Shakes) strives for everyone, regardless of age, circumstance, or background, to discover and express the relevance of Shakespeare and the classics in their lives. At its theater and in year-round programs, Cal Shakes expands access to the arts and builds diverse community ownership of its cultural vitality by fostering participatory approaches to the artistic process and arts education. Founded in 1974, the company produces four plays annually at its outdoor venue, where the mainstage productions have earned a national reputation for their immediacy and bold theatrical response to the classics. Cal Shakes' Artistic Learning program cultivates students' creative minds and voices through arts integration and core academic subjects, performances at the theater, and summer and after-school theater training. Through Cal Shakes' New Works/New Communities program, Bay Area residents participate as co-creators with Cal Shakes' artists and theater partners in the development of new works of theater inspired by classical literature. In partnership with arts and community-based organizations, the company aims to make concrete connections between the work of classic writers and marginalized communities that do not see themselves reflected in theater. Their third new play, John Steinbeck's The Pastures of Heaven by Octavio Solis, was selected as one of five inaugural Distinguished New Play Projects as part of the NEA's New Play Development Program, hosted by Arena Stage.

As part of Shakespeare for a New Generation, California Shakespeare Theater's Student Discovery program will create a multi-faceted, contextualized experience of live theater for Bay Area students through instructional resources and interactive lessons, both at the theater and in the classroom. Both students and teachers discover creative new routes into these plays through workshops, extended residencies, and teacher training. For the final production for Cal Shakes' mainstage season, the company will produce Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Jonathan Moscone. Students from at least 60 schools will attend the student matinee performances, including students from inner-city schools serving low-income communities. This education program will include pre- and post-performance workshops; arts integration residencies that immerses students in the play over eight lessons; creative pre-performance activities at the theater, post-performance question-and-answer sessions with actors, an educator's day that combines complimentary tickets to a performance and development workshops for teachers; an extensive curriculum guides aligned with California state standards; and public transit vouchers.

Educational Residencies for Juvenile Offenders

Initiated in 2005, Cal Shakes has engaged juvenile offenders through Shakespeare-based writing and performance workshops that has ignited their creative voices and increased their capacity to read, reflect, and speak for themselves. They will dramatically expand their program in 2010-2011 to serve over 300 youth at three different sites. Activities will include in-depth residencies that will conclude with a final performance for their peers. In addition, Cal Shakes will host youth from Juvenile Hall's Camp Sweeney (an unlocked, residential program for juvenile offenders) for mainstage productions, combined with pre-performance workshops to help contextualize their experience.

Visit them at: www.calshakes.org