Nebraska Shakespeare Festival

Omaha, Nebraska

The Nebraska Shakespeare Festival is a non-profit professional theater company dedicated to producing the plays of William Shakespeare free in an outdoor setting for a diverse contemporary audience. The festival seeks to make classical theater and literature accessible to the broadest possible audience while developing new audiences and artists. Each summer, families from throughout the area are invited to enjoy Shakespeare on the Green, a three-week festival presented free of charge in Omaha’s beautiful Elmwood Park. Nebraska Shakespeare Festival also offers numerous education and outreach programs that further its mission to make Shakespeare accessible to everyone, introducing the uninitiated to classical theater’s many life-affirming qualities and to the rich and powerful themes that abound in Shakespeare’s plays, which continue to resonate today.

Nebraska Shakespeare Festival was pleased to offer a fully-staged touring production of Romeo and Juliet as a part of Shakespeare for a New Generation. The tour featured a six-actor adaptation, accompanied by educational programs for middle- and high-school students. These educational programs included post-production discussion and student workshops. The post-production discussions focused on the relevant themes found in Romeo and Juliet, such as the power of love and responsibility towards family, friends, and society when it comes to love. Students who participated in the workshops had the opportunity for hands-on experience with Shakespeare as the ensemble lead them through a variety of exercises focused on performance and analysis.

Visit them at: http://www.nebraskashakespeare.com/

Feedback from Company

The students responded quite favorably to the members of our six-personcompany and their ability to play multiple roles and quickly create several different and distinct characters. Watching the performers change characters right before their eyes without the usual Hollywood special effects was a new experience for many students, but it left a strong impression on them. This was one aspect of the performance that was commented on more than any other. One student commented that “the life that the actors brought to each of their multiple characters was exciting and inspiring to me as an actor.” The role assignments necessitated cross-gender casting for several characters, including Benvolio, the Prince, and Lady Capulet. These changes sparked serious discussion in our Q&A sessions about gender roles and their impact on the performance of Shakespeare’s work. A teacher from Omaha Central High School commented, “The cast handled the cross-gendering issues skillfully so that students contained any twittering or other inappropriate reaction.”