The Shakespeare Festival at Tulane

New Orleans, Louisiana

The Shakespeare Festival at Tulane (SFT) is a professional theater company in residence at Tulane University. Now entering its 14th season, the Shakespeare Festival at Tulane continues to serve as a unique and dynamic cultural resource for New Orleans and the southern Gulf region. It exists to entertain New Orleans audiences with professional Shakespearean productions, entreating theater lovers to join in exploring Shakespeare's plays and their relevance to the modern world. The company also has a strong mission of education and outreach. As the only professional theater in Louisiana dedicated to performing the works of Shakespeare, SFT produces text-based, actor-centered, visceral productions of Shakespeare's plays. Through initiatives like Shakespeare Alive! (including Shakespeare on the Road, the Annual Production for Schools, and the Institute on Teaching Shakespeare) and the Intern Training Program, the company hopes to awaken students and teachers to the immediacy of Shakespeare's work. SFT's professional productions, performed in conjunction with Actor's Equity Association, are comprised of highly skilled artists who bring a wealth of experience and advanced training to the theatre.

The Shakespeare Festival at Tulane mounted Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew for New Orleans area middle- and high-schools of Louisiana. The Festival has presented this event annually since 1997 and has been attended by 3,000–5,000 students each year; this is the fourth consecutive year of support from the Shakespeare for a New Generation initiative. The production was staged in the Dixon Hall Theatre on the campus of Tulane University in New Orleans. This professional production was presented in conjunction with Actors' Equity Association. Shakespeare for a New Generation funding was be utilized to underwrite free admission and transportation reimbursement for 1,000 underserved public school students from 10 schools to attend the play. To maximize the impact of the experience, students participated in a talkback sessions with the actors and director following each performance. Additionally, the festival provided each school with a study guide that is specific to the play. Finally, the festival's education coordinator visited each school to conduct a post-performance workshop wherein students discussed the play and engage in activities that got them on their feet and speaking the text. This program has become a much anticipated resource to New Orleans area schools, particularly in these challenging days of recovery.

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

Feedback from Company

The highlight of our activities was the record setting attendacnce. In the twelve years that that The Shakespeare Festival at Tulane has been producing this annual production for area middle- and high-school students, only two other productions have attracted this many students. And both of these productions occurred prior to Hurricane Katrina. Given the crisis condition of the public schools in New Orleans and south Louisiana, such attendance was even more surprising and gratifying.