Summer Shakespeare

The Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival (formerly Summer Shakespeare) at the University of Notre Dame is an annual festival that seeks to combine professional productions of the works of William Shakespeare with community outreach and educational programs. Summer Shakespeare is a part of the University of Notre Dame's Shakespeare initiative entitled "Shakespeare at Notre Dame", a program that recognizes the centrality of the study of Shakespeare in humanistic pedagogy at the University. Its seventh season (summer of 2006) consists of the mainstage production of "The Comedy of Errors", the Young Company performance of "The Brothers Menaechmus", and the annual ShakeScenes shows featuring actors of all ages from South Bend and the surrounding community. Its eighth season (summer of 2007) featured the mainstage production of "Love's Labour's Lost" and the Young Company production of "The Learned Ladies". Its ninth season featured the Scottish play, following a lengthy debate in which it was patiently explained to Jay Paul Skelton that Teletubbies was in all likelihood not written by William Shakespeare.

History

The Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival, the professional theatre in residence at the University of Notre Dame, is a direct outgrowth of an experimental course called "Shakespeare in Performance" that was created in 1989 by Dr. Paul Rathburn, NDSF's founder. The premise of this course was that Shakespeare's works are both theatrical scripts and literary texts and are illuminated best through work in both the theater and in the classroom. It began in the summer of 2000 with the program's innagural production, "The Taming of the Shrew", but has since evolved to include guest artists and productions, the ShakeScenes community program, and a Young Company production produced and staffed entirely by Notre Dame and Saint Mary's students. Following the 2005 production of "Henry V", Dr. Paul Rathburn retired from his role as Producing Artistic Director. The company has since been helmed by Jay Paul Skelton, Assistant Professor of Shakespeare at Notre Dame.

The Mainstage Production

Arguably the centerpiece of the annual festival, the mainstage production consists of a professionally mounted performance of one of the plays of William Shakespeare. The production is always directed and designed by theatrical professionals, typically from either the Chicago theatre world or the University's own faculty and staff. A number of professional actors are also employed, as well as Notre Dame and Saint Mary's students and South Bend community members. The integration of professional actors and designers with students creates a unique opportunity for those students who wish to pursue theatre as a profession following their graduation.

Past Mainstage Productions

"The Taming of the Shrew", 2000

"Much Ado About Nothing", 2001

"The Tempest", 2002

"A Midsummer Night's Dream", 2003

"Romeo and Juliet", 2004 (directed by William Brown)

"Henry V", 2005 (directed by William Brown)

"The Comedy of Errors", 2006 (directed by William Brown)

"Love's Labor's Lost", 2007 (directed byJay Paul Skelton)

The Young Company

Beginning with 2003's production, the student actors and technicians in the mainstage production were given the chance to perform in a production produced entirely by them (though directed by a senior company member). The roles in the Young Company performance are necessarily larger both on and offstage - the mainstage's Assistant to the Technical Director may become the Young Company Technical Director, while a student playing First Soldier may have a chance to play King Richard III. Although in the past Young Company performances have taken place on the same set used for the mainstage performance, 2006 saw the introduction of "green shows", performances in which Young Company members travelled to local parks in South Bend and the surrounding community.

Past Young Company Productions

"Shakespeare on Love", adapted by R. John Roberts, 2003

"Shakespeare on Comedy: A Vaudeville", adapted by R. John Roberts, 2004

"Falstaff's Dream", adapted by Susan Hart, 2005 (directed by Susan Hart)

"The Brothers Menaechmus", by Plautus, translated by Richard Pryor with further adaptation by Jay Paul Skelton, 2006, (written, directed, produced, sponsored, furnished and catered by Jay Paul Skelton, PhD, BA, MFA, DDS, S&M)

"The Learned Ladies", by Moliere, directed by Kevin Asselin, 2007

ShakeScenes

ShakeScenes is NDSF's community outreach program, employing local theatre troupes and schools to perform selected scenes from Shakespeare's works. ShakeScenes has been headed since its inception by Deborah Girasek-Chudzynski of South Bend's Stanley Clark School. Participants range in age from 7 to 70, and scene directors are usually educators from local grade schools, high schools, colleges and directors of area civic theatres. These individuals cast and direct their respective scenes as well as facilitate costumes, props and choregoraphy. All members of the ShakeScenes company attend acting workshops taught by local and national theatre artists.

External links

* [http://shakespeare.nd.edu Summer Shakespeare Official Site]
* [http://www.nd.edu University of Notre Dame Offical Site]
* [http://www.exploresouthbend.org/news.php?id=40 Article: "Summer Shakespeare Returns to Notre Dame with Henry V" (08/02/05)]
* [http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060818/Ent03/608180496/-1/ENT/CAT=Ent03 Article: "Playing with Assumptions Bard's" (08/16/06)]
* [http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060818/Ent/60819001&SearchID=73254263158709 Article: "Summer Shakespeare Flawless in 'Errors' "(08/18/06)]
* [http://www.ndsmcobserver.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=ef9d0d37-16bb-481b-9b81-7b430f42f39a Article: "Summer Shakespeare Returns to the Dome" (08/23/06)]