Feb / Mar
2009
Magazine

 

Leisure: Shakespeare Remains Significant
for Today's Students
by Bobbi Lazzarone

Cameron Crain, co-founder of Shakespeare In Schools and president of Nevada Shakespeare Company, maintains that people's motives and thinking patterns haven't altered since Shakespeare wrote plays about the human condition over 400 years ago. “What the heart wants hasn't changed and that's why Shakespeare is still relevant today,” said Crain.

Although arts resources are diminishing at an alarming rate in our schools, Nevada students still have an opportunity to experience “the Bard” because of the dedication of Shakespeare enthusiasts who share their knowledge. This month begins the eighth year of the Shakespeare In School program.

To date, Shakespeare In School has served over 118,000 Nevada students in every county of our state. Last year, more than 8,000 Nevada students attended the program. “Our effectiveness has grown each season since the birth of the program in 2001,” said Crain.

The program uses Shakespeare as the touchstone for actual performances, workshops, and indepth workshops with teachers to explore the characters and storylines of Shakespeare's dramas. “Many students who had no previous knowledge of Shakespeare had a memorable introduction to his life and works,” states Kerry Pope, Principal of Carson Valley Middle School.

Shakespeare In School is the brainchild of Jeanmarie Simpson, founding Artistic Director of Nevada Shakespeare Festival (1989 - 2008), who now lives and works in Los Angeles, and Cameron Crain, a drama teacher at Sage Ridge School in Reno. He oversees all aspects of the program from script development to curriculum guidance and artistic direction, plus he coordinates the schedule for each of the schools.

Nevada students, from grades four to 12 are the target audience, but the program is offered to students at Nevada colleges and universities as well. The focus is primarily in northern Nevada, since Nevada Shakespeare Company is based in Reno, but “we strive to make an effort to serve eastern and southern Nevada,” said Crain. The program is one of the major activities managed by the Nevada Shakespeare Company, a local nonprofit governed by a board of directors with support from volunteer members.

“For thousands of students,” explains Crain, “our programs are their only exposure to the arts and humanities. Teacher Amy Chatowsky of Elmcrest Elementary School in northwest Reno agrees with Crain. “Our students do not have a wealth of cultural opportunities to draw upon,” she said. “Programs like Shakespeare In School bring this into the classroom.”

The total project cost to produce Shakespeare In School is over $85,000 annually. But none of this expense comes from Nevada taxpayers. The entire program is funded through grants, such as the Nevada Humanities Grant award, and support from foundations such as the Robert Z. Hawkins Foundation, E.L. Cord Foundation and DP Foundation.

In addition to serving Nevada schools, the group has partnered with the Gold Hill Theater in Virginia City and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival to provide summer programs and acting workshops. The Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival donates staff and volunteer hours to help with administration, concessions, printing and distributing flyers. Funds from Gold Hill Theatre provided theatre space use and costumes and props for the student actors.

Shakespeare In School has marketing and media relationships with KUNR 88.7 FM, KTHX 100.1, ALICE 96.5, BOB 97.3, KOLO Channel 8 to reach the public as well as Nevada school districts. The program also collaborates with rural schools and organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club in Yerington and Fernley, Battle Mountain Community Center, and Great Basin College.

Crain emphasizes that early communication with the teachers and administrators at the schools is critical. “The more we do this program, the more we understand that each school, each teacher, each group of students, has their own needs and expectations,” states Crain. Last year the program offered workshops, scenes and monologue performances of both Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Summer Nights Dream.

This year Shakespeare in School will offer an additional option of either Hamlet or Macbeth. Joe Atack, Education Director for Nevada Shakespeare Company and Michelle Calhoun-Fitts, the Associate Arts Director for Nevada Shakespeare Company, will once again help run the program. Additional arts educators will also be hired to meet the growing demand for the program.

Bobbi Lazzarone is a free lance writer with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and a Master's degree in Human Community Sciences. She currently serves on several Reno arts boards and is Director of Corporate Underwriting for northern Nevada's PBS station, KNPB Channel 5.