North Carolina Shakespeare Festival Announces 2013-14 Season

By: Apr. 05, 2013
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The North Carolina Shakespeare Festival will mark its 36th season with two productions at the High Point Theatre, a new summer youth theatre program and, for the first time, a year-round educational tour of schools throughout the state.

The professional theatre company, based in High Point, announced its 2013-14 programs today at a press conference hosted by Jamestown's Castle McCulloch.

The focus of the press conference was the announcement of NCShakes' annual fall production at the High Point Theatre. NCShakes will present Macbeth, Shakespeare's shortest and most action-driven tragedy, from Sept. 6-29. Macbeth will be directed by Steve Umberger, who previously helmed last season's Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest (2010). Tickets will go on sale July 8 at the High Point Theatre Box Office and www.highpointtheatre.com.

The company's traditional production of A Christmas Carol will also return to the High Point Theatre from Dec. 4-22. The production, directed by Artistic and Managing Director Pedro Silva, features original and traditional music arranged by David Bishop and a cast made up of both professional and Triad-area actors.

NCShakes President and CEO Wil Elder announced that, due to new corporate sponsorships and dramatically increased demand, the popular Shakespeare To Go program will operate a fall season for the first time. The 2013-14 Shakespeare To Go tour will present adaptations of The Comedy of Errors and Hamlet appropriate for grades three through 12.

In the past Shakespeare To Go has toured North Carolina schools, libraries and community centers during the spring semester only. The spring tour has sold out for the past two years, reaching between 20,000 and 30,000 students per year.

"The new state common core education standards that require teaching Shakespeare in every high school grade went into effect this school year," Elder said, "So now Shakespeare To Go, an already highly regarded program, is more critical than ever. Every day NCShakes fields phone calls and emails from educators who are hungry for the tools they need to bring Shakespeare to life for their students. Thanks to the visionary support of our sponsors, our teaching artists can double the number of students, educators and communities served each year."

The program's new sponsors for 2013-14 are Coca-Cola Bottling Company Consolidated in Charlotte; Bandwidth.Com, an Internet and phone service provider based in Cary; and the Raleigh office of Kilpatrick Townsend LLC. Shakespeare To Go will also continue to receive support from the North Carolina Arts Council, the High Point Community Foundation, the Lincoln Financial Foundation and Glaxo Smith Kline. Local Arts Councils and community foundations also sponsor individual performances in their areas.

Additionally, NCShakes' Outreach & Education division will introduce a free summer youth theatre for students ages 13-18. Auditions for The Youth Theatre production of Dracula take place June 29, and the performances are Aug. 1-2 at NCShakes' Spirit Center headquarters in High Point. The Youth Theatre caps NCShakes' SummerStage program of camps and workshops, which this year expanded to include children as young as five years old.

NCShakes will hold local auditions for professional cast members later this month. Community auditions for A Christmas Carol are typically held in October. All auditions will be announced publicly and posted at www.ncshakes.org.

The mission of NCShakes is to entertain, educate and enrich North Carolina students and citizens with quality professional productions of the world's great plays and with in-school and life-long learning opportunities. The professional theatre company has been based in High Point, N.C., since its founding in 1977.

For further information about the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, call 336-841-2273 or visit www.NCShakes.org . For further information about affiliate company Festival Stage of Winston-Salem, call 336-841-2273 or visit www.FestivalStage.org.


 

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