Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park is now accepting entries for its first annual Secondary School Shakespeare Festival to be held this April in Oklahoma City. The event, created in collaboration with the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is is a non-competitive forum for students in grades 7 - 12 to spend an entire day together engaging in live Shakespeare as actors and as audience members.
While drama students are welcome to participate, this is not your typical drama festival. By design, this festival is geared towards English classes who may have never acted before. OSP’s belief is that one of the best ways to enjoy and understand Shakespeare is to perform the plays yourself.
Performances will run for 15-25 minutes. Abridged versions of the plays or theme-based montages are welcomed, although all text should be Shakespeare's original language. The festival is regarded as a celebration not a competition. Festival commentators are drawn from Oklahoma City’s professional theater and Shakespeare education communities. They recognize exceptional performances, student directors, and good spirit amongst the students with selected awards at the end of each day. They are also available to share feedback with the students.
Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park’s first annual Secondary School Shakespeare Festival will take place on Saturday, April 14, 2012 on the Oklahoma City University Campus.
Founded in 1985 by Executive Director Kathryn McGill and the late Jack O’Meara, Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park has been bringing first-rate professional productions of Shakespeare and the classics to life in central Oklahoma for 28 seasons. Shows take place in downtown OKC at the Myriad Gardens Water Stage and on the Oklahoma City University campus. The organization’s educational outreach programs help Shakespeare come alive for students and teachers in classrooms throughout the state. OSP is supported by the Oklahoma Arts Council, Devon Energy, Allied Arts, The Inasmuch Foundation, the Kirkpatrick Family Fund, Oklahoma City University, UMB Bank, and OCCF.
For more information, call Kathryn McGill at 405-235-3700. Details and registration forms can also be found on OSP’s web site at www.oklahomashakespeare.com
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