MONTANA SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARKS

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MT SHAKES!

We are proud to present Montana SHAKES: a program specifically designed for the younger students, presented in the tradition of traveling theatre companies in the Old West. With Montana SHAKES, we bring you an interactive collection of scenes and workshops presented by an accomplished team of professional actor-educators.

THE SHOW
"All the West’s a Stage!"
Our comical traveling troupe of actors comes straight to you from 1876. They’ve dusted off their trunk of costumes and props to present the Shakespearean scenes that have made them famous across the Old West. Just don’t mind them if they need a little help from their audience.

TOUR PRESS RELEASE
Get complete production and tour information for press coverage and print media use. VIEW PRESS RELEASE

TEACHER RESOURCES
Tell us what you think of our show and help us improve and refine the MT SHAKES! Schools program. EVALUATION FORM
Enrich your student's experience by harnessing their imagination, fostering curiosity, and activating their questioning minds. TEACHER'S TOOLKIT

MEET THE ACTORS!

Susan Dickerson, Director

Susan Dickerson has performed with Montana Shakespeare in the Parks in the summers of 1999- 2002 and the fall schools tour of 1999. Having moved to Bozeman this past August, she is happy to continue working with MSIP on the other side of the table. She worked as an actor in Chicago for many years, performing in such theatres as Chicago Shakespeare, Steppenwolf Theatre, Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre, among others. She also worked in Theatre Outreach with Pegasus Players Theatre, giving playwriting workshops to Chicago high school students, coordinating the Young Playwright’s Festival, directing student plays, and creating and administrating artist in residence programs to bring arts education to under-funded schools in Chicago.

Kevin Asselin, Augustus Babylon, Company manager

Kevin is thrilled to return to MSIP where his credits include The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Julius Caesar, Henry IV Part 1 and She Stoops to Conquer among others. His Chicago work includes work with Writers Theatre, The Goodman, Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Shakespeare on the Green, Famous Door, Rising Moon and the Chicago Symphony. Regionally he has spent five seasons with the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival and also works with Offsquare Theatre, Papermill Theatre, Struthers Library and Illinois Rep. He is a Jeff nominatetd fight director with many credits and recieved his MFA in acting from the University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign.

Tonya Andrews, Mary Sweetgrace

Tonya Andrews is delighted to join MT SHAKES for their first season. Over the past year, she was honored to be a member of MT Shakespeare in the Parks and MT Shakespeare in the Schools, playing many roles including Hesione Hushabye in Heartbreak House and Desdemona in Othello.

In 2004 she received her M.F.A. degree in acting from the University of Arkansas. Since moving to Montana she has worked as an actor, director, and acting teacher, and was awarded an artist-in-residency grant for educational development from the Montana Arts Council. Some of her favorite roles include Izzy in Rabbit Hole, Zubaida Ula in The Laramie Project, Electra in Electra, the beggar woman in Sweeney Todd, and Lady Nijo in Top Girls.

Jordan Ahnquist, John Dropbottom

Jordan is excited to be joining the MSIP education tour after two wonderful summer seasons performing in The Winter's Tale, Love's Labor's Lost, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Heartbreak House. Raised on the East coast, Jordan has also worked with The Milwaukee Rep, First Stage Children's Theatre, The Skylight, and the Utah Shakespearean Festival. He holds a B.A. in theatre from Muhlenberg College.

THE WORKSHOPS

Verse: Green Eggs and Hamlet
What is this thing called verse? Students will begin to understand why and how Shakespeare wrote the way he did. For the younger students, we will have fun with the rhythm of the verse, comparing it to popular rhymes or songs with which they’re familiar. Old Will Shakespeare isn’t so far away from Old MacDonald! For the older students, we will give them a chance to ride the wave of Shakespeare’s verse, working with a short scene and performing it for each other!

Stage Combat: Knap Time!
Our most popular workshop, stage combat allows students to see the discipline behind the fighting or frolicking on stage. From trips and falls to slips and brawls, students will be shown the art behind making stage violence seem real to the audience in a manner that is appropriate to each age group. At all times, safety will be emphasized.

Design for the Stage: From Wear to Where
In our brand new design workshop, students will see exactly how a costume designer dresses each character from page to stage and how a set designer creates the world of the play. For the younger students, we will focus on what clothing says about characters and allow them a chance to create their own zany characters with our big traveling trunk of costumes and accessories. Older students will explore more in depth the process of a costume and set designer: how they work in collaboration with the director to shed light on the vision of the play.

THE TOUR

The tour will run from Friday - May 2, 2008 through Friday - May 23, 2008.

The package includes:

3 -10 minutes scenes performed by three professional actors from A Midsummer Night’s Dream for a 30 minute performance total.
The scenes will include student interaction on and off the stage.
3 choices of workshops that will be specifically designed for grades K-1, 2-3 and 4-5 levels.
Each school will be able to choose up to twelve workshops for their school from any of the levels. ( 20 students per workshop)

Verse: Green Eggs and Hamlet         K-1 grades   2-3 grades   4-5 grades
Stage Combat: Knap Time!           K-1 grades   2-3 grades   4-5 grades
Design for the Stage:          K-1 grades   2-3 grades   4-5 grades

All workshops will run 30 minutes

Each school will receive a study guide and other educational materials as well as posters, programs and
promotional materials for their school and community.
The cost of each package is only $750. (1 day)

To reserve a spot for you school, contact Kathy Jahnke (406) 994-1220. Email: Kathy Jahnke