EDUCATION/OUTREACH
The Shakespeare Forum 2018 Maiden Tour
Seeing live theatre improves play/ novel comprehension for students while creating a tangible base from which to discuss character and plot development, create text-to-self/world connections and identify key themes. 5 actors will bring these two worlds to life and, with current topics like #Metoo, the implications of rumor/ gossip, and the search for authenticity in an uncertain age, these plays have a new resonance for a simultaneously empowered yet disenfranchised generation.
We would love to talk to you further about this programming. Everything we do can be customized to fit your school and curriculum including number of students/shows, workshop options, and cost.
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We are touring the greater New York City area. The shows are built for high school and college students but happy to discuss coming to a middle school as well.
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Please email us at education@theshakespeareforum.org for more information or to make a booking.
Meet the Cast and Creatives
Jim Warren (Director) is the Founding Artistic Director of the American Shakespeare Center. He directed the ASC’s first show and a total of 128 ASC productions, including 32 of Shakespeare's 38 plays. Jim co-founded the ASC in 1988 as the traveling troupe Shenandoah Shakespeare Express. He grew the ASC touring scope from fourteen performances of Richard III in Virginia to over two hundred performances of three full-length Shakespeare plays and one modern classic in six countries during 1995; by the end of the millennium, the ASC had performed in 47 U.S. states and one U.S. territory. In 2001, the ASC opened the Blackfriars Playhouse, the world’s only re-creation of Shakespeare’s indoor theatre. In 2008, Tim Kaine presented Jim Warren and Ralph Alan Cohen the Virginia Governor’s Award for the Arts. Before retiring from the ASC in 2017, Jim created Shakespeare’s New Contemporaries, a groundbreaking project to develop a canon of 38 new plays that are inspired by and in conversation with Shakespeare’s work. www.jimwarren-director.com
Katie Braden (Tybalt, Nurse, Capulet, and others in Romeo and Juliet; Hester in The Scarlet Letter) is the co-founder of Ivy Theatre Company and a proud member of WorkShop Theater Company. Ivy Theatre credits include: A Real Boy, Mill Fire, Reach, Outside/Inside, Incongruence, Black Ice, Like Poetry, and The Perfect Wife. Other NYC credits include: The Tempest (Ariel), Romeo & Juliet (Friar Lawrence), The Taming of the Shrew (Katherine), and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Helena). Outside the theatre, she is a summer-time camp counselor and a finance manager pursuing her Master’s degree from Harvard. (www.katiebraden.com.)
Ollie Corchado (Romeo and others in Romeo and Juliet; Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter) is thrilled to make his Shakespeare Forum debut! Professional stage credits include: My Father’s Heart (Wet Paint New Play Festival); Not About Nightingales (Empirical Stage); Romeo and Juliet (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival); Indian Head (Luna Stage); Richard III (Gallery Players); Peter and the Starcatcher (Milwaukee Rep. and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park); A Christmas Carol (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park); Forever 27 (New York City Downtown Urban Theatre Festival); Treasure Island (Hampstead Stage Company). Much love and thanks to his family, friends and of course to the cast and crew. And as always thanks to the teachers and mentors who have gotten him to this place. Enjoy the show!
Ellie Gossage (Juliet and others in Romeo and Juliet; Pearl in The Scarlet Letter) is a New York City based actor/singer with a BFA in drama from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Recent credits include Kate in “What Happened That Night,” Bianca in “Hungry,” The First Witch in “Macbeth,” and Will Scarlet in “Robin Hood.” She is also a cast member on the audio dramas “Here Be Dragons” and “1994,” which can be heard wherever you get your podcasts.
Jo’Lisa Jones (Mercutio, Prince, Paris, Lady Capulet, and others in Romeo and Juliet; Narrator inThe Scarlet Letter) is so excited at the opportunity to work with Shakespeare Forum! Fresh off another educational tour, she’s excited to bring to life these timeless tales and help challenge student’s minds. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz she splits her time freelancing as an art model and collaborating making all forms of art. She also co-founded EMIT which uses immersive and interactive Shakespeare as way reach students and tell stories for all learners. Recent credits include Hamlet (Hudson Valley Shakespeare), Reconfigured (Honest Accomplice), Beowulf (Underling Productions), Twelfth Night (Monday Theatre Company). http://emittheatre.org
Gilbert Molina (Benvolio, Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet; Chillingworth in The Scarlet Letter) is thrilled to be working the Shakespeare Forum. He was last seen playing Segismundo and Fire in Magis Theatre Company's production of Calderon's Two Dreams at LaMama. In NYC, GIlbert has worked with a number of theatre companies including The Lark, Magis Theatre Co., and Manhattan Children's Theatre. Gilbert holds a BA in theatre from the University of Hawaii, Manoa and an MFA in acting from CalArts. www.gilbertmolina.com
Summer Dunwoody (They/Them) (Understudy) is a New York based artist and LGBTQ+ activist. They are so very excited to be working with Shakespeare Forum, which is a company very near & dear to their heart. They are a graduate from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and currently continue to focus on studying and expanding their knowledge of Shakespeare and hope to create a more LGBTQIA+ inclusive industry with that knowledge.