About the Education Department
Mission | Staff | What We Do | Donors to Milwaukee Shakespeare Education
Mission
Transform the lives of our community through outreach that promotes a lifelong relationship with Shakespeare's works.
__________________________________________
Staff
Milwaukee Shakespeare education staff includes one full-time staff member, one part-time staff member and a host of independent teaching artists. For inquiries about employment with the education staff, see available jobs listed on our website.
| Marcy Kearns | Education Director |
__________________________________________
What We Do
Education and outreach has been of primary importance to Milwaukee Shakespeare since its founding. Through its Student Matinee Series and year-round workshop programming, the Education Department has striven since 2000 to support educators and students of all ages exploring Shakespeare in English, reading, theatre, and social studies classes. Private, public, and home schools from across Wisconsin, northern Illinois, and northern Iowa participate annually in in-school programming or the Matinee Series.
As part of its commitment to the Milwaukee community, the Education Department is partnered with Milwaukee Public Schools to offer programming free of charge to schools in the MPS system. Since 2006 Milwaukee Shakespeare has also served Milwaukee Parental Choice Program schools with subsidized programming. In the 2006-2007 season, 3,417 students and educators attended our Student Matinee Series, including productions of Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth, and 1 Henry IV. Of all attendees, 41% received full subsidies through grant funding.
In 2006, Milwaukee Shakespeare was chosen as one of 36 theatre companies across the nation to participate in Shakespeare for a New Generation, a multi-year initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in cooperation with Arts Midwest bringing the finest productions of Shakespeare to thousands of middle and high school students in communities across the United States. Milwaukee Shakespeare was once again selected to participate in 2007-2008. This prestigious initiative is part of Shakespeare in American Communities, the largest tour of Shakespeare in American history. Under the auspices of the NEA and other generous education sponsors, the Education Department has been able to pursue new projects such as a website overhaul, the creation of a high-school age Junior Board, and the formalization of a new program: Community Night Out. Through Night Out, students who may not otherwise be able to attend receive subsidized tickets for evening and weekend performances of Milwaukee Shakespeare productions.
While elementary through high school students are a primary focus, community education, including performance outreach, remains a priority. All regular performances feature a pre-performance discussion by a member of the staff and acting company, and several performances per production include talkbacks. Periodic adult education classes are offered, from training in First Folio Technique for actors to deeper explorations of texts in production. In 2007-2008 Milwaukee Shakespeare will be on the Wilson Center’s lecture series for the second year in a row, in conjunction with our production at that performance space. In spring 2007, for those interested in deeper explorations of the plays, an article series titled Aside. was launched. Written by scholars both local and national, Aside covers an issue, viewpoint, history, or design component of the productions in our season. In addition to these regular features, community outreach planned for the 2007-2008 season includes book clubs, coffeehouse chats, and exclusive “inside looks” at the production process.
Schools and Organizations Served
__________________________________________
Donors to Milwaukee Shakespeare Education
The Education Department wishes to acknowledge the support of our generous donors. Their contribution makes our work possible.
NEA/Arts Midwest
Herzfeld Foundation
Harley-Davidson Foundation
Lubar Family Foundation
Einhorn Family Foundation
Krause Family Foundation
M&I Foundation
Northwestern Mutual Foundation
GE Healthcare Foundation
RBC Dain Rauscher Foundation
Weyco Group Charitable Trust
Target
Shakespeare for a New Generation
The National Endowment for the Arts in cooperation with Arts Midwest presents Shakespeare for a New Generation.
Milwaukee Shakespeare is one of 35 professional theater companies selected to participate in Shakespeare for a New Generation, bringing the finest productions of Shakespeare to thousands of middle and high school students in communities across the United States. This is the fifth phase of Shakespeare in American Communities, the largest tour of Shakespeare in American history.
The National Endowment for the Arts believes a great nation deserves great art. Shakespeare for a New Generation exemplifies the Arts Endowment's commitment to artistic excellence, arts education, and public outreach to all Americans.