Annual event brings together nearly 500 high school students to mount full productions of Shakespeare plays
Since 1988, Shakespeare & Company’s Education Program has brought together high school students from across the region to introduce and nurture a love of theater and language through the Fall Festival of Shakespeare.
Back for its 37th year, the Fall Festival of Shakespeare includes nearly 500 students from 10 schools in Massachusetts and New York, supported by a cadre of 20 Shakespeare & Company directors, six costume designers, and five production designers.
Nine weeks of after-school rehearsals, set builds, weekly “common class” workshops attended by all participants collectively, and more culminate in full-scale productions at each school and on the main stage at Shakespeare & Company’s Tina Packer Playhouse during Fall Festival Weekend, Thursday, Nov. 20 through Nov. 23.
Kevin G. Coleman, director of Education at Shakespeare & Company, said the Fall Festival of Shakespeare is truly a celebration, never a competition.
“The high school students who participate every year are the lifeblood of this festival. They celebrate the productions of fellow students from different schools, work collaboratively, and together, they meet Shakespeare on his own terms, as performance on the stage,” he said.
“In the process, they also unpack and present the humor, the heartbreak, the intensity, and the humanity of these unparalleled plays.”
Fall Festival of Shakespeare performances are open to the public, this year featuring shows produced by students from:
Berkshire Waldorf High School, Stockbridge, Mass.
Chatham High School, Chatham, N.Y.
Lee Middle & High School, Lee, Mass.
Lenox Memorial High School, Lenox, Mass.
Mount Everett Regional School, Sheffield, Mass.
Monument Mountain Regional High School, Great Barrington, Mass.
Mt. Greylock Regional High School, Williamstown, Mass.
Pittsfield High School, Pittsfield, Mass.
Springfield Central High School, Springfield, Mass.
Taconic Hills Jr./Sr. High School, Craryville, N.Y.
Tickets and multi-show passes are now on sale for all Fall Festival weekend performances at Shakespeare & Company. Individual show tickets are available at both general admission and student prices.
In addition, Amy and David Sorkin have pledged $25,000 to benefit Shakespeare & Company’s Education Program and the Fall Festival of Shakespeare. Their gift, joined by contributions from Helene Berger, Chip and Cindy Elitzer, Scott and Ellen Hand, Peter and Candy LaPlante, and Sarah Roberts and Finn Wittrock, brings the total match to $50,000. Now through November 23, every donation will be doubled, up to $50,000.
The Fall Festival of Shakespeare will also be live-streamed via CTSB, and through the Cablecast app on Roku, iOS, Apple TV, Android, and Amazon Fire TV. For more information, visit shakespeare.org.
For more information about the festival, visit shakespeare.org, or call the Box Office at 413.637.3353. For more information on donating to the Education Program Fund, email development@shakespeare.org.
37th Fall Festival of Shakespeare schedule
Thursday, November 20
6:15 pm – Chatham High School’s Julius Caesar
Directed by Nick Nudler & Madeline Weltchek
8:30 pm – Monument Mountain Regional High School’s Twelfth Night
Directed by Malle Winters & Anna Rock
Friday, November 21
6:15 pm – Lee Middle & High School’s Much Ado About Nothing
Directed by Abigail St. John & Lochlan Angle
8:30 pm – Pittsfield High School’s Hamlet
Directed by Naire Poole & Darius Journigan
Saturday, November 22
1:15 pm – Lenox Memorial High School’s Romeo & Juliet
Directed by Victoria Rhoades & Mitchel Csermak
3:30 pm – Berkshire Waldorf High School’s Hamlet
Directed by JoJo McDonald & Lydia Duff
6:15 pm – Mt. Greylock Regional School’s Twelfth Night
Directed by Erin Jones & Luke Haskell
8:30 pm – Springfield Central High School’s Romeo & Juliet
Directed by Ellie Bartz, Kristin Yates, & Maurice Doran
Sunday, November 23
1:15 pm – Taconic Hills Jr. & Sr. High School’s Macbeth
Directed by Kirsten Peacock & Kirsten Mulrenan
3:30 pm – Mt. Everett Regional School’s Richard Ill
Directed by Madeleine Maggio & John Leggett
5:00 pm – Closing Reverence
Photo Caption: Students from Lee Memorial High School in Lee, Mass., perform in the 36th Fall Festival of Shakespeare in 2024. This year’s festival weekend will take place November 20 – 23. Photo by Four Wings Photography
About Shakespeare & Company
Shakespeare & Company was founded in 1978 by Tina Packer. Located in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, the Company offers performance, education, and actor-training opportunities year-round, and attracts more than 40,000 patrons annually with a core of more than 150 artists.
