The Alabama Shakespeare Festival (ASF) is among the ten largest

Shakespeare festival A Shakespeare festival is a theatre organization that stages the works of William Shakespeare continually. Origins In 1830, the Mulberry Club (a scholarly group formed in Stratford-upon-Avon, named after the destroyed New Place mulberry tree) beg ...

s in the world. The festival is permanently housed in the Carolyn Blount Theatre in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

. ASF puts on 6-9 productions annually, typically including three works of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

. Other plays sample various genres and

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

s, classical and modern, sometimes with an emphasis on Southern works. ASF's Southern Writers Project nurtures the creation of new plays that reflect Southern themes. The festival stages more than 400 performances each year that attract more than 300,000 visitors from throughout the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and more than 60 countries.

History

The ASF began in 1972 as a summer-stock theater project in Anniston. Its first performance was in the Anniston High School auditorium, before a single critic and his wife; the critic considered the performance very poor and predicted that the ASF would not survive. But the project persisted, with a number of innovative performances - including

Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a Frame story, framing device, often referred to as the Induction (play), inducti ...

set in 1950s New York City. Eventually, the Shakespeare Festival grew to garner critical acclaim, but lacked the financial support to keep it afloat. In December 1985, the ASF moved to Montgomery, as the result of Mr. and Mrs. Winton Blount's $21.5-million gift of a performing-arts complex set in a 250-acre (1-km²) landscaped park, the Winton M. Blount Cultural Park. The Carolyn Blount Theatre houses the 792-seat Festival Stage and the 225-seat Octagon Theatre. There was no 2020 season.

Education

Until 2009, ASF operated a Professional Actor Training program leading to the M.F.A. degree in cooperation with the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

Department of Theatre and Dance.

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

–winning actor Norbert Leo Butz and

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

–winning actor

Michael Emerson Michael Emerson (born September 7, 1954) is an American actor who is best known for his roles as Benjamin Linus on '' Lost'' (2006–2010) and as Harold Finch in the CBS series ''Person of Interest'' (2011–2016). Other prominent roles include ...

were two of the program's most successful alumni. On April 25, 2008, ASF announced that its relationship with the University of Alabama would be phased out following the graduation of the last class in August 2009.

References

External links

Alabama Shakespeare Festival websiteASF Graduate Programs
{{authority control Festivals in Alabama Landmarks in Alabama Theatre companies in Alabama Shakespeare festivals in the United States League of Resident Theatres Culture of Montgomery, Alabama Performing groups established in 1972 1972 establishments in Alabama Festivals established in 1972

History

Education

See also

References

External links