The Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival (formerly Summer Shakespeare) at the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...
is an annual festival that seeks to combine professional productions of the works of
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 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 ...
with community engagement and educational programs. The Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival is a part of the University of Notre Dame's Shakespeare initiative entitled "Shakespeare at Notre Dame", a program that recognizes the centrality of the study of Shakespeare in humanistic pedagogy at the University. Its fifteenth season (summer of 2014) was known as the 15/150, also celebrating the 450th birthday of William Shakespeare, and the 150th anniversary of the first full production of Shakespeare at the university in 1864 (Records indicate the first performance of Shakespeare at the University of Notre Dame took place in 1847, a collection of scenes also from ''Henry IV).'' The anniversary season consisted of the Professional Company production of '' Henry IV'' (directed by Michael Goldberg), the Young Company performance of ''
The Merry Wives of Windsor
''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...
'' (directed by West Hyler), and the annual ShakeScenes shows featuring actors of all ages from South Bend and the surrounding community.
History
The Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival, (the professional theatre in residence at the University of Notre Dame), is a direct outgrowth of an experimental course called "Shakespeare in Performance" created in 1989 by Dr. Paul Rathburn, NDSF's founder. The premise of this course was that Shakespeare's works are both theatrical scripts and literary texts and are illuminated best through work in both the theater and in the classroom. It began in the summer of 2000 with the program's inaugural production, ''
The Taming of the Shrew
''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken ...
'', but has since evolved to include guest artists and productions, the ShakeScenes community program, and a Young Company production produced and staffed entirely by Notre Dame and
Saint Mary's
St. Mary's, St. Marys, or St. Maries may refer to the following places:
Australia
* St Marys, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
** St Marys railway station, Sydney
** North St Marys, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
* St Marys, South Austra ...
students. Following the 2005 production of ''
Henry V Henry V may refer to:
People
* Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026)
* Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125)
* Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161)
* Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227)
* Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...
'', Dr. Paul Rathburn retired from his role as Producing Artistic Director. The company's Artistic Director from 2006 - 2012 was Jay Paul Skelton. The current Ryan Producing Artistic Director for the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival is Grant Mudge. The resident lighting designer for the festival since its inception has been ND Associate Professor
Kevin Dreyer
Kevin Dreyer is an American lighting designer of dance, theatre, opera and film, Full professor of Theatre at the University of Notre Dame and resident lighting designer for the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival.
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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theatre world or the University's own faculty and staff. A number of professional actors are also employed, as well as Notre Dame and Saint Mary's students and South Bend community members. The integration of professional actors and designers with students creates a unique opportunity for those students who wish to pursue theatre as a profession following their graduation. In recent years, students and professionals from other universities such as
Ball State University
Ball State University (Ball State, State or BSU) is a public university, public research university in Muncie, Indiana. It has two satellite facilities in Fishers, Indiana, Fishers and Indianapolis.
On July 25, 1917, the Ball brothers, indust ...
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
have participated in NDSF.
The Young Company
Beginning with 2003's production, the student actors and technicians in the professional company production were given the chance to perform in a production produced entirely by them (though directed by a senior company member). The roles in the Young Company performance are necessarily larger both on and offstage - the professional company's Assistant to the Technical Director may become the Young Company Technical Director, while a student playing First Soldier may have a chance to play
King Richard III
Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...
. Although in the past Young Company performances have taken place on the same set used for the professional company performance, 2006 saw the introduction of "green shows", performances in which Young Company members traveled to local parks in South Bend and the surrounding community.
Past Young Company Productions
''Shakespeare on Love'', adapted by R. John Roberts, 2003
''Shakespeare on Comedy: A Vaudeville'', adapted by R. John Roberts, 2004
''Falstaff's Dream'', adapted by
Susan Hart
Susan Hart (born June 2, 1941) is an American actress, and the widow of American International Pictures (AIP) co-founder James H. Nicholson.
Early years
Before she became an actress, Hart worked for a telephone company in Palm Springs, managed ...
, 2005 (directed by
Susan Hart
Susan Hart (born June 2, 1941) is an American actress, and the widow of American International Pictures (AIP) co-founder James H. Nicholson.
Early years
Before she became an actress, Hart worked for a telephone company in Palm Springs, managed ...
Plautus
Titus Maccius Plautus (; c. 254 – 184 BC), commonly known as Plautus, was a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period. His comedies are the earliest Latin literary works to have survived in their entirety. He wrote Palliata comoedia, the gen ...
, translated by Richard Pryor with further adaptation by Jay Paul Skelton, 2006, (directed by Jay Paul Skelton)
''
The Learned Ladies
''Les Femmes savantes'' (''The Learned Ladies'') is a comedy by Molière in five acts, written in verse. A satire on academic pretension, female education, and préciosité (French for preciousness), it was one of his most popular comedies and ...
'', by
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...
, directed by Kevin Asselin, 2007
''
The Witch
A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft.
Witch, WITCH, or variations thereof may also refer to:
Animals
* Witch (lefteye flounder) (''Arnoglossus scapha''), a Pacific flatfish
* Witch (righteye flounder) (''Glyptocephalus cynoglossus''), a Euro ...
'', by
Thomas Middleton
Thomas Middleton (baptised 18 April 1580 – July 1627; also spelt ''Midleton'') was an English Jacobean playwright and poet. He, with John Fletcher and Ben Jonson, was among the most successful and prolific of playwrights at work in the Jac ...
, directed by Kevin Asselin, 2008
''The Deceived'' or ''
Gl'ingannati
''The Deceived Ones'', or ''The Deceived'' ( it, Gl'ingannati), is a 1531 comedy of intrigue written collectively by the ''Accademia degli Intronati'' (the center of intellectual life in Siena). It was the Academy's first publicly hosted event, ...
'', by
Accademia degli Intronati The ''Accademia degli Intronati'' was a prominent literary and scholarly society in Siena.The Taming of the Shrew
''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken ...
'', by
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 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 ...
, directed by Kevin Asselin, 2010
''
As You Like It
''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...
'', by
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 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 ...
, directed by Kevin Asselin, 2011
''
A Midsummer Night's Dream
''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...
'', by
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 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 ...
, directed by Kevin Asselin, 2012
''
The Comedy of Errors
''The Comedy of Errors'' is one of William Shakespeare's early plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. It ...
'', by
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 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 ...
, directed by Kevin Asselin, 2013
ShakeScenes
ShakeScenes is NDSF's community outreach program, employing local theatre troupes and schools to perform selected scenes from Shakespeare's works. The coordinating director for ShakeScenes from its inception until 2012 was Deborah Girasek-Chudzynski of South Bend's
Stanley Clark School
The Stanley Clark School is a private school in South Bend, Indiana serving children preschool through 8th grade. Stanley Clark School has been recognized by the Blue Ribbon Schools Program, the highest award an American school can receive. The ...
. In 2012, the baton was passed to Christy Burgess, the Shakespeare Outreach Program Director at Notre Dame' Robinson Community Learning Center Participants range in age from 7 to 70, and scene directors are usually educators from local grade schools, high schools, colleges, and directors of area civic theatres. These individuals cast and direct their respective scenes as well as facilitate costumes, props, and choreography. All members of the ShakeScenes company attend acting workshops taught by local and national theatre artists.