My wife and I have been season ticket holders with Southwest Shakespeare for several years and have enjoyed many excellent productions over that time. Under the guidance of Jared Sakren there has been a considerable improvement in the quality of the performances, with nationally accredited actors filling lead roles to provide a professional core to the productions. It may not be generally known how much work the Company does with the local schools, but this side of their activities was brought to my attention recently when I volunteered to help with a fund raiser. I was asked to sort through a large box of letters from high school students written to thank the Company for recent performances at their respective schools. The idea was to select a few to post around the walls at the fund raising event. While reading these letters, two things became very clear – firstly our schools are coping with the full spectrum of kids from the virtually illiterate to the budding authors, and secondly, no matter the level of English language competence, the kids universally derived something special from the performance. It was obvious from these letters that Southwest Shakespeare was making a positive difference in the lives of these kids, and, I believe, this deserves our strongest encouragement.
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- EIN 86-0764708
- (602) 295-0493
- Po Box 30595 Mesa AZ 85275-0595 USA
- www.swshakespeare.org
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Nonprofit Overview
Causes: Arts & Culture, Theater
Mission: Theatre company to educate and entertain through performances of works of classical theatre
Programs: Students who will be attending our weekday student matinees will have pre- show orientation workshops in their classrooms taught by one of our teaching artists and often accompanied by one of the show's actors. Another type of workshop is the opportunity to discuss the play with the actors and director after seeing it at the mesa arts center ("mac") or "talkbacks". We also offer backstage tours after the performance. Periodically, special customized workshops not relating to current shows are arranged on a one- by-one basis.
on the second saturday of every main stage shakespeare production, dr. Susan willis, dramaturg of the alabama shakespeare festival and professor at the university of alabama, teaches a daylong seminar on the play we are producing. These fun and interesting seminars are open to the public, free to season subscribers and usually full of educators who take what they learn back to their classrooms. Most of them earn 10 recertification hours from their respective school districts. This is yet another means by which we educate our patrons and make shakespeare more accessible.
there are schools and communities that cannot, for a variety of reasons, come to the mesa arts center to see our full-length productions. For these interested parties, we have developed a touring show of no more than 90 minutes that is generally performed by a cadre of eight performers. In addition to the performance itself, these actors often provide a workshop prior or after the performance giving the students more information about shakespeare, his life and times. Every season southwest shakespeare company produces a professional season of at least five classical plays for season subscribers and the general public that includes three to four works of william shakespeare and/or one to two works selected from the classical repertoire. These productions are produced using the finest local and regional artists and designers, augmented by nationally-respected professionals from around the country. Only the highest of standards are aspired to in these productions, in sets, lights, costumes, and other production values. Our company was named by get out magazine as best theatre in phoenix for 2005-6, and has received numerous arizoni theatre awards for excellence, including five best production of the year awards, and numerous "best actor" awards.